Sylff News

After providing “COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows 2021,” members of the Sylff Association secretariat were left with the impression that while most of us were familiar with the situation in our own country and region, we were reliant on the media for information about other areas. We longed to hear the voices of people from around the world that would give us a clearer idea of and deeper insights into how the pandemic was affecting their lives. 

This was the impetus behind our decision to create a platform for Sylff fellows to share their COVID-related thoughts and firsthand experiences through short video messages. We are hoping to receive up to 100 video clips, including from graduated fellows. They do not have to focus on your field of specialization, but we hope you will include a message to help other fellows cope with COVID-related issues. The videos will be published as “COVID Vlogs” in the Voices from the Sylff Community section of the Sylff website. The deadline for submission is December 10, 2021.

We hope that the vlogs will help fellows connect with other fellows, creating a sense of community and a feeling that the difficulties caused by the pandemic can be overcome by working together. The project is an opportunity for fellows to express themselves and show compassion. We are looking forward to your receiving your videos.

The following is the outline of the instructions for video sharing.
Please read the complete instructions (PDF) before you share your videos.

1. Creating Your Video

• LENGTH: 2 minutes or less
• CONTENT: Your message should include the following three topics:

1. 1. Short self-introduction, such as your name, affiliation, research area, or activities
   2. Topic related to COVID-19, such as the current situation where you live, how the pandemic has affected you, or your thoughts on the coronavirus, either from a specialist or personal point of view
   3. Message to encourage other fellows around the world. Non-verbal messages, such as a musical performance, are also welcome.

• LANGUAGE: English
• FORMAT: Videos should be in a format that can be uploaded to YouTube. Refer to the following URL for YouTube-supported file formats　　https://support.google.com/youtube/troubleshooter/2888402?hl=en

• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: December 10, 2021
• TOTAL NUMBER OF VIDEOS TO BE POSTED: Up to 100

2. Please Also Submit

• A TITLE of your video message: Maximum of 12 English words
• A VISUAL IMAGE to be used as a thumbnail on the Sylff website: JPEG, GIF, or PNG file format; at least 343 × 245 pixels; and a horizontal aspect ratio of 1.4:1
• BIO: If you don’t have a profile page on the Sylff website yet, send a brief bio and portrait photo (a head shot, preferably of over 350 × 350 pixels). A profile template is available at https://www.sylff.org/fellows/. A link to your video will be also posted on your profile page.

3. How to Share

Submit your videos through Google Drive only. Please do not send by email.

First create a folder containing the video, visual image, short bio, and portrait photo. Be sure the name of the folder and each file contains your name and the name of your Sylff institution (e.g., James White_ABC University) so we know who submitted the data.

Type in the title of your video in the “Message” section of Google Drive. Refer to the complete instructions (PDF) for details.

Please note that the business edition of Google Workspace used to receive your videos has enhanced data protection and security.

4. Miscellaneous

By submitting your video, you agree that the Sylff Association secretariat may use your video for the purpose of promoting the Sylff Program, such as by uploading it on the Sylff YouTube channel and featuring it in other promotional media owned by the Sylff Association secretariat.

The copyright belongs to the video producer. The Sylff Association secretariat will remove the video from the Sylff website and other media channels if the video producer expresses such a wish, in writing, to the secretariat.

The Sylff Association secretariat reserves the right not to publish videos that are deemed to show lack of tolerance for any group on the basis of their race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, culture, or disability.

It is the video producer’s responsibility to obtain permission, when required, for the use of materials created by others, including visual images.

Inquiries

Please send email with [COVID Vlog] in the subject line to:
covid-vlog@sylff.org

*This email address is used to receive your videos.
Do NOT send your data to sylff@tkfd.or.jp.