Each year the East-West Center invites rising young leaders from the United States and Asia Pacific to participate in The New Generation Seminar (NGS), a two-week intensive educational, dialogue and study tour travel program. The program is developed around a thematic focus and provides participants with an opportunity to strengthen their understanding of Asia Pacific-U.S. developments and challenges, build a regional network and to become leaders with a more international perspective. The first week of the program is held in Hawaii. In discussions with East-West Center researchers, other experts in the Hawaii community and one another, participants are introduced to key regional policy issues such as international relations, security, economics, population, health and environment. The second week involves field travel to either the United States or Asia Pacific for exploration of the program theme. The program is supported by funding from the Freeman Foundation.
2011 NEW GENERATION SEMINAR
Now Accepting Applications for the 2011 NGS–deadline is July 27, 2011
Theme: The Future of Jobs: Innovation and Industrial Policy for Economic Growth
Program Dates: October 2-16, 2011
Study Tour Destinations: Honolulu, Hawaii; Boston and Lowell, Massachusetts; Washington, DC
Funding: Through a grant from the Freeman Foundation, the East-West Center covers air and ground travel as well as modest meals, lodging and program-related expenses for the participants during the two-week program. Participants will be responsible for their own visa fees and visa related expenses.
Program Agenda
The New Generation Seminar program provides an avenue for dialogue and interaction among the participants through formal meetings as well as informal after-hour activities. The first week of the New Generation Seminar is held at the East-West Center (EWC) in Honolulu and consists of briefings by EWC research staff on key issues in the region such as security, international relations, economics, energy resources, population, health and environment, as well as sessions directly related to the seminar theme. The Honolulu program also includes relevant field visits, a half island Oahu tour and an opportunity for each of the participants to share with the group a topic of interest/importance to him or her. Each participant is asked to give a short presentation on a topic from his or her country as a means for participants to learn from one another about the region and to stimulate discussion. The second week of the program involves field travel to either the Asia Pacific region or the United States mainland to enhance participants’ knowledge of a specific theme.
21st NGS Theme: The Future of Jobs: Innovation and Industrial Policy for Economic Growth
The Obama administration has listed education, innovation and infrastructure as the keys to America’s future global competitiveness. Many Asian countries have also targeted innovation as a key direction—Singapore is investing heavily in education and incentives to lure innovation to its shores and “indigenous innovation” has become a central focus of China’s industrial policy. Countries across the Asia Pacific region are recognizing the need to create and own ideas as well as to manufacture products. But what is the right formula for stimulating innovation and converting new ideas into economic growth? The U.S. still leads the world in innovative capacity, but as it emerges from its worst recession in decades, the U.S. has fears of challenges to its competitive advantage, especially from a rising Asia. The U.S. also is focused on maintaining and creating jobs, both in the short and long term. Policymakers are reassessing the country’s industrial policy, exploring the need to maintain manufacturing capacity and to find the right balance of government and market roles to spur innovation and to translate that into economic growth and high quality jobs.
This program will provide Asia Pacific and U.S. leaders and policymakers an opportunity to explore innovation for economic growth and the role of policy in facilitating this process through study tour travel to Lowell, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the industrial revolution and a city that has successfully reinvented itself to adapt to the global economy; Boston, home of many of America’s top universities which are leading the way as catalysts of industrial upgrading through innovation; and to Washington, DC to examine the U.S. strategy for and the role of policymakers in maintaining U.S. competitiveness in innovation, upgrading American industry and creating new jobs. Many countries are trying to replicate the success of places like Silicon Valley; this program will explore the different ways that countries are trying to develop R&D and innovation centers and what factors have been important for success in the United States and elsewhere.
For full information about the program, please see the 21st NGS Background Summary.
WHO CAN APPLY
The New Generation Seminar involves 10-12 participants aged mid-20’s to late 30’s, approximately 6-8 from Asia Pacific and 3-4 from the United States. The program seeks to engage “communicators” and “leaders,” those individuals who are in a position to shape and influence policy and decision-making in their countries, regions or local communities. Primarily these leaders will be involved in political processes. Past participants have included members of national, state or provincial government assemblies or ministries, young mayors or governors, city council members, up and coming members of political parties, leaders of political party youth wings, political advisers and other elected officials. The NGS also includes leaders from civil society organizations, media, business and law. The program is geared toward professionals working outside of academia.
The strongest candidates for the program will be:
- Working professionals in their mid-20s to late 30s;
- Political, business and community leaders or communicators with broad-based policy knowledge and influence;
- Individuals with limited opportunity for international travel;
- Fluent in English.
Candidates need not be specialists in the program theme; indeed, as stated above, we prefer candidates with broad based policy profiles who could benefit from deepening their understanding of regional issues as well as the proposed theme.
For a summary of the NGS program and full details on participant criteria please download the 21st NGS Background Summary.
HOW TO APPLY
Participation in the New Generation Seminar is a competitive process. Nominations are received from a variety of U.S. and Asia Pacific organizations and qualified individuals are welcome to submit applications on their own. The applications and nominations are reviewed by an East-West Center Selection Committee, which makes the final selection of candidates.
To apply, please submit the following:
- The Application Cover Sheet (Click to download. Please save a copy to your computer before filling out or you may lose your data. You may type directly into this PDF document).
- A brief written statement about why you wish to participate in the 21st New Generation Seminar (not more than one typewritten double-spaced page, please). In responding please consider what you feel that you can contribute to the program and what you hope to gain from participating given your current leadership positions/roles, especially with regard to this year’s program theme.
- One-paragraph professional biography summarizing your current work and highlighting your leadership experience and those aspects of your resume you think are most important for the selection committee.
- Copy of resume to include professional and educational background.
Resume or CV should clearly indicate years and type of education, title of position held, name of employer, dates spent at each position, and most importantly a brief outline of specific responsibilities or accomplishments in each position.
- Two (2) letters of professional recommendation on official letterhead with current contact information for each person writing a recommendation.
For a printed summary of the application requirements, please download the Application Instructions.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 27, 2011
You may send applications to:
Ms. Ann Hartman, NGS Coordinator, at:
E-MAIL: ngs@eastwestcenter.org
FAX: (808) 944-7600
POST: New Generation Seminar, East-West Seminars
East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96848-1601, USA
For questions or confirmation of receipt, please contact:
Ms. Carolynne Nakamura, Program Secretary
TEL: (808) 944-7682
We will confirm receipt of the application within 5 working days. If you do not hear back from us, please follow up.
Applications must be received at the East-West Center by the application deadline in order to be considered.
You will be notified of the results by August 15, 2011.
PROGRAM HISTORY
The first New Generation Seminar was held in 1988, and since then a total of 302 participants from 26 Asia Pacific countries and the United States have participated in 20 seminars. The continuity of the program has been made possible by generous grants from the Freeman Foundation, which has funded the program for the past 15 years.
2010 NEW GENERATION SEMINAR
- 2010 participants view the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan.
Theme: Asia Pacific Security and the U.S. Role
Program Dates: September 26-October 10, 2010
Study Tour Destinations: Honolulu, Hawaii; Okinawa and Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea
20th NGS Program: Asia Pacific Security and the U.S. Role
The 20th New Generation Seminar provided 12 Asia Pacific and U.S. leaders with an opportunity to better understand security dynamics in the Asia Pacific region, and to discuss the future of the U.S. role. The U.S. has long played a significant role in Asia Pacific security including the basing of U.S. military forces in Japan and Korea. Five of the U.S.’s seven mutual defense treaty relationships are in Asia and U.S. naval forces contribute to regional security across the Pacific. There are many security tensions across the region, especially in Northeast Asia, where North Korea continues to be an international security challenge, new tensions have emerged between the U.S. and China over a number of issues including arms sales to Taiwan, and a new government in Tokyo has reopened negotiations about the U.S. military presence in Japan. Events such as the bombing of the Cheonan, the Japan-China row over the Chinese fishing vessel in the Senkaku Islands, and renewed conflicts over resources in the South China Sea underscored the relevance of the theme. With China’s rise and in an increasingly integrated, interdependent and economically important Asia Pacific region, regional political and security dynamics are changing. Given this, what should and will be the role of the U.S.?
Leaders and policymakers in the 20th New Generation Seminar explored these issues through discussion sessions in Honolulu and visits to Okinawa, Tokyo, and Seoul for discussions with experts and policymakers and by exploring on-the-ground attitudes and circumstances. Participants learned about the sensitivities surrounding the physical presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa and the challenges facing the U.S. and Japan as they seek to renew and update their 50-year old alliance. They talked with senior policy makers in both Japan and Korea about the changing regional security needs and relationships and how they see the role of the United States and China. Another highlight was a visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the buffer surrounding the armistice line drawn between North and South Korea, to better understand the realities of sharing a border with a country while technically still at war. Participants also appreciated learning more about the complexities of possible reunification.
The 20th New Generation Seminar participant were:
- Mr. Jim BURNS, Member, Greenville County Council, Greenville, South Carolina, United States
- Ms. Jung Mi CHA, The Assistant Secretary to the President for Political Affairs, The Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, Korea
- Mr. Chia-Ching (Marc) CHENG, Deputy Director of Research, Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies, APS, Taipei, Taiwan
- Mr. Ryan COONERTY, Vice Mayor, City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz California, United States
- Mr. Aquilino CORTEZ, JR., City Councilor, Olongapo City Council, Olongapo City, Zambales, Philippines
- Ms. Marina DIMITRIJEVIC, County Supervisor, Milwaukee County, United States
- Ms. Xiaojuan JIANG, Project Officer, Governance for Equitable Development Project, Beijing, China
- Mr. Faisal Karim KUNDI, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, National Assembly of Pakistan, Pakistan
- Ms. Judith LANZ, Member, City Council, Stevenson, Washington, United States
- Mr. Ashwath Chikka Kalya NARAYANAPPA, Member of Legislative Assembly, Karnataka State Legislature, India
- Mr. Thang Nam NGUYEN, Government Inspector, Government Inspectorate of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Mr. Andaleeve Rahman PARTHO, Member of Parliament, Head of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Bangladesh
- Mr. Igarashi TATSUO, City Councilor, Tsukuba City Assembly, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
For full biographies of the 20th New Generation Seminar participants, please click here.
- 2010 participants meeting with Jung-Ro, Kim, Chief of Policy Cooperation Division of Unification Ministry, Seoul, Korea.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ann Hartman
NGS Program Coordinator
East-West Center
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96848-1601
Phone: (808) 944-7619
Fax: (808) 944-7600
Email: ngs@eastwestcenter.org
