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WAKAI: "YOUTH CULTURE in JAPAN" Project
Temple University, Japan Campus, in association with The United
Nations University’s Institute for Advanced Studies, is organizing
a joint-project about issues facing young people in Japan. “WAKAI:
Youth Culture in Japan”, will feature a series of events in
the fall of 2002, to address the effects of globalization on youth
in Japan. Youth are often the innovators of cultural trends, and
the creative energy of society, but they are also especially vulnerable
to the forces of social change. As such, they reflect the progress
and problems of Japanese culture as it is transformed by the influence
of globalization and emerging technologies.
WAKAI is a project designed to establish a dialogue
between academics, media representatives, public policy makers and
young people to connect the culture of youth with adults and mainstream
institutions. These concerns are an extension of research initiated
by the Ishikawa International Cooperation Research Centre (IICRC),
a Kanazawa based institute that produces public policy initiatives
related to youth. The IICRC is affiliated with UNU’s Institute
for Advanced Studies, and will be supporting this project, along
with Temple University, Japan Campus.
The project will be in 3 sections:
October 8 (Tuesday) Roundtable Discussion
To be held at the United Nations University in Aoyama, this event will be a
daylong seminar with experts and authorities on youth culture in Japan. Sessions
will be organized on consumerism and media, and public policy, culminating
in a plenary session where the panelists will discuss issues of common concern.
October 18 (Friday) Pacific
Rim Lecture
This lecture will be held at Temple University, Japan Campus in Minato-ku, to continue
discussions on youth issues, with panelists selected from the UNU roundtable.
In addition, students will participate in and lead the discussion. This event
is part of the Pacific Rim Lecture Series, a forum for Asian-studies scholars
to present their research to a public audience.
November 30 (Saturday) WAKAI:
Conference
A meeting of young people at Temple University, Japan Campus, with workshops, seminars
and guest lectures on themes related to youth in Japan. Some of the issues
to be discussed include: media and emerging trends in fashion and youth culture,
employment and “freeta” culture in Japan’s changing economy,
sexuality and gender stratification, problems of delinquency and crime among
young people, and racial and ethnic diversity in an increasingly multi-cultural
society.
This conference will be primarily organized by students,
and will reflect their concerns, so in the weeks leading up to this
event, students will meet to discuss the topics to be presented at
the conference.
Students and youth-oriented groups are invited to
participate in this conference, which is free and open to the general
public. Information and registration procedures are available on-line
at <http://www.wakai.org/> or
by contacting Temple University, Japan Campus, Office of Student Services.
Please direct inquiries to:
Kyle Cleveland, Director of Student Services
Temple University, Japan Campus
Tel: 03-5441-9800 (ext. 709) or 090-4606-9779
Fax: 03-5441-9822
E-mail: kyle@tuj.ac.jp
or
Anne Yamamoto
C/O United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies
Tel: 03-5385-9890 or 070-5212-3492
E-mail: yamamoto_ann@yahoo.co.jp
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