Usap Forum 2009 Vision

The Usap Conference now known as the Usap Forum is held annually at different college campuses where Usap students are enrolled. The forum encourages Usap members to develop self and become responsible citizens engaged in community development. To achieve this, the forum unites Usap students and alumni from around the world and provides networking opportunities to share ideas and work towards common goals. In addition, the forum serves as a channel for Usap to refine its goals and objectives to meet the needs of its members in a changing environment.

Usap FORUM 2009 THEME: Usap in Times of Change

OBJECTIVE of the Usap Forum 2009 Theme

"Usap in Times of Change" captures the various elements of change that have impacted Usap members and the world at large in very significant ways. Topics of discussion will include the global economy, environment, health, politics and technology among others. In particular, the global economic crisis and the historic U.S presidential election have shifted the economic, social and political environment that impact development in the third world. The forum aims to stimulate discussions on what Usap students and alumni are doing to alleviate poverty, promote economic development, education, health and democracy. Furthermore, the forum will explore various opportunities to get involved in Usap and contribute towards positive change .

Forum Goals

Usap Forum objectives are to:

  • Facilitate discussion of career options that are both practical and relevant to serving the needs of our home countries
  • Foster a solid and continuing sense of community among Usap students, alumni and affiliates
  • Serve as a platform for discussion and evaluation of Usap goals and objectives
  • Facilitate discussion on the present and future roles of Usap students and alumni in their communities
  • Serve as a platform for discussion of where and how to make a significant difference in the community
  • Connect students and alumni with similar academic, social and spiritual interests and develop strong networks
  • Facilitate constructive debates on current affairs in our respective countries
  • Evaluate and promote Usap TRUST, a fund created for and by Usap students Plan future conferences

FORUM STRUCTURE

Duration

The forum is scheduled to be held from May 29 th to June 1 st , 2009.

Speakers

We plan to invite outside speakers to present on the topics explained below which may be of interest to Usap students and alumni.

Interactive Discussions

In a bid to foster unity and community across class and national boundaries, there will be small group sessions to encourage participants to interact and express themselves freely. Most of the topics highlighted below would be facilitated by student- led panel discussions and others through workshops. We strongly encourage all generations of Usap students to nominate leaders from their class and participate in these discussions.

Topics of Discussion

The Global Economic Recession : Its impact on the developing world and Usap countries represented. Subtopics will also focus on the effects on campuses: admissions, financial aid, work study, student employment and career options.

Politics in Perspective : America's first African-American President; what does an Obama Presidency mean for American foreign policy towards developing countries, race relations and perception on campuses, American society and abroad? What is (or should be) the reaction from the developing world and represented Usap countries?

Technology, Environment and Development: a focus on the importance and of technology transfer, effective technology planning and environment protection in the developing world as well as the pitfalls associated with it.

Usap's role and contribution to promoting development, equality and democracy in our home countries: Topics include poverty; global warming and environment; health: HIV/AIDS policies and other diseases; trade and foreign policies.

Coming to America : Students' impressions and challenges on and off-campus in the US (or other foreign countries).Focus on the life of the international student: campus life, healthcare system, financial constraints, inequality and race issues, etc) and on drawing comparisons with our home countries.

Home is best? : Informative presentations and discussions of particular issues on current affairs in Usap countries. Topics include "Reflections on Zimbabwe in 2009", and other country-specific presentations (TBA), presenting a learning and cultural exchange opportunity within the Usap community.

Key Note Speaker

TBA

Life after College: What's out there?

While the world economy reels from the effects of the credit crunch, the Forum shall present an opportunity for Usap students and alumni to evaluate their planned career paths and discuss how they have been affected. As successful applicants to Usap, we all pledged allegiance to our countries interests and promised to contribute to nation-building as future leaders. The forum provides us an opportunity to collectively reflect on these goals and discuss ways of achieving these goals in conjunction with our career dreams.

Through this conference, we hope to foster lasting networks among Usap students and professionals to enhance the Usap experience and support its vision. We also hope to invite representatives from organizations that have an international presence to provide a more diverse perspective on various subjects to help us achieve our objectives.

GRADUATE ADMISSIONS PANEL

The Graduate Admissions Panel will be made of Usap students who have been accepted into or graduated from the various Medical, Business and other graduate schools. It will also include admissions officers and administrators who can provide an insider's view on successful applications to graduate school.

Forum Entertainment

There will be a soccer game dubbed "Usap Cup of Nations" and an informal tour of Brown University and the historic city of Providence on Friday night. There will also be an option to watch a movie relevant to the Forum and other activities.

The highlight of the Usap forum over the years has been the Talent Show Night, a spectacle not to be missed! Usapers will organize themselves into groups or individually perform dances, acts, poems.

Forum Finances

Our primary sources of funds come from Usap members and their respective schools. We encourage every student to make an effort to request for funding from their school directly or through various campus organizations. These may include African Students Associations, International Student groups and other organizations. We hope that most colleges would be willing to provide financial support in addition to supporting Usap initiatives by participating in the forum

We are currently exploring outside sources of funding and welcome donations to support the Usap 2009 Forum.

Please make checks payable to: "Brown University - Usap Forum"
These should be mailed to:

Andrea Van Niekerk
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Brown University Box 1876
69 Brown Street
Providence, RI 02912
Email: Andrea_Van_Niekerk@Brown.Edu