In New York…
Helen M. Marshall, Queens Borough President, last Friday welcomed seven Guyanese graduate students at Borough Hall at a reception organized by The Guyanese and American Business and Professional Council (GABPC) and the Future Generations Graduate School. The Borough President embraced each student, congratulated them on their academic mission, informed them that both of her parents emigrated to the US from Guyana and encouraged them to feel at home at Borough Hall.  The Borough President shared her history that included a personal commitment to education which led to a career in community development, activism and elective office in order to bring about social change.
The seven Guyanese, candidates for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation at the Future Generations Graduate School,  are part of a global class of 17 students from seven countries pursuing coursework  in a range of areas including community health, sustainable development, management and governance, conflict transformation and nature conservation.  The accredited, two-year global graduate programme keeps students in their home communities and combines interactive online learning with international travel and  applied research that serves their community.  The M.A. candidates were returning to Guyana after a month in India where they were engaged in their Term 1 residential that focused on social change at Ghandi’s study center in Sevagram, community health and empowerment at the world renowned Jamkhed Comprehensive Rural Health Project, and holistic community development and conservation in Arunachal Pradesh.  They were part of this year’s group of students from the US and other developing countries.   Before graduation, they will also participate in one-month international residential learning programs in the US (New York and West Virginia), Nepal, China, and Peru.
The Guyanese represent a range of organizations active in communities throughout Guyana. Shellon Eversley coordinates home-based care for adults, orphans, and children with HIV/AIDS; Travis Eversley is a community development and peace building practitioner in the Buxton and Annandale communities; Suzanne McRae-Monroe is the Grants Coordinator for Conservation International Guyana (CIG); Jacquelene Wilson-Robertson is a Probation and Social Services Officer in Potaro/Siparuni; Rohan Sagar uses music for self expression and community improvement and is working on the preservation of the historical memory of Guyana’s cultural groups; Luanna Goldie Scott is CEO of Volunteer Youth Corps, Inc.; and Bertie Xavier is the toshao (chief) of Wowetta in the northern Rupununni and works with the Bina Hill Institute, a non-governmental organization dedicated to building capacity and preserving traditional knowledge systems.
Leyland Hazlewood, President, GABPC, reminded the students of their good fortune at being able to pursue graduate studies while being employed at home in the communities that they are working to improve.  He said, “During my time, it was only possible to pursue graduate studies overseas.  Often the curricula did not adequately address the concerns of a place like Guyana”.  Hazlewood added, “Future Generations Graduate School addresses this obvious disconnect by creating a programme that is geared to the needs of developing societies.  That is why GABPC came on board and we encourage Guyanese organizations and members of the Guyanese Diaspora to support these students and the overall Future Generations programme for Guyanese students.”
Any doubts about the importance of this novel graduate programme that these seven Guyanese  are pursuing should have been dispelled by the presence of top echelon administrators and trustees of Future Generations Graduate School who attended the reception.  The Future Generations Board of Trustees in attendance were William D. Carmichael, Chairman of the Board, Future Generations and former Dean of Cornell University’ Graduate School of Business and Public Administration; Patricia Rosenfield, Program Director for the Carnegie Scholars Programme and previously a manager of social and economic research programs with UNDP/World bank/World Health Organization; James M. Brasher III, an expert in philanthropy having served as Chief Development officer to the Touch Foundation, Synergos, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Carter Center; David Nygaard, incoming President of Future Generations; and Casey Mallinckrodt, Vice President of Advocacy and also a trustee of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Also at the event, Fr. Thomas Aker, SJ, Dean, Future Generations Graduate School outlined the school’s mission.  Both Dean Aker and Jason Calder, Applied Research Director, indicated their interest in recruiting future cohorts of Guyanese students for the graduate programme.  They felt that such a program should have a measurable impact to promoting sustainable community development and conservation in Guyana.  Jason Calder invited the Guyanese Diaspora to actively support these students as advisors and mentors, by contributing financially through a tax-deductible Guyana scholarship fund established at www.future.org/donate, and by identifying future students for the graduate program
An animated capacity crowd of academics, business executives and other professionals braved the inclement weather to fill the reception room, enjoy some wine and hors d’ouvres, conduct active networking, and exchange  business cards while welcoming the students.
The Guyanese and American Business and professional Council (GABPC) is a United States registered independent, not-for-profit organization that promotes stronger ties between Guyana and the United States and forging closer relations between the business relations and the professional communities of both nations. (www.gabpc.org).