By Nadine Leavitt Siak
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies. Since then, APEC has become the region's most visible vehicle for promoting open trade and economic cooperation. But while APEC's most obvious goal is to sustain the economic dynamism of the region, it also has as its goal the strengthening of the sense of community.

The annual APEC summits have notably served as a world-class forum where leaders, bureaucrats and private-sector executives meet regularly to exchange ideas and advance common goals. APEC programs, however, also can bring ordinary people together to work on finding solutions to problems of mutual concern. This person-to-person sharing of views and experiences could eventually lead to a strengthened APEC economy-to-economy cooperation. In turn, such linkages could not only optimize overall economic growth, but also could further sustainable development, improve standards of living, enhance public health, and spur scientific development.

One example of successful APEC networking on an ordinary level is the APEC Youth Science Festival (AYSF). The stated goal of the AYSF is to raise youths' awareness of science and technology, based on the belief that such an awareness will consequently benefit the region's development. One of the most tangible results of these festivals, however, has been the opportunities they have afforded students and educators from different countries to learn from -- and about -- each other.

The first AYSF was held in Korea in 1998, with more than 500 students and chaperones/educators participating. The second festival, held in Singapore for two weeks in the summer of 2000, was attended by 582 high school students and 221 chaperones/educators from 14 APEC economies. The participants' schedules have included lectures given by eminent scientists -- including Nobel Prize winners -- home-stays, student summit science seminars, and visits to research centers and institutes of higher learning. Educational activities have focused on topics such as globalization, global warming, diseases, genetic engineering and clean environments.

The exact dates and location of the third AYSF have not been decided yet, but the festival may take place in either July or August of 2003.

Of the 558 students and chaperones/educators who participated in an evaluation of the second AYSF, approximately 95 percent of the respondents in the survey said the most beneficial aspect of the festival was that it allowed them the opportunity to make new friends, with the second most beneficial aspect being the opportunities provided to exchange knowledge of science and technology.

Zachary Gerson, a member of the U.S. delegation to the second AYSF, described the experience in an essay he wrote for the American Association for the Advancement of Science: "The APEC Youth Science Festival brought together incredible students, from many countries, with similar interests and put them in a positive situation where bonding across cultures was not only possible but inevitable."

Rebecca Kozizta, another U.S. delegation member, said she left Singapore with "an enhanced cultural awareness, a greater understanding of the international scientific community, a wealth of knowledge, as well as numerous life-long friendships."

"This festival has opened my eyes to the immense worldwide web of people and ideas," Kozizta added, "[and] has also made me aware of my desire to pursue an international science career that allows me to collaborate with scientists from around the world."

For some parts of the festival, the chaperones/educators attended a separate program, which comprised school visits, presentation of papers on science education in their economies, and a Science Teachers' Seminar.

One chaperone/educator on the U.S. delegation for the second ASYF, Ann Gattis, said she and others shared teaching materials at the festival and learned that, as teachers, they "have many of the same problems and share in the same joys."

"I have no doubt that if more people in our country shared in this type of experience there would be much less, if any, prejudice between us and other countries," Gattis said.

Another U.S. chaperone/educator, Claudette Bradley, is the director of a Alaskan summer camp program where Native American students are taught traditional activities by tribal elders while also engaging in scientific research projects. While in Singapore, Bradley spoke with other AYSF chaperones/educators about these Alaskan culture-based science camps.

While there may seem to be a world of difference between Alaska and, say, Australia, Bradley found that not only did other chaperones/educators show "great interest" in the U.S. programs, but several expressed interest in developing student exchange programs with the culture-based camps in Alaska and summer programs in their own countries. As a result of this networking experience, four students and two adult chaperones/educators from the People's Republic of China will be joining American Indian and Eskimo students for one of Bradley's summer camps in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In describing the AYSF program, Gattis concluded with sentiments that sum up the whole APEC cooperative philosophy.

"We have much that we can learn from each other," she said.