Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong Head of International Relations, Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations and Lecturer and Researcher, Vietnam-Netherlands MA for Development Economics Program Hanoi. He was a research fellow in Luwig von Mises Institute, Auburn, Alabama. In 1999-2004, he obtained Ph.D in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, the Netherlands, researching the private and state enterprises in Vietnam’s textile-garment industry sponsored by the Royal Dutch Government, 1999-2003. He completed his M.A. in development economics, National Economics University Hanoi, in collaboration with the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, the Netherlands and his B.A. in Business Administration, National Economics University Hanoi.

Mr. Henry Chan is an Anthropologist. He graduated Doctor of Social Sciences magna cum laude approbatur from the University of Helsinki. He is a pioneer fellow of the Building a Better Asia retreat program. Henry is a recipient of the follow-up grant to help mediate a long standing conflict between a local community and a timber company in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Henry is also a pioneer of the Nippon Foundation’s Fellowship for the Asian Public Intellectuals (API). In 2001, he looked into forestry conflicts between local communities and governments in Thailand and Indonesia. Henry is a recipient of the API follow-up grant to conduct a workshop-dialogue on Sustainable Forest Management in Malaysia and Indonesia. He is the principal project proponent representing the Malaysian API in drawing up a Regional Project in a workshop just concluded in Manila September 6 to 9, 2007. Since 2003 he has been Head of Department of the Social and Community Studies, Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

Yasuyoshi Hayashi, PhD, is a community development expert. He received the Ishikawa Award, the highest honor, from the City Planning Institute of Japan in 1998 for his contribution to community development and revitalization with citizens’ initiative, promoting the activity of non-profit organizations (NPOs), and for his publication the “NPO Text” (1997) and translation of “Living City” by Roberta Brandes Gratzs. Since the 1980s he has continued to develop new methods to develop communities and NPOs legally, socially and economically. Examples include the (1) establishment of the Japan’s first housing ordinance for Tokyo and other cities after the housing crisis of the early 1990s; (2) introduction of Open Competition Method (since 1992) to support community development with citizens’ initiative which is now implemented by many local governments (his book “Civic Society and Community Development” refers to the method); (3) participation and management of new micro-credit system of NPO-bank in Tokyo (2004〜); (4) creating a new city revitalization strategy for citizen groups and NPOs; and (5) directing a community-based NPO he founded with neighbors where he lives to realize a sustainable community. He lectures in South Korea, Taiwan and other Asian countries community development in Japan. He is chairperson of the board of directors of Japan Hope Institute, an associated organization of Hope Institute of South Korea dedicated to building community relations between South Korea and Japan.

Maki Arakawa is a part-time lecturer in the area of basic foundation (physical and spatial reconstruction) at the visual communication design department of Musashino Art University. She specializes in workshop incubation and public history.

Setsu HanasakiSetsu Hanasaki is a theater artist and has been active as a workshop facilitator, actress, and director for twenty years. She started her career in the Black Tent Theater which is a leading theater company of the Japanese Underground Theater Movement. She has been facilitating a variety of workshops, working with children, students, women’s groups, people with different abilities, etc. In 2006, she directed an original theater piece, “Minamata ba Ikite” (Living in Minamata), collaborating with Minamata Disease patients and multi-generational citizens of Minamata city. In 2007, she was in Acheh, Indonesia, where she worked with youth who had suffered from the conflicts to encourage and empower them as future local young leaders. She is a member of the “Engeki Design Guild” and teaching Musashino art college and regularly working in Setagaya Public Theater.

Shu IIJIMA was born in Tokyo. He graduated from Musashino University in 2001 in visual communication design. After working for some production companies he became a freelance video director and movie creator. He is currently making a new movie. His productions include “The song of July” (short movie,2004); and “Summer Scene”, a short movie, 2005. He won the music prize at the 2005 Yamagata International Movie Festival.