About the Pre-Conference

In some ways, the situation for today’s young adults is a study in contradiction. Although new forms of communication are open to them, deep and trusting relationships are less common than in previous generations. Young adults today are also far less likely than previous cohorts to join community or collegiate organizations. Young adults were a driving force behind the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States, but young adults remain much less likely to vote than are adults who are older. Nonetheless, young people are in the leadership of political and social protests around the globe, including the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street.

Young adults express more liberal social attitudes than do the generations before them. This generation is supportive of increasing government’s role in strengthening the social safety net. Environmental justice is an important value among young adults. They favor legalizing gay marriage and liberalizing immigration policy and believe in a less aggressive military posture on the world stage. As young adults come to power, they will be tested to create ways to bring their ideals to action.

At the same time, many young adults struggle with new economic realities. The average real income of young adults has been in decline, the unemployment rate in the age group is exceptionally high in much of the world, and career has little meaning as job security decreases and the list of occupations changes. In part as a result, the average age of economic independence, marriage, and childbearing have long been on the increase. The level of education necessary for economic success also continues to increase, and some young adults find themselves at an advantage in the search for jobs requiring technical expertise. The common semi-independence has increased the ambiguity in the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

The pre-conference will provide students with a forum for engaging the conceptual and technical issues embedded in these challenges, and for exploring the scholarship informing the relevant issues. The half-day pre-conference will also enable participating students to receive an overview of perspectives to be presented in the main conference, to explore in some depth the application of the symposium theme to research and practice, and to meet other students with similar interests from multiple countries, universities, and disciplines. Background readings will be distributed in advance.

At the end of the day, there will be a cookout, where students will be joined by board members of the sponsoring organizations and by some of the plenary speakers. Students will have opportunities for informal discussions and mentoring and, of course, relaxation and good food.

Symposium Scholarships

The pre-conference is open to graduate and professional students enrolled in master’s or doctoral degree programs or recognized post-doctoral internships or residency programs. Any student paying the symposium registration fee is eligible to participate in the pre-conference. We welcome students from universities and internship and residency programs in all countries. Students from abroad should contact their home institution or U.S. immigration authorities in regard to visa questions related to attendance at the symposium.

The American Orthopsychiatric Association will provide Symposium Scholarships to 20 students who have been competitively selected. The scholarships will cover the symposium registration fee and the benefits (including some meals) that registration provides, two nights of shared lodging (i.e., $65 per night), and the pre-conference expenses. Students will be responsible for their own transportation. It is expected that under ordinary circumstances, the student’s home institution will reimburse transportation expenses as match for the contribution from the American Orthopsychiatric Association.

To apply, each student should submit a letter of application, a résumé, and a letter of recommendation by the student’s major professor or graduate or internship/residency program director. Applications should be sent via E-mail or FAX to           

Lori Bailey
lbaile2@clemson.edu
FAX 1 864 250 4633

Letters of application must be received by December 15, 2011, for full consideration. Early applications are encouraged. Additional scholarships will be awarded through January 17 as available. Letters of application should include: (a) personal information (i.e., name, mailing address, phone numbers, and E-mail address); (b) educational history, including current institution and program of enrollment; (c) research experience and publications; (d) work experience, including practica, internships, and residencies; (e) career plans; (f) interest in the symposium theme; (g) interest in the pre-symposium; (h) the title of any paper or poster submitted for presentation at the symposium. Applicants are encouraged but not required to submit papers or posters for presentation.

Graduate Course Credit
Qualified students may receive 3 credits from Clemson University for independent study in Family and Community Studies by participating in the pre-symposium and completion of related reading and writing assignments under supervision of a CU-IFNL faculty member. Enrollment as a non-degree student and payment of the requisite tuition are required. If interested, contact Dr. Mark Small (msmall@clemson.edu).

CU-IFNL offers unique interdisciplinary PhD and certificate programs in International Family and Community Studies. For information, see www.clemson.edu/ifnl, and click on “Graduate Studies.”