Frans Seda Foundation Seminar 2016: bringing together inspiring individuals to build bridges

Frans Seda Foundation

Frans Seda seminar: bringing together inspiring individuals to build bridges

Some people have led such an inspiring life that it is hard to briefly capture their achievements and their impact in a few sentences. Frans Seda certainly is one of those. Often described as a bridge builder, Seda devoted his life to bringing together the difference from both Indonesia and The Netherlands. And he wasn’t simply philosophical about it: he acted upon it, by all means possible. To ensure that his legacy continues, the Frans Seda Foundation organises an annual seminar to bring together inspiring Indonesian and Dutch participants.

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Franciscus Xaverius Seda, commonly known as Frans Seda, was born on the island of Flores in 1926. When he passed away at the age of 83 in 2009, Frans Seda was commemorated for his many accomplishments in life as politician, minister (four times), diplomat, presidential advisor, successful businessman, Catholic church activist, university board member and founder of the economic faculty of Atmajaya University in Jakarta. Part of his own education was on Dutch schools: both the MULO in Muntilan and HBS in Surabaya, as well as the Tilburg University where he graduated in 1956.

In 2012, members of the Tilburgs Student Fraternity I.K.S. of which Frans Seda was a member, founded the Frans Seda Foundation in order to commemorate the life and teachings of its namesake. The overall goal of the foundation is to promote and organise joined Indonesian-Dutch academic activities which study, spread and put into action the philosophy of Frans Seda on pursuing global common good and social justice.

Having published an encompassing biography of Frans Seda, the foundation currently organises the following activities:

  • an annual Frans Seda lecture, both in Indonesia and the Netherlands;
  • multiple research scholar ships for master students in Indonesia and the Netherlands in the field of civil society development;
  • an annual multi-day seminar for inspiring young people from Indonesia and the Netherlands.

The seminar

The seminar consists of a six-day program filled with inspiring sessions, constructive dialogues and social activities. Aim of the seminar is to enhance the dialogue between Indonesian and Dutch participants, building bridges between the two countries in academia and the public and private sector.

There are ten participants from Indonesia and ten from Holland, equally mixed female and male, in the age between 28 and 39 years.

You will be treated to a well-organized program from Sunday till Friday, consisting of multiple sessions per day to ensure an active and entertaining six days. The sessions will range from inspiring lectures and company visits to hands-on cases to be solved in small groups. The input for the cases will come from businesses, governmental bodies and academic scholars.

Also part of the seminar is the annual Frans Seda lecture, to be held at Tilburg University, with distinguished speakers such as ministers, captains of industry and friends of the Frans Seda Foundation.

In brief, you will actively be:

  • learning from Frans Seda´s philosophy as well as one another;
  • building bridges between two nations, by constructing solutions for joined societal issues;
  • working with and learning from impassioned entrepreneurs, academics and civil servants;
  • inspired by lectures from enthusiastic speakers.

With this information paper, we hope to have inspired you to be a part of the international Frans Seda community. For further readings we refer to the biography of Frans Seda by Dr. Mikhael Dua, available in Bahasa Indonesia and  Dutch, which you will receive upon formal invitation to the seminar.

We can only send out this invitation out of a selection where the different sectors of society have to be represented, also from the Indonesian side.

Should you be interested in participating in the 2016 Frans Seda Foundation Seminar, we kindly ask you to send your resume and the name of your proposer to Info@Franssedafoundation.com before Monday 29 February 2016. Selected candidates will be notified on 19 March 2016. A compulsory introduction meeting will take place on 15 April 2015 in Jakarta for the Indonesian participants and in Amsterdam for the Dutch participants.

We hope to see you at this year’s seminar in The Netherlands,

 

The 2016 seminar-commission:
Rennie Roos, Julia Rijssenbeek and Rutger Beekman

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