The Beginning and the Future | Yoshinori Iisagai, Director, Keio Research Institute at SFC
2023.08.29
The very beginning of education, research, and practice in community development through university-community collaboration was in 2005. At that time, I had just been appointed to SFC and was completely at a loss as to what to do or how to proceed. Fortunately, I received a request from people in a certain region to develop case study materials on community development activities as part of a joint research project*. At the time, there were few case study materials on topics like community development and social innovation, so we were truly fumbling in the dark regarding content, structure, and discussion points. Therefore, I decided to take on this challenging theme together with student members. First, I explained the general structure and content of case study materials and let them express themselves freely in how they compiled them.
Later, I was surprised when I read the case study materials submitted by the student members. There was almost nothing to correct. The local situation and issues, the process from the start-up, and the circumstances of the leader were accurately described, and various information necessary for decision-making was also included. Above all, the content fully conveyed the leader's passion for the community. Since then, I began promoting joint research projects that tackle local issues with student members while learning while teaching, teaching while learning, naming them "XX Genki Projects" (where XX is the region's name; hereinafter referred to as Genki Projects). To date, we have developed more than 15 Genki Projects, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Just the other day, a new Genki Project for fiscal year 2023 was launched.
The Genki Projects can be described as the very embodiment of the " regional-academic collaboration " activities advocated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Their scope of activities is broad, including the development of case study materials, tourism promotion, shopping district revitalization, place-making, human resource development, specialty product development, and community building. An important point is to thoroughly discuss and build consensus with local residents on what the Genki Project aims to achieve, including its concepts and goals. At this time, we must not forget to also decide on the final deliverables.
Through trial and error, we have incorporated a certain model for advancing the Genki Projects. First, in the research group classes during the spring semester, students delve into numerous papers and books on community development and study a wide range of advanced cases to thoroughly investigate the essence of the topic. Then, they thoroughly discuss how to apply this knowledge in practice. In the latter half of the class, people from the Genki Project's target region report on the local situation, and students first examine solutions to the issues through group work. Then, during the summer break, we conduct a fieldwork training camp to address the region's issues. On the final day of the camp, they summarize all their findings and present concrete measures for solving the local issues. It is interesting how the theoretical plans conceived solely in the classroom are completely overturned once they actually visit the site, observe the community closely, and listen to various people.
■ Scenes from the Takasu Town Genki Project
The Genki Project does not end with just the presentation of proposals. This is merely the starting point. Afterward, we recruit student members who wish to continue their involvement. Together with local residents, they re-examine the proposed content, select the measures they want to actually implement, and carry them out in collaboration with the community. Of course, in community development, most initiatives do not yield results in just one year. Therefore, we patiently promote them, continuing for two or three years. And we aim to create a sustainable system. Some projects have continued for more than 10 years, with activities being handed over to local residents.
What kind of effects can be expected from community development through university-community collaboration? First, it can lead local residents to rediscover regional resources and attractions they may not have noticed in their daily lives. Everywhere we go, we receive feedback that the students' perspectives were very fresh and that people were impressed by the sensibilities of the youth. This happened in a certain coastal region. Initially, the local residents were considering tourism promotion measures utilizing the beautiful sea. However, the student members suggested that while the sea was indeed beautiful, the starry sky viewed from a hill overlooking the sea was breathtakingly magnificent, and they decided to hold a stargazing event. As a result, it became an event that attracted tourists from other prefectures.
Furthermore, there were many instances where these projects served as a catalyst, moving the hearts of local people and sparking some form of activity. There are countless examples, such as leading to the creation of specialty products by local residents or the successive birth of various organizations and activities. It is said that seeing student members passionately discussing the future of the region late into the night makes local residents feel that they themselves must do something. Moreover, another effect is the formation of new connections between people both inside and outside the region. There have been innumerable cases where, through the student members, people who had no prior interaction met, or connected with people from other regions to consult on local issues. Recently, it has also contributed to building a "relational population." One student member who was active in a certain region was so captivated by its history, culture, and local people that they moved there immediately after graduation. There are also several student members who have applied to and are active in the Local Vitalization Cooperator team.
The benefit for the university is likely that it serves as a starting point for the creation of practical knowledge. The proposals presented by the student members clearly show that they have skillfully incorporated the theories and cases learned in class. Furthermore, despite the struggles, they strive to reflect the results of the Genki Project's practice in their own research.
As for future challenges, we must further explore how to connect practical activities in the region to education and research. For example, it is necessary to further study methods for promoting PBL (Project-Based Learning) and analytical methods for action research. And I hope that the synergistic effect of research and practice can lead to something that helps open up the field of Policy Management.
Thus, community development through university-community collaboration is valuable for both the community and the university. As introduced in the Dean's Diary entry of June 7, 2022 , the "Forest of Health and Culture" area around SFC will be developed with the aim of becoming a campus town. The university is a place where new knowledge and technology are born, and above all, it is an accumulation of proactive young people who are not afraid to fail. I hope that in the future, in the Forest of Health and Culture area, the respective resources of the community and the university will connect, leading to the successive birth of unique innovations, presenting a scene of a hundred flowers blooming.
* This matter is also briefly introduced in my book, "Chiiki-zukuri no Platform" (Platforms for Community Development).