RECIPROCITY OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN SATOYAMA ANCHORED ON ANCESTRAL WISDOM

An Analysis of DENSO CSR Program and Aalto-Chiba University Workshop in Asuke, Aichi, Japan

Abstract

Today, our society seems to have recognized the social value of ancestral wisdom. Its applicability to environmental sustainability and community empowerment is often discussed in public through mass media. Many awareness-building programs incorporate the lessons learned from nature and from living that is nurtured by our ancestral wisdom. Learning the essence of designing a living mainly for design students is also being often implanted in such environment to imbue students with the related culture-anchored design elements and strengthen their perception of the same. Such programs cannot be sustained without the full satisfaction of all the stakeholders concerned, e.g., a local beneficiary community, a program organizer/fund provider, and participating students. This paper thus identifies the key elements of tripartite reciprocity as conclusion through an analysis of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program and a workshop jointly organized by Aalto (Helsinki-based) and Chiba University held in Asuke, Aichi prefecture. They are namely: (1) development capacity/ power reinforced by a community's strong commitment and recognition of their own resources, (2) program organizers' educational goals such as the students' full understanding of an endogenous development concept, nonproblem-solving approach, true meaning of symbiosis with nature, and (3) students' satisfaction with their exposure to new ways of design thinking.