The Usefulness and Difficulties of Conducting Community Development Workshops

The Case of the Irouzaki Jungle Park's Redevelopment Project

Abstract

This series of workshops was conducted for the purpose of planning and sustainable development by involving local people. Workshops were conducted for a period of two years as a fundamental part of the Irouzaki Jungle Park's Redevelopment Project. This paper demonstrates the usefulness and difficulties of conducting workshops in coordination with community development. It also indicates that it is essential to support the community in construction and management activities. Our results indicate three essential points. One, through the workshop discussions, the direction of touristic activities was decided by the people. Secondly, some members of the local community of Irouzaki attended the workshops, and were able to develop more positive perspectives regarding development. Thirdly, the importance of using well-trained and experienced workshop facilitators was observed.