Impact+of+post+3.11.11+disaster+CE+in+Japan

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** Impact of post 3/11/11 disaster civic engagement in Japan ** Mutsuko Murakami, University Lecturer and Service Learning Program Coordinator, International Christian University [mmutsuko@icu.ac.jp] **Keywords:** Japan, tsunami, kizuna, disaster, collaboration **Track:** Organizational change and sustainability **Format:** Poster presentation **Summary**The horrendous quake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis of March 2011 in Japan have all driven Japanese higher education institutions to engage in vigorous civic action. They actively connected themselves to disaster victims, demonstrating a new paradigm in academia’s critical role in its wider community. Since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the consequent tsunami hit the east coast of Japan, the people of the country live never the same life as before. It is not only about the huge loss of life but also about how the tragedy drove its people to become civically engaged to an unseen scale. One of the most active and visible volunteer groups was from higher education institutions. They stepped out and built connections to communities far from campus. The experience transformed into opportunities for academics to apply their scholarship for civic engagement. Also notable was the organic collaboration between volunteers from higher education, non-profit organizations or local community-based groups, and local city halls as well as victim-volunteers. The nationwide popular keyword for Japan during 2011 was “kizuna” or connections, revived and cherished through the tragic experience. In my poster presentation, I would like to provide the picture of Japan’s post-3/11/11 experiences of civic engagement with focus on the points as follows. 1. The background of Japan’s volunteerism and of service learning as pedagogy;2. Research results on institutional and non-institutional actions by higher education (administrators, faculty and students) across Japan;3. Case study of academia’s voluntary actions in disaster hit areas;4. Quantitative and qualitative research results on the impact of engagement experience to learning, knowing, and visions; and,5. Implications of Japanese disaster-related volunteer experiences to the country’s higher education institutions and the society in the future. Photographs and videos will be also presented in connection to the points mentioned above. **References**There were no references provided with this proposal.

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