Examining the Potentials and Challenges of Grassroots Activism as a Pedagogy Framework for
Implementing Inclusive Sustainable Development in Societies, Locally, Regionally and Globally
Research Representative: Associate Professor MAHICHI Faezeh
Summary of Research
Against the unprecedented socioeconomic and environmental issues of global-scale such as theCOVID-19 pandemic and climate changes, we are facing today, ‘inclusive sustainable development’is being promoted as a conceptual framework to help to envision and to achieve equitable, sustainable,livable, societies for all. To that end, the contributions of both leadership and education are pivotal.
Higher education is called upon to lead in educating leaders who value inclusion and sustainability. In
this regard, the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) emphasizes local grassroots activism
within communities and problem-solving learning through practical education, particularly, in a
multicultural and intergenerational setting. Grassroots activism is a collective action of individuals
who promote and take actions for a cause from the local level.
While grassroots activism covers a wide range of issues and is practiced in different forms, thisresearch will focus upon environmental grassroot activisms to demonstrate how such initiatives canserve as movements, which can educate, motivate and empower societal leaders in ways to integrate
the values of inclusion and sustainability into all societal levels. In the proposed research, we will
document the traits, behaviors, processes and actions of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Environmental Activists (EA) in their collaborations with the ‘Grassroots Environmental Activists’(GEA). The EA consist of APU students from different nationalities and cultures who have been
involved in environmental conservation and cultural exchange activities. The GEA is a group of Beppu
locals with diverse age and professional backgrounds. In particular, we will document and assess thefactors that drive inclusivity and its impacts within and between the two groups. Through holding
lectures, workshops, volunteering and cultural events and conducting extensive surveys and interviews
we will investigate the impacts of grassroots activism on students from ‘inclusive leadership andsustainability perspectives’. Additionally, the proposed research was designed to identify the drivers,
rewards, challenges, and barriers of practicing grassroots activism as a pedagogical tool to promote
inclusive leadership and sustainability in a highly diverse setting such as the case of the collaboration
between EA and GEA.
The findings of research will provide a deeper understanding and insights into the potentials ofgrassroots activism as a pedagogy tool for inclusive leadership and an inclusive approach to socioenvironmental sustainability. Moreover, findings and lessons learned from the research will be utilized
to integrate IL skills of collaborative conservation into APU’s “normal classroom” activities to provide
students the motivation and commitment to apply them to real-world situations in their home countries.

Keywords: Inclusive leadership, Development of Pedagogy, Education for Sustainable Development,
Grassroots Activism, Environmental Conservation Events, Ecoliteracy, Service Learning,
Volunteerism, Satoyama, Satoumi, Social Capital