Support the First Steps in Rural Leaders' Training

Message from ARI Curriculum & Admissions

After overcoming a hot summer, participants are heading towards the last few months of the training program. Through many opportunities to practice leadership, participants faced many challenges and gained many achievements. Since ARI is diverse, each participant must practice being a good listener and learn how to deal with disagreements, misunderstandings, and even conflicts as their fellow members have different cultures, ways of thinking, and communication styles. These trials are essential. During these times, they learn the most about leadership and team building.

Participants frequently struggle when leading the group, but through their challenges they learn the importance of sharing work, participatory decision making, motivating people, and much more. Participants often comment that leading at ARI is tough but prepares them well for when they return home. When they work with people with the same language and culture, it will be easy! Upon completing their leadership term, ARI staff set up a Leader’s Reflection session in which they can reflect on their strengths as a leader and can find ways to improve themselves.

Study & Observation Trips:

The participants also visited farms and other off-campus locations. At organic farms in Ogawa Town, they met organic farmers practicing crop rotation, companion plants, living mulch, Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) and Biogas production. Seeing the techniques they had studied at ARI being put into practice on these farms reinforced their learning. The study tour also teaches about the history, philosophy and practice of organic farming in Japan through interactions with many agricultural groups and cooperatives. Together, these lessons (combined with the servant leadership skills essential to their application) enable Participants to develop in a comprehensive way.

In the Rural Community Study Tour, a week-long tour, participants visited Yamagata prefecture, and Iwate prefecture, visiting farms, cooperatives, schools and other farming groups and individual farmers. They also visited several other farms, and a compost center within Tochigi prefecture.

Summer Individual Project:

Participants had a week-long opportunity to deepen their learning in an area of their choice. Each must consider what learning would be helpful for their community back home. Then design their study or practical project plan. Many projects both practical and theoretical were conducted on and off campus.

Guest Lectures:

We were blessed with several guest lecturers throughout the year. Some of the notables are Shimpei Murakami, Ardhendu & Satoko Chatterjee (DRCSC, India), Patrick Trail (Echo Asia, Thailand), Sherry DeLeon (AFARI, USA), Rev. Jeffrey Mensendiek (JF Obirin University), Tony Rinaudo (Australia), Yuri Morikawa and others. Other graduates and local resource persons have also dedicated much time and energy into sharing their lifelong knowledge with the participants.

Mid-term presentation:

In this presentation, participants shared their biggest learning at ARI so far. We could see that each learned something different from living the same daily schedule. Such is the beauty of a learning space based in community living. Currently, participants are
continuing to build upon their learning and have begun preparing for the important work that awaits them back home. We encourage you to continue your support of our participants' efforts, as they prepare to return home and implement their future community projects.

We hope this message finds you well. On behalf of everyone at the Asian Rural Institute, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous support of the "First Steps in Rural Leaders' Training" project. Your contribution has made a significant impact, helping us empower rural leaders from across the globe.

I’m excited to share that we now have a full class of 20 participants on campus, representing 13 different countries. These dedicated individuals have overcome many challenges to be here, including some who faced passport and visa issues that delayed their arrival until June. Despite these hurdles, our campus is now buzzing with activity as the participants immerse themselves in their training, exchanging knowledge, and sharpening their skills as rural leaders. In this report, we have detailed impressions from the ARI Curriculm and Admissions teams, included below.

Your support has made this possible, and we are deeply thankful. Together, we are planting the seeds for sustainable change in rural communities around the world.

With sincere appreciation,

Sherry DeLeon

Executive Director, AFARI

Message from ARI Curriculum & Admissions

Each year, during April, the community is in a state of change, as new participants and volunteers along with the staff create a fresh community. In 2024 we have a class of 20 participants, and 1 Training Assistant from across 13 countries. We also have 26 staff members, 10 volunteers and other commuting volunteers on campus. Participants are slowly settling down, adapting to the changes in food and the weather - gradually moving to spring.

For many who come to ARI, it is their first time in Japan. For some it is their first time to travel outside their community and country. To build the ARI community, we have “community events”. In April we went to a nearby park to see the famous cherry blossoms (sakura) and enjoy lunch in the park. Several participants enjoyed playing football and taking part in several team-building activities, understanding the differences among the community.

To learn more about the neighborhood, participants receive bicycles which they can use to enjoy going around in their free time. After arriving, all members participated in orientation sessions where staff members shared their philosophy, and basic rules to follow in order to make life at ARI as smooth as possible. Through this, they familiarize themselves with the ARI community lifestyle and people.

Throughout the year, the community participates in Foodlife work, through which they understand a core philosophy at ARI – that “Life” is inseparable from “Food”. The two are dependent on each other. ARI Foodlife involves activities such as producing, harvesting, processing, cooking and eating food and sharing with others. In classes, the participants deepen these concepts and further learn the principles of sustainable organic farming.

In early May, participants were divided into different groups to take care of livestock and farmland. They will work together for the next 9 months, learning not only about their work, but how to support each other as well as how to welcome visitors. We have also begun sessions on a variety of topics such as Gender, Dignity, Leadership. The curriculum is designed to help widen their perspective on various issues, ask essential questions, and deepen their overall learning. Through their participation, we hope to explore both global, local, and applied contexts.

Each year, participants present basic Japanese phrases they have learned in class at the Opening Ceremony. This year they were able to present their self-introduction to guests and supporters of the institute who came to congratulate them. Following this, each day brings many opportunities and challenges.

One such challenge is the oral presentation. Each participant has 3 major presentation opportunities. The first presentation gives us an idea behind their motivations and the hopes they have for their community. Other classes incorporate smaller presentations, often involving group work. They are challenged to deepen their own internal resources rather than depend on technology for their presentations. Slowly but surely, the learning community of 2024 is growing. We look forward to seeing their continued journey of growth at ARI and learning together.

Links:

• More information on this year's participants