Areas of Expertise
Sarajean Rossitto is a professional consultant in the field of civil society capacity development, with a focus on the Japanese nonprofit sector. She instructs courses on social movements, nonprofit management, global issues and sustainable development at TUJ and Sophia University, Faculty of Liberal Arts and the Global Competency Program. She has run capacity development programs (JICA, JFAP, Japan PlatForm) and served as the Tokyo representative for a number of international institutions (Give2Asia Foundation, JWLI). She also has many years experience in the theater and has taught drama courses focused on social issues.
Research
Sarajean Rossitto’s main areas of research focuses on how civil society responds to changing social conditions and creates proactive social change.
Her current area of research is on how “orphans” in Japan have been impacted by the COVID crisis. She also has a strong interest and background in how the arts – theater specifically – can be used to influence opinions, actions and social change.
Representative Publications
- Rossitto, S. (2021). Amplifying vulnerabilities: How COVID-19 is impacting Japanese at risk youth. Proceedings of The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) International Conference on Education, Hawaii.
- Rossitto S. (2020). Isolated Together: Amplified Vulnerabilities in Japan’s Children’s Homes. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 18(18).
- Rossitto, S. (2017, June). 25 Years of American Activism in Japan, A History of American Resistance in Japan from One Person´s Experience. Americans Resisting Overseas. https://americansresistingoverseas.com/2017/06/30/25-years-of-american-activism-in-japan/
- Rossitto, S. (2016). From challenge to opportunity: Japanese non-profit organisations harness post-3.11 civic engagement. In Singer, J. et al. (Eds.) Educating for Sustainability in Japan: Fostering resilient communities after the triple disaster (pp. 184-200). Routledge.
- Rossitto, S. (2015). Training for Transformation. Chorzowskie Studia Polityczne, 69-90.
- Rossitto, S. (2015). Bridging the Grassroots: A Study about the Influence of ARI on Rural Leaders. 草の根の架け:農村リーダーにおける、アジア学院の研修効果に関する調査 (English and Japanese editions). The Asian Rural Institute (ARI).
- Rossitto, S. (2014). Bridging the Grassroots: Education programing promoting agents of social change. Proceedings of the 7th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, 215-224.
- Rossitto, S. (2014). Servant leadership training: changing communities from the grassroots. Proceedings of the 7th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, 225-234.
- Rossitto, S. (2007). Advocacy in Japan. In K. Imata & S. Rossitto (Eds.), Handbook on Japanese Nonprofits and NGOs. CSO Network Japan.
Education
- M.I.A. with a concentration in Human Rights in East Asia, Columbia University, 2000
- B.A. in Sociology, State University of New York at Purchase
- Certificate in Disaster Management ＆ Humanitarian Assistance, United Nations University, 2012
- Certificate in Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster, HarvardX, 2016
- Conflict Mediation Certificate, New York Peace Institute, completed in Tokyo through Hitotsubashi University (Basic 2016, Advanced 2017, Group 2018)
Previous Appointments
- Adjunct Instructor, Meiji Gakkuin University
- Adjunct Instructor, Aoyama Gakkuin University
- Adjunct Instructor, Dokkyo University
Professional Associations
- Advisory Board Member, A Place to Grow
- Advisory Board Member, The Asian Rural Institute
- Advisory Board Member, Mirai no Mori