Empowering Citizens Through Co-Learning: A Conceptual and Methodological Framework for Transitions Toward Sustainable and Resilient Communities

Environmental challenges, such as climate change, resource circulation, and biodiversity loss, are closely interrelated with regional issues, including population decline, aging, youth outmigration, and the maintenance of local industries. Addressing these challenges requires not only scientific and technological innovation but also educational and participatory approaches that empower citizens to engage with complex regional issues. This paper conceptualizes co-learning as a framework for environmental education and citizen engagement in transitions toward sustainable and resilient communities. Co-learning is defined as a multi-actor learning process in which participants with diverse forms of knowledge and social positions revise their understandings, relationships, and orientations toward action through dialogic and reflective interaction. The paper organizes co-learning into a conceptual and methodological framework that connects environmental education, citizen engagement, science communication, technology assessment, community-based projects, and policy-oriented learning. It proposes four types of co-learning—interdisciplinary, bridging, project-based, and policy co-learning—and identifies design principles and analytical dimensions for examining learning outcomes and empowerment processes. Illustrative practices in Tanegashima, Japan, help clarify how the proposed framework can connect science, education, and citizen engagement.