From Disaster Volunteering to Community-Based Practice: A Qualitative Case Study of Relational Participation Through a Local Camellia (Tsubaki) Project

This study examines how social participation develops and becomes sustained through practice, focusing on a qualitative case study of a community initiative centered on a local camellia (tsubaki) project in post-disaster Japan. Drawing on the experience of an individual whose engagement began with disaster-related volunteering following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the study explores how participation evolved into long-term community-based practice.Previous research has largely conceptualized volunteering as an activity driven by individual motivation or values. However, less attention has been paid to how participation is formed, transformed, and sustained through ongoing relational processes. To address this gap, this study employs a qualitative case study approach, analyzing interviews, field observations, and activity records related to the development of a community-based camellia project.The findings reveal three key insights. First, participation did not originate from a clear or stable motivation but gradually emerged through situational involvement and interpersonal relationships. Second, the continuity of engagement was shaped not by individual intention alone but by the accumulation of relationships and the emergence of role recognition within the community. Third, the camellia project functioned as a mediating resource that materialized social participation, enabling diverse actors to engage through shared practice.These findings suggest that volunteering should be understood as a dynamic and relational process rather than a fixed expression of altruistic intent. By illustrating how disaster-related engagement evolved into a sustainable form of community practice through a local resource, this study contributes to the literature on community welfare, civic participation, and practice-based social engagement.