Call for High School Girl Participants: 4-Night, 5-Day Camp "Gather Around a Fire, Talk with Friends" in Nagano, Togakushi
The Girl Scouts of Japan will host the "2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp," a 4-night, 5-day national camp for high school girls, in Togakushi, Nagano, in August 2026. The camp aims to foster communication skills, leadership, and self-esteem through nature experiences.
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The Girl Scouts of Japan (President: Nanae Hazama, hereinafter referred to as Girl Scouts of Japan) will host the national camp "2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp" for high school-aged girls at the "Togakushi Girl Scout Center" in Nagano Prefecture for five days, from Friday, August 7 to Tuesday, August 11 (holiday), 2026.
This camp is an open program targeting not only Girl Scout members nationwide but also general high school girls. Through tent camping and outdoor cooking in rich natural surroundings, participants will practically learn communication skills and leadership necessary for the coming era, together with peers gathered beyond organizational boundaries.
**Project Overview**
Name: 2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp (Ranger National Camp)
Theme: Girls’ growing up camp ~ Gather around a fire with friends ~
Date: August 7 (Fri) - August 11 (Tue/Holiday), 2026, 4 nights and 5 days
Location: Togakushi Girl Scout Center (Togakushi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture) *Meet and disband at Nagano Station
Target: High school-aged females (members and non-members alike)
Recruitment: 100 people
Participation Fee: 35,000 yen (includes 12 meals, snacks, accommodation/facility usage fees, teaching materials/supplies, and shuttle bus fare from Nagano Station)
**Clear air of Togakushi, the sound of crackling fire, mornings waking up in a tent**
Participants will spend five days away from their usual lives, in the rich nature of Togakushi. In Girl Scout activities, most activities such as pitching tents and outdoor cooking are carried out proactively by the high school girls themselves, with adult support. Working together with friends on various challenges, laughing and overcoming them, becomes an irreplaceable lifelong treasure.
**Why is "experience" necessary now?**
Recent surveys (*1) show that the participation rate of youth in nature experience activities has declined after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting an "experiential gap" where many wish to experience but cannot. Furthermore, there is correlational data (*2) indicating that children with rich experiential activities tend to have higher self-esteem, making the importance of "real experiences" outside of school higher than ever.
Pre- and post-camp surveys for participants of the past four national camps (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025) showed improvements in all items, including "proactiveness" and "self-acceptance," before and after the 4-night, 5-day camp. In particular, the ability to affirm oneself and judgment significantly increased, indicating that short-term, intensive experiences bring definite changes to their inner selves.
Girl Scouts of Japan supports the independence and growth of women who will lead the next generation by widely opening its outdoor education know-how, cultivated over 100 years of history, to high school girls who are not members.
*1: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Report on Research on Creating Opportunities for Diverse Experiential Activities and Promoting Participation (2025)"
*2: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Enhancement of Rich Experiential Activities for Nurturing Children's Future"
**Regarding Application**
For details, please read the recruitment guide.
Download Recruitment Guide (PDF)
A recommender is required to apply for this camp.
Please consult with a school teacher or similar person for a recommendation.
If there are many applicants, a lottery will be held.
There will be pre-assignments that must be completed between the decision of participation and the actual participation.
This activity is supported by the "Children's Dream Fund." The activities will be photographed and submitted to the Children's Dream Fund.
We hope that this camp will not just be a summer memory, but a "starting point for change" in the lives of each participant. Through a third place of communal living in nature, different from school and home, we fully support the powerful first steps of women who will believe in their own potential and work hand-in-hand with others to move society forward.
**[Details and Application for this matter]**
For applications, please visit the special page: National Camp "2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp" Participant Recruitment.
View Details
Application Deadline: June 1 (Mon) noon
Contact: gsj_pr@girlscout.or.jp
Meguro, Social Collaboration Group, Girl Scouts of Japan Headquarters
**About Girl Scouts of Japan**
Girl Scouts is the world's largest organization for girls and women, with approximately 11.2 million members in 153 countries and regions worldwide. We aim to "maximize the potential of girls and women" and implement educational programs that enable them to proactively address social issues around them.
This camp is an open program targeting not only Girl Scout members nationwide but also general high school girls. Through tent camping and outdoor cooking in rich natural surroundings, participants will practically learn communication skills and leadership necessary for the coming era, together with peers gathered beyond organizational boundaries.
**Project Overview**
Name: 2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp (Ranger National Camp)
Theme: Girls’ growing up camp ~ Gather around a fire with friends ~
Date: August 7 (Fri) - August 11 (Tue/Holiday), 2026, 4 nights and 5 days
Location: Togakushi Girl Scout Center (Togakushi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture) *Meet and disband at Nagano Station
Target: High school-aged females (members and non-members alike)
Recruitment: 100 people
Participation Fee: 35,000 yen (includes 12 meals, snacks, accommodation/facility usage fees, teaching materials/supplies, and shuttle bus fare from Nagano Station)
**Clear air of Togakushi, the sound of crackling fire, mornings waking up in a tent**
Participants will spend five days away from their usual lives, in the rich nature of Togakushi. In Girl Scout activities, most activities such as pitching tents and outdoor cooking are carried out proactively by the high school girls themselves, with adult support. Working together with friends on various challenges, laughing and overcoming them, becomes an irreplaceable lifelong treasure.
**Why is "experience" necessary now?**
Recent surveys (*1) show that the participation rate of youth in nature experience activities has declined after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting an "experiential gap" where many wish to experience but cannot. Furthermore, there is correlational data (*2) indicating that children with rich experiential activities tend to have higher self-esteem, making the importance of "real experiences" outside of school higher than ever.
Pre- and post-camp surveys for participants of the past four national camps (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025) showed improvements in all items, including "proactiveness" and "self-acceptance," before and after the 4-night, 5-day camp. In particular, the ability to affirm oneself and judgment significantly increased, indicating that short-term, intensive experiences bring definite changes to their inner selves.
Girl Scouts of Japan supports the independence and growth of women who will lead the next generation by widely opening its outdoor education know-how, cultivated over 100 years of history, to high school girls who are not members.
*1: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Report on Research on Creating Opportunities for Diverse Experiential Activities and Promoting Participation (2025)"
*2: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Enhancement of Rich Experiential Activities for Nurturing Children's Future"
**Regarding Application**
For details, please read the recruitment guide.
Download Recruitment Guide (PDF)
A recommender is required to apply for this camp.
Please consult with a school teacher or similar person for a recommendation.
If there are many applicants, a lottery will be held.
There will be pre-assignments that must be completed between the decision of participation and the actual participation.
This activity is supported by the "Children's Dream Fund." The activities will be photographed and submitted to the Children's Dream Fund.
We hope that this camp will not just be a summer memory, but a "starting point for change" in the lives of each participant. Through a third place of communal living in nature, different from school and home, we fully support the powerful first steps of women who will believe in their own potential and work hand-in-hand with others to move society forward.
**[Details and Application for this matter]**
For applications, please visit the special page: National Camp "2026 Girls’ Challenge Camp" Participant Recruitment.
View Details
Application Deadline: June 1 (Mon) noon
Contact: gsj_pr@girlscout.or.jp
Meguro, Social Collaboration Group, Girl Scouts of Japan Headquarters
**About Girl Scouts of Japan**
Girl Scouts is the world's largest organization for girls and women, with approximately 11.2 million members in 153 countries and regions worldwide. We aim to "maximize the potential of girls and women" and implement educational programs that enable them to proactively address social issues around them.