Active Firefighters to Host 2-Day Lifesaving Education Camp "Kono Machi Camp" in Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture!

Event Overview

Children Cannot Remain Merely "Those Who Are Protected"

When disasters strike, children are often thought of as beings who are protected by adults. Of course, this is not wrong. However, in actual disaster situations, there will inevitably be moments when children must make judgments and take action themselves when adults are not nearby.

Kono Machi Camp aims to transform children from "those who are protected" to "those who protect." To become individuals who can protect their own lives and the lives of those around them. We believe this is a strength that can be cultivated from childhood, not something to be developed only after becoming an adult.

What "The Miracle of Kamaishi" Taught Us

In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, the fact that many children in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, protected their own lives from the tsunami is known as "The Miracle of Kamaishi." This was not a coincidence. It was the result of daily lifesaving education that physically trained children to "escape proactively, based on their own judgment, without being bound by assumptions."

Furthermore, in Kamaishi, the very act of children proactively evacuating prompted the adults around them to act. Children who were supposed to be protected instead became the ones encouraging the evacuation of those around them. That was not a miracle, but proof that children had changed from "those who are protected to those who protect" through lifesaving education. This is precisely the state that Kono Machi Camp aims to achieve.

Disaster Risks Vary by Town

Towns by the sea, towns in the mountains, towns with rivers. The risks of disasters that can occur differ completely depending on the town. However, what is truly important is the action taken to protect one's own life and the life of the person in front of you at the moment a disaster occurs. There is a significant difference between "knowing" something as knowledge and being able to "act" when the time comes.

Our representative director, Gaku Toyama, has been involved in numerous sites as an active firefighter for 14 years. He believes that education to bridge that gap is lifesaving education. Kono Machi Camp is not just a place to teach disaster prevention knowledge, but a place to instill the actions of saving lives into children's bodies, pushing them to become "those who protect."

The "Know → Experience → Learn → Communicate" Cycle is a Feature of Kono Machi Camp

The most distinctive feature of Kono Machi Camp lies in its "cycle" mechanism, which prevents it from ending as a one-time experience.

1. Know: Understand the natural disaster risks in your own town (different characteristics for each town, such as sea, mountains, rivers).

2. Experience: Experience life-saving actions such as actual evacuation procedures, CPR, and AED use.

3. Learn: Reflect on the experience and think for yourself why that action is necessary.

4. Communicate: Convey what you have learned to family, friends, and community members.

By having the participating elementary school students themselves become the "communicators," the learning is not confined to the individual but spreads throughout the town. When children bring lifesaving knowledge and actions back to their homes and communities, and these accumulate, lifesaving becomes not a one-off event but takes root as the "culture" of that town. The chain reaction of children, who were once "those who are protected," becoming "those who protect" and communicating to the town is precisely the vision Kono Machi Camp aims for.

Not Ending in a Single Year. There is Meaning in Continuity.

A single experience is insufficient for lifesaving to become a town's culture. We believe that an environment where children can continuously learn and communicate is necessary. With the first event held in Kaizuka City, we are looking ahead to its continuous implementation in each town while expanding to other regions in the future.

A Place Where Connections with Firefighters and University Students Are Born

Firefighters from the Kaizuka City area also participate in Kono Machi Camp on a voluntary basis during their days off. The sight of firefighters interacting with children, whom they wouldn't normally meet in their daily duties, on a private basis during their days off, serves as an opportunity for children to feel closer to the "job of saving lives."

Additionally, 19 students from Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences, forming the team "HEROs," participate in the operation. Many of these students aspire to become firefighters in the future. By interacting with the children as older siblings close in age, they create an environment where children can learn more proactively, while also providing a valuable opportunity for the students themselves to gain a sense of the field of dealing with life.

Children, firefighters, university students, and community adults. The "connections" born through Kono Machi Camp are not confined to the camp itself. In the event of an actual disaster, the human connections built through daily life become the strength that supports evacuation, rescue, and community mutual aid. Kono Machi Camp is a place that fosters not only lifesaving knowledge and skills but also the "community connections" that become powerful in times of need.

Three Values Cherished by Kono Machi Camp

• Altruism: The spirit of valuing the lives of others, not just one's own.

• Self-Determination: The ability to think and act for oneself in times of need.

• Imagination: The ability to imagine "what if a disaster occurs" as a personal concern.

The slogan is "Speak up during the golden time." We aim to nurture as many children as possible who can speak up and act without hesitation during the critical minutes that determine whether lives can be saved.

Program Content (Tentative)

Over the 1-night, 2-day period, practical programs are planned that take into account the regional characteristics of Kaizuka City (Nankai Trough earthquake/tsunami, landslides, water accidents in rivers and coastal areas, etc.).

• Evacuation drill simulating earthquake and tsunami

• CPR and AED usage experience

• Learning about landslides and floods

• Cooperative experience with peers during nighttime hours

• Workshop to consider the importance of life

All of these are designed so that children can leave not with a feeling of "fear," but with confidence that "I can do it" and a desire to share it with others.

Why Crowdfunding? To Make Participation Fees Zero.

The entire cost of holding Kono Machi Camp, including venue fees, material costs, and operating expenses, will be covered by crowdfunding. This is to make the participation fee for the children zero.

Lifesaving should, in principle, be accessible to all children. However, if participation fees are incurred, there will be children who "can receive Kono Machi Camp" and those who "cannot," depending on their family's economic situation. We do not want to create a situation where the ability to receive lifesaving education is bound by the condition of money.

Everyone should have an equal chance to change from "those who are protected to those who protect." That is why we have chosen to eliminate the barrier of participation fees and cover all event costs through crowdfunding support. The support we receive will be carefully utilized to create an environment where as many children as possible can participate in this experience without worrying about costs, and to continue and expand this initiative in the future.

▼ Crowdfunding Page

https://camp-fire.jp/projects/956173/idea

Event Overview Event Name: Kono Machi Camp: Protecting Children's Lives

Dates: September 11, 2026 (Fri) - September 12, 2026 (Sat), 1 night, 2 days

Venue: Kaizuka Ibuki Onsen (Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture)

Target Audience: Children, primarily elementary school students in Kaizuka City

Participation Fee: Free

Organizer: GOODLUCK Inc. (General Incorporated Association)

Sponsorship: Kaizuka City Crisis Management Division, Kaizuka City Board of Education

Cooperation: Volunteer firefighters from the Kaizuka City area, Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences student team "HEROs"

Organization Overview

Comprised of 19 professionals who deal with life, including firefighters, nurses, childcare workers, and diving instructors.

Corporate Name: GOODLUCK Inc. (General Incorporated Association)

Representative Director: Gaku Toyama

Established: November 19, 2024

Official Website: https://www.inochiwotunagu-goodluck.com/