New Social Workers in Myoko City Connect Across Company Lines Through Outdoor Cooking; Team Awareness Improves in All 5 Categories

International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills (i-nac), operated by Kokusai Sogo Gakuen, part of the NSG Group (Location: Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture), planned and held the second part, "Outdoor Networking Event," of the "Myoko New Face Step-Up Networking Event" on June 29, 2026 (Monday), targeting new social workers in Myoko City.

This project was held as a motivational program for new social workers organized by the Myoko Employment Promotion Council. On the day, 34 new social workers in their first to third year of employment at companies in Myoko City participated.

In the first part, Ms. Chihayo Kojima from the Myoko City Hall and Mr. Kentaro Yamazaki, President and CEO of Yamazaki Kensetsu Co., Ltd., spoke as senior social workers working in the region. They shared their experiences about the appeal of working in a rural area and the rewards of their jobs.

In the second part, the outdoor networking event handled by i-nac, an outdoor cooking competition with the theme "Onigiri x Color" was held. Participants were divided into groups that transcended company boundaries, and they cooperated through self-introductions, role assignments, cooking, plating, and presentation of their creations.

It was a time for natural communication to emerge, not just by talking, but by working together towards a common goal.

An Opportunity for Peers to Connect Across Company Lines

The period when one begins their working life is often a time when people face various concerns, such as anxiety about work, relationships in the workplace, and a lack of connections in the community.

This networking event aimed to create opportunities for interaction with peers beyond workplaces and companies, through group work involving outdoor cooking.

Participants consulted with their newly met group members to decide on a cooking theme, select ingredients, and devise plating strategies within a limited time. Natural conversations arose during cooking, and participants were seen discussing their work, hobbies, and life in the region.

This program aimed to provide young social workers with a catalyst to have connections with their peers outside of work, and to feel secure working and living in the community.

85% of Respondents Rated the Event Highly

In the post-event survey, 28 out of 33 respondents, or 85%, rated the networking event as "good" or "very good."

Furthermore, in response to the question "Please select all that apply regarding your experience at today's networking event (multiple answers allowed)," 76% of respondents answered "I was able to interact with people from other companies," 52% said "I have more people to talk to," and 52% said "I had new encounters."

Additionally, when asked "Would you like to talk to the people you met today again?" 76% responded "I think so" or "I strongly think so." This suggests that the networking event served as a catalyst for future relationship building, rather than just a one-time experience.

Survey Item

Result

Rated the event "good" or "very good"

85%

Interacted with people from other companies

76%

Would like to talk to the people met today again

76%

Have more people to talk to

52%

Had new encounters

52%

Team Awareness Improved in All 5 Categories

Comparing the pre- and post-event surveys, the post-event scores exceeded the pre-event scores in all five categories measuring team activity awareness.

The most significant change was in the item "When working as a team, I think it is important to actively communicate my own thoughts and personality." This item increased from 3.7 before the event to 4.3 after.

Additionally, "When working as a team, I think it is important to know the thoughts and personalities of the members" increased from 4.2 to 4.5, and "I feel it is important to solve and achieve challenges as a team" increased from 4.2 to 4.4.

These results indicate that through outdoor cooking, participants realized the importance of not only dividing tasks but also communicating their own ideas, understanding others' perspectives, and cooperating while sharing information to work effectively as a team.

"Creating Together" Instead of Just "Talking"

The outdoor networking event did not aim for participants to immediately engage in deep conversations, but rather prioritized working together.

Handling fire, cutting ingredients, plating, and completing within the time limit. These concrete tasks eased the tension of "not knowing what to talk about," leading to natural calls for attention and consultations.

This is a characteristic of networking programs that utilize outdoor cooking: relationships are built through shared tasks and experiences, rather than making conversation itself the primary goal.

This survey also showed that 76% of participants responded positively to "I would like to talk to the people I met today again." This indicates the potential for the connections made at the event to extend beyond the immediate occasion and develop into future relationships.

At the International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills, outdoor activities are viewed not merely as leisure, but as educational spaces for people to interact, learn, and connect with the community.

This networking event also provided an opportunity for participants to interact naturally through collaborative work in nature.

Increased Interest in Connections Outside of the Workplace

This networking event also saw a shift in interest towards connections outside of the workplace, through encounters with peers from different companies.

Comparing pre- and post-event surveys, the item "Do you want to have friends of the same generation outside of your workplace?" increased from 3.9 before the event to 4.3 after.

Similarly, the item "I want to have relationships where I can talk more casually" increased from 3.3 to 3.8.

For new social workers, having more people to talk to and meeting peers working in the same region, rather than confining relationships solely within the workplace, contributes to a sense of security in both their work and daily lives.

Item

Pre-event

Post-event

Change

Want to have friends of the same generation outside of workplace

3.9

4.3

+0.4

Want to have relationships where I can talk more casually

3.3

3.8

+0.5

Want to be working at my current job in 3 years

3.8

4.0

+0.2

Participant Voices

Participants provided the following feedback:

- It was great to be able to talk to people from industries I don't normally interact with. - Since we were cooking together, conversations flowed naturally. - It was fun to cooperate as a group to create something. - It was great to meet peers working in the same region. - I felt that I have people to talk to besides those at my company.

* Excerpts and summaries from participant survey

Supporting the Retention of Young Social Workers in Myoko

In the post-event survey, 82% of respondents answered positively regarding "sense of security in working and living in Myoko."

Furthermore, comparing pre- and post-event surveys, the item "Do you want to be working at your current job in 3 years?" increased from 3.8 to 4.0.

While it is not possible to definitively conclude the effects on workplace and regional retention from a half-day networking event alone, having people to talk to outside of work and knowing that there are peers working in the same region are important factors that contribute to the sense of security for young social workers to continue working in the area.

Moving forward, in collaboration with companies and organizations in Myoko City, we will continue to create opportunities for young social workers to maintain positive work and life experiences without feeling isolated in the community.

Event Overview

Event Name: Myoko New Face Step-Up Networking Event

Date: June 29, 2026 (Monday)

Venue: International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills

Organizer: Myoko Employment Promotion Council

Target Audience: New social workers in their first to third year of employment at companies etc. in Myoko City

Participants: 34

Part 2 Content: Networking program through outdoor cooking

Part 2 Organizer: International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills

Overview of International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills, Kokusai Sogo Gakuen

This is a vocational college specializing in comprehensive outdoor fields, with a campus in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture. Utilizing the rich natural environment, including the Myoko Togakushi Mountains National Park, as its field, it provides practical outdoor education and guide training. It aims to foster professionals who connect nature and people, such as mountain guides, nature guides, outdoor guides, environmental researchers, outdoor education instructors, and outdoor manufacturer staff.

Furthermore, based on its specialized educational achievements, it offers a diverse range of educational and training programs, including school education, corporate training, community collaboration, and tourism/outdoor human resource development.

[Official School note] https://note.com/inac_nsg

[International College of Natural Environment and Outdoor Skills] https://www.i-nac.ac.jp/

<About NSG Group> https://www.nsg.gr.jp/

The NSG Group is a corporate group composed of 101 organizations that operate a wide range of businesses, including education, medical care, welfare, and nursing care as its core, as well as health and sports, construction and real estate, food and agriculture, trading companies, advertising agencies, ICT, hotels, apparel, beauty, human resource services, and entertainment. Aiming to make each region "the world's most prosperous and happy town," it engages in the creation of businesses that revitalize regions from a private sector standpoint, with keywords such as "people," "security," "work," and "attractiveness."