X-ship Global Survival Camp 2026: Multi-generational Co-creation from Elementary School to Graduate Students

From Thursday, July 30 to Saturday, August 1, a survival camp was held at the Athletic Association Yamanaka Sanso (Hirano, Yamanakako Village, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture) as part of the "X-ship Global Survival Camp: Leader Development Program through Multi-generational Co-creation Global Survival Camps."

The purpose of this initiative is to foster the skills necessary for leaders—such as Friendship, Leadership, Followership, Ownership, and Global Citizenship—through multi-generational co-creation, which is a hallmark of Keio University's integrated education system. These collective abilities are defined as "X-ship."

Prior to the camp, a workshop was held at Keio Yokohama Elementary School on Saturday, July 25, to help participants build mutual understanding, share individual goals, and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for camping, such as setting up tents. A total of 40 students participated in the camp: 16 from Keio Yokohama Elementary School, 12 from Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, 8 from the Graduate School of System Design and Management (including 4 international students from the U.S., Mongolia, Switzerland, and Germany), and 4 students from the university-sanctioned "Rover Scouts" group. Including faculty and staff from each organization, approximately 50 people participated in various activities. For this program, students primarily worked in four groups called "Houses," each consisting of four elementary students, three junior/senior high students, and three university/graduate/international students, creating numerous opportunities for cross-generational co-creation. Finally, on Wednesday, August 5, a reflection workshop was held at the Graduate School of System Design and Management on the Hiyoshi Campus, where participants used video and dialogue to share changes in their thoughts and actions regarding X-ship, both individually and as Houses.

This initiative leveraged the diversity of experience and knowledge inherent in Keio University's integrated education system. Its effectiveness was confirmed through surveys, observations, and reflection dialogues regarding X-ship conducted before and after the program.

All participating members gathered at Keio Yokohama Elementary School to introduce themselves. They were divided into four diversity-conscious Houses and participated in workshops focused on tent setup for knowledge acquisition and teaming, as well as setting group goals and defining actions to achieve them.

Everyone gathered at Keio Yokohama Elementary School and traveled to Yamanaka Sanso by bus. Arriving around noon, the group greeted the facility staff and toured the surrounding area to identify potential hazards. Afterward, they set up the campsite, including pitching tents and starting fires, then prepared and ate dinner together.

After morning exercises led by the Rover Scouts, participants started fires again to make and eat hot dogs for breakfast. There was much excitement, particularly among those seeing double yolks for the first time in the boiled eggs provided by a local farmer. After breakfast, the Graduate School of System Design and Management organized a "Marshmallow River" activity, and the Rover Scouts held a "Morse Code" session. Faculty and staff also formed teams to participate alongside the four Houses. In the afternoon, junior and senior high school students led activities for making "bamboo water guns" and "outdoor parfaits." In the evening, the groups used their now-familiar fire-starting skills for a barbecue and performed short plays (skits) about X-ship that they had been practicing within their Houses for two days, which was a great success.

On the third and final day of the camp, participants had breakfast in the lodge's dining hall, experiencing the same meals that Athletic Association athletes eat during their training camps. Afterward, they packed up everything, including the tents, and cleaned the lodge thoroughly, aiming to leave it even cleaner than when they arrived on the first day. After saying their goodbyes to the Yamanaka Sanso staff, everyone took the bus back to Keio Yokohama Elementary School. At the school, everyone helped clean the tents and other equipment, followed by a reflection learning session.

The participating members gathered once more at the Hiyoshi Campus for a reflection workshop. The program concluded with participants sharing the changes in their thoughts and actions regarding X-ship over the month-long initiative through videos and dialogue, both as individuals and as Houses.

Photography: Takeshi Kishi