Here’s Why Girl Scouts Are Camping Outside the White House

The White House South Lawn might not be the epitome of American wilderness, but it’s where the First Lady and several dozen Girl Scouts are camping out on Tuesday.

Michelle Obama, the honorary national president of Girl Scouts of the USA, has invited 45 Girl Scouts to pitch tents in the presidential backyard to raise awareness on the benefits of outdoor activity. The campout is part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Outside campaign, a branch of the larger anti-childhood obesity campaign she launched in 2010.

The lucky Girl Scouts, who hail from Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia and D.C., will participate in a range of outdoor activities to encourage their fellow youth to take advantage of America’s outdoors. In the evening, they’ll lay out on the South Lawn for a stargazing session led by NASA astronaut Cady Coleman.

It’s been a high-profile week for the Girl Scouts, who also made news on Monday when a regional chapter’s CEO declined a $100,000 gift after the donor requested the funds not to be used to support transgender Girl Scouts.