60 Years of Changing Lives

Bringing Outward Bound to Every Student, Everywhere

What Outward Bound USA Discovered in 2022  

For 60 years, we set the course for a generation to get outside and grow in the face of adversity and challenge. As we celebrate the impact, we also acknowledge the significant work ahead to reach more students and change more lives than ever before. In September 2022, we celebrated our 60th Anniversary at City Winery in New York City. The festivity was brimming with jubilation and reunion as we honored Outward Bound stories, history, and hopes for our future. Special moments of celebration and remembrance highlighted three Outward Bound heroes, Frances Ashley, Arthur Blank, and Herb Kohler. 2022 positioned us to recognize the influence and impact we have made and allow us to chart a new course to build a more resilient generation. Our first six decades have given us a strong foundation on which to build.

Last year, we served 2,400 students on expeditions

Herb Kohler

A longtime member of the Outward Bound USA Board of Directors, sadly, Herb Kohler passed away two weeks prior to the event. We honored his memory with a moment of reflection during the celebration. Recognized and honored as an Outward Bound visionary, Mr. Kohler, a leader in his field of business, volunteered his wisdom and guidance over many years in service to Outward Bound USA and the national network of Regional Schools. He cared deeply for our mission, our students, and our staff, encouraging his children to experience Outward Bound. In fact, he inspired his daughter Laura to serve as a member of the Outward Bound USA Board after his terms were completed. We thank you, Herb Kohler, for your unwavering support and for insisting that Outward Bound continues to serve, to strive, and not to yield.

Last year, we served 2,400 students on expeditions
15,533 students on community-based programs

History of the Outward Bound Network

Our 10 Outward Bound Schools didn’t appear overnight, and the history of our expanding mission across the United States spans 44 years from the establishment of the first School in Colorado in 1962 to the beginnings of our work in California in 2008.

1961

Pilot training program for Peace Corps Volunteers in Arecibo, Puerto Rico

1962

Colorado Outward Bound School

1963

Minnesota Outward Bound School (now Voyageur Outward Bound School)

1964

Hurricane Island Outward Bound School

1965

Pacific Crest Outward Bound School (Now Northwest Outward Bound School)

1966

North Carolina Outward Bound School

1986

Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School

1987

New York City Outward Bound Center

1992

Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center
Philadelphia Outward Bound School

2008

Outward Bound California

Community-Based Impact Across Outward Bound

In 2022, we continued to deepen relationships between Outward Bound, regional school systems and their students to provide increased access to our programs. Schools across the Outward Bound network are forging new partnerships within the educational landscape in their communities.  

key findings include

19,879 Students on Group Programs

Students and teachers from middle and high school, and those engaged in youth serving community organizations were able to access programs based in their community.

13,570 One Day programs with Groups

We know that one day can create a spark that gives a student a fresh perspective, provides a new sense of belonging, or teaches them skills to work more effectively in a group. Any of that is possible for the more than 13,000 students who participated in at least one day with Outward Bound.

1,756 Teachers/Educators

Some educators found an opportunity to advance their SEL classroom practices through professional development programs at Outward Bound, and others were able to share an expedition alongside students from their own classrooms!

374 Educational Partners

Our partners range from public, charter, and independent schools to youth serving organizations and everything in between.

“
I’ve been reminded how crucial - essential - community, laughter, and interdependence is.
Elizabeth
Alumna 2022

At the heart of
outward bound

We are Alumni.

In honor of Outward Bound’s 60th Anniversary in the United States, OBUSA launched the Alumni Inspiration Project to interview alumni and document their stories from the first 60 years of courses across the USA. With support from two longtime dedicated alumni – Mike Stanley and Dan Lilienthal – we connected with more than 60 alumni, capturing stories, and documenting the lifelong influence and impact that their Outward Bound experience had in their lives. As Mike always says, “Their Outward Bound course is the spark, and the flame is what they do with what they learned from Outward Bound.” We invite you to watch Spark to Flame, a short film lifting the voices of Outward Bound alumni.

Connecting to crew

If you’re an alum of Outward Bound, you are part of a network 1,000,000+ people strong. This network has been building and growing across our 60 years of inspiring students. Some alumni find the experience so meaningful that they return to work at an Outward Bound School, others are educators themselves and find deeper ways to connect with their own students after a course, and some reflect on those moments with their crew as the reason for serving their communities. Watch videos below from alumni from three of our ten Regional Schools:

We welcome you to join our Alumni Community.

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Impacts & Outcomes

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The data represented is from the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey.  Permission to use the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey (OBOS) was obtained from PEAR.