During this week of giving thanks, we would like to thank YOU for the support that helps young people discover what they’re capable of through the Philadelphia Outward Bound School.
Partnering with over 250 public, private and charter schools and youth-serving nonprofits, POBS has provided services to over 7,000 participants across the Philadelphia region in outdoor learning experiences that build character, develop leadership, and foster an ethic of service to the community and the environment. These learning experiences include multi-day backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, and leadership courses, as well as single day programs.
One of our most distinctive long-term partnerships is PhysicianTrack, a two-year program developed with the Perelman School of Medicine to support Philadelphia’s low-income 10th-grade African American males who show both interest and aptitude for careers in medicine. PhysicianTrack blends academic enrichment and mentorship with the transformative power of Outward Bound’s challenge-based learning – helping students see themselves as capable leaders with a future in the medical field.
During this year’s program – a canoe expedition in the Delaware Water Gap (see accompanying photos) – students stepped into new challenges outdoors and emerged with a stronger sense of connection, resilience, and possibility. They supported one another, communicated under pressure, and pushed past moments of uncertainty. As one student put it during a debrief, “I didn’t think I could do something like this, but now I know I can – and I want to keep going.”
Programs like PhysicianTrack show what becomes possible when young people are challenged, believed in, and given the tools to chart a different path forward. Thank you to the partners and supporters who help move this work from aspiration to reality.
We are grateful for the support of the partners, participants and supporters who have joined with POBS to help people discover and reach their potential. Thank you for making this important work possible.
