Dear Outward Bound Community, With the rest of our country and the world, we watched Wednesday as shocking events unfolded at the nation’s Capitol, as a group of rioters violently disrupted what was meant to be the first steps in a peaceful transfer of power for our democracy. Wednesday’s events were disturbing, unprecedented and criminal,… READ MORE >
The Philadelphia Outward Bound School is privileged to work with schools and organizations across the city – including with longtime partners at the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Snider Hockey is a nationally acclaimed non-profit that uses the sport of hockey to educate and empower under-resourced youth of Philadelphia to prosper in the game of… READ MORE >
When Coach Rastrick first visited Imani’s classroom to talk about Outward Bound, Imani was thrilled. She remembered thinking, “They have that program here?!” Extracurriculars, like sports teams or clubs, weren’t offered at her previous school, and Outward Bound sounded pretty exciting – like the adventures of books and movies. Being a self-described “city girl,” Imani… READ MORE >
Outward Bound has grown considerably since its inception when Kurt Hahn first developed a curriculum that placed equal emphasis on the development of character and the intellect in the classrooms of the Gordonstoun School in 1934 Scotland. Although today’s Outward Bound expeditions have adapted to the needs of our modern society, our programs remain true… READ MORE >
Since 2007, Emilia Rastrick has been the Health and Physical Education teacher at Lingelbach Elementary School. Emilia has chaperoned more than 14 Peer Leadership expeditions and participated in countless day programs with her students. When Emilia told us that this would be her last school year with the School District of Philadelphia, we were sad… READ MORE >
Solo time is a special part of an Outward Bound course. It allows students to spend time away from their crew and process their experience on a more personal level. On expedition students are challenged with initiatives and wilderness skill development, then participate in discussions and debriefs to help extract lessons from the experience. Solo,… READ MORE >
Reflecting on his three years as a field instructor at Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Cole Corrigan shared with us just how transformative this work is. When Cole was 22, he had dropped out of school and was working at a bar, when he decided to go on a soul-searching journey to South America. His sister… READ MORE >
Challenge changes us. It can upend our preconceptions and stir up our insecurities, but if we rise to it, it can strengthen us beyond measure. Outward Bound alumni know this at their core. When reflecting on their expeditions this past summer, here’s what our students had to say about the challenges they experienced on course… READ MORE >