The pandemic forced Philadelphia Outward Bound School (POBS) to do the unthinkable — to bring the outdoors inside — to engage our participants without having our key tool at our disposal. We, like the rest of the world, were forced to radically reshape our work and approach to programming — in a way we had… READ MORE >
Missing Expedition? Us too. Even with the limitations that come with backcountry cooking, camp food always seems to taste good. One of the greatest feelings on expedition is having a big, filling dinner after a long day. It’s been a long winter, so if you are missing one of those POBS classic meals, this post… READ MORE >
“If I’d been afraid,” she said, “I never would have started out in the first place.” Who was Grandma Gatewood? Emma Gatewood was the first woman to solo thru-hike the entire Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia, covers nearly 2,200 miles and takes months for most to finish. She completed… READ MORE >
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 >
What made you want to rappel off a skyscraper for Outward Bound? My friend Mitch Young, who is on your board, told me about it and I was like, “Yes, I want to do that. I want to rappel off a skyscraper.” My daughter and I both climb at Philadelphia Rock Gyms, and I knew… 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 >
Earlier this summer when protests started in Philadelphia and across the country expressing outrage at the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks, POBS – like many other organizations – took to social media to show our support for #BlackLivesMatter and to announce our… 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 >