More Relevant Than Ever...
Our Global Impact - 2022 Report
Relevance Around the Globe
**Image: courtesy of OB Hong Kong
OBI is excited to share with you our most recent Global Impact Report. In 2019, OBI committed to collecting impact data on a global basis and, in our last two Strategic Plans, we made a commitment to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of Outward Bound programs through “working with our members to collect evidence that proves the effectiveness of Outward Bound programs. We will use research and impact studies to help Schools demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs to clients, funders and stakeholders.”
The 2023 Global Impact report represents a summary of outcomes data collected from member Schools using the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey in 2021 – 2022. The Outward Bound Outcomes Survey (OBOS) is a statistically validated and reliable measurement tool which OBI has developed with assistance from the OBI Research Advisory Committee. OBI's Impact Report demonstrates statistically significant evidence of Outward Bound's effectiveness at cultivating the following core outcomes:
*Hattie, J; Marsh, H; Neill, J; & Richards, G. ( 1997). Adventure education and Outward Bound: Out-ofclassexperiences that make a lasting difference. Review of Educational Research (67: I, pp. 43-87).
Outward Bound challenged me in ways that I never imagined, but it also helped me to develop a deep sense of self-confidence. I now feel more capable and empowered to take on new challenges and to achieve my goals.
At Outward Bound, I discovered new things about myself, such as the ability to communicate with others. Before, I did not have the courage to speak in front of an audience, to express my point of view so openly, and I can say that I have now developed this ability.
recently completed a qualitative research study involving alumni, specifically exploring the lasting impact of Outward Bound and the Relevance of the Outward Bound experience on participants' lives over time.
Participants reflected on their Outward Bound experience and its lasting impact on their education and employment, values and mindset, physical health, interests, and connection to nature.
The data, collected between August 2021 to December 2022, demonstrate that OBHK participants have developed significantly across 5 key areas: Resilience, Self-Confidence, Compassion, Social Competence, and Environmental Responsibility. The impact of OBHK’s courses is measured by the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey (OBOS), developed by OBI with support from the OBI Research Advisory Committee.
We are especially excited to share this Impact Report with you as it demonstrates how Outward Bound Schools can effectively use tools and resources developed by Outward Bound International for their benefit. Outward Bound Hong Kong used the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey to collect data about the impact of programs, used the Microsoft 365 Power BI platform provided by OBI to analyse their data, and then created a compelling Impact Report using the “TURTL” DIGITAL CONTENT PLATFORM as part of Outward Bound International's global Turtl License (the same platform we are using for this newsletter).
If you would like to learn more about how to get involved with the Outward Bound Outcomes Survey, or how to sign on with OBI's Turtl license, please contact Sarah Wiley.
Outward Bound is more than a place for people to find their limits; it's a place for us to go beyond our limit and set it higher and higher. We are not forced to change; instead we are inspired and encouraged to change for the better.
After being a Kaiako (instructor) at OBNZ for the last two and half years, I've recently stepped into the role of Pou Tōitutanga - Sustainability and Research Lead at Outward Bound New Zealand. Part of this role is looking at how we can better weave sustainability into our education practices, reduce our carbon footprint and hopefully build upon the great mahi (work) OBI has already done with NATURE BOUND.
Our first task is to build a formalised strategy that integrates sustainability into OBNZ. Without a strategy to implement action it’s hard to justify new projects, know what our priorities should be or who is responsible for what task. The last point is particularly important. For example, the journey to becoming carbon neutral is a big task. We all have a part to play in making that vision a reality. However, staff already have a lot of responsibilities to ensure Outward Bound is achieving it’s mission. So, at OBNZ we’ve come up with 4 workshops as a starting point to building our strategy.
We want to investigate what we do operationally and really understand how our outcomes like environmental responsibility, sustainability and connection to nature are fostered throughout our courses.
This is where I see Nature Bound as a great resource. I particularly like the dashboards OBI has created in the operational guide. They identify what areas of our operation we can focus on to be better and they integrate nicely with the previous carbon audits we’ve done in the past.
Reducing our carbon footprint is one piece of the puzzle. The next important aspect of our journey is understanding our handprint. I see our handprint as the outcomes we strive to give to our students. It’s the space where we as outdoor educators are able to contribute to the climate crises. I’m really excited for the upcoming journey within my new role, and looking forward to connecting with other Schools in the sustainability space.
For 36 years, NYC OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOLS has partnered with public schools in New York City to create the conditions that support social, emotional and academic development (SEAD) — long before there was even a name for it.And while many schools today focus on SEAD, what we feel is missing is the integration of the two, the connection between social-emotional and academic learning.
Research has shown that:
Students who report a higher sense of belonging in school are more likely to persevere at challenging tasks.
Academic instruction and activities that spark students’ emotions or connect cognitive challenges with social interaction result in deeper, long-term learning.
This video showcases how the skills developed in our Adventure Programming translate into the classroom when students take on challenging assessment tasks at Brooklyn Collaborative, a NYC Outward Bound School. In 2023, NYCOBS will be partnering with 77 public schools across all five boroughs of NYC.
In 2020, OB Germany & Austria (OBGA) initiated projects that prioritize the mental health of children and adolescents, all in conjunction with adventure-based education.
Under the motto "mental health," OBGA launched several new projects, such as the projects "Auf!Leben - Adventure Week" and "Adventure Camp". During Adventure Week, participants from child and youth welfare had the opportunity to experience various adventure-based activities together for a week. These activities helped them explore their own resources and foster their strength, with nature as their teacher. The results and success of these special projects were so significant that OBG&A continued working on numerous new projects to promote the resilience of children and adolescents under the theme of "mental health".In 2023 especially, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have became highly visible in children, adolescents, as well as adults in the education and health sectors. OBGA has launched new projects and programs this year to help those affected and provide support.
Under the leadership of Outward Bound Slovakia, two Erasmus projects were approved and Outward Bound Germany joined as a partner. In the first Erasmus project both OB Schools jointly develop new series of methods in the field of mental health for children and adolescents to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 and strengthen resilience.
The first project meetings were already a great success, and the project team is looking forward to the next meeting in Slovakia. In the second Erasmus project mental health is the main focus as well. Both countries focus on “training trainers” to send them to programs where participants have mental health issues. Here, too, the first successes can be recorded, and the first “trainer training” has already taken place successfully. 15 participants attended a 3-day Mental Health First Aid training. With new skills and recharged hearts, our newly "trained trainers" immediately moved on to the next courses and were able to apply their expertise - with great success!
Another milestone in the project work of OBG&A is the upcoming collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Bavaria. The OBG&A funding and project team met with the Bavarian Minister of Health in the spring, engaging in an intensive discussion about possible funding and joint projects. The respective projects could run for up to 3 years and would include resilience training for children, adolescents, and trainers. In another possible project, professionals from the education and health sectors would be guided through newly designed series of methods to receive training in mental health for themselves and others. If funded the respective projects will be connected to research with the aim to demonstrate the impact of adventure-based education on mental health. We are incredibly excited and look forward to every further step we take on the path towards strengthening the future of young people and of OBG&A!
