**photo courtesy of OB Himalaya
Since 1941, Outward Bound has inspired millions of people across the globe to discover their potential and, in doing so, contribute to a better, bolder, more compassionate and more resilient society.
Our expert instructors, using our proven learning model, facilitate authentic learning adventures in the outdoors for over 150,000 participants every year; adventures that connect individuals to their self, to others and to the natural world. An Outward Bound program is an immersive, life changing experience that is carefully designed to take participants out of their familiar comfort zones and into an area of growth.
As our Global Impact Report clearly demonstrates, Outward Bound has an increasingly important role to play in preparing and supporting people to successfully navigate the massive social, economic and environmental shifts being experienced around the world.
OBI has developed a global outcomes measurement tool with the support of the OBI Research Advisory Committee and the participation of Schools in the Outward Bound network.
The tool has been validated by researchers at Penn State University in the USA; one of OBI's global partners in Research.
Analysis of data shows statistically significant evidence of growth in the areas of: Personal Resilience, Self-Confidence, Compassion for Others, Social Competence and Environmental Responsibility.
Data collected and analysed will contribute to further shaping What it Means to be Outward Bound, by identifying aspects of the Outward Bound delivery model that are producing the most impact and areas where further work is required.
At the beginning of 2022, we had just eight OB Schools using the OB Outcomes Survey (OBOS). We now have over 20 Schools using the Survey and contributing to OBI's global dataset. The following pages provide a “snapshot” of our global impact, The survey measures the impact of Outward Bound programming on the following 5 outcomes:
The Outward Bound Outcome Survey (OBOS) measures the magnitude of growth in each outcome as a result of the Outward Bound program. This is called Effect Size.
The global average effect size for outdoor education programs is calculated to be 0.34. The average effect size calculated by the OBOS for all outcomes is 0.64. This is considered to be a significant effect size. The OB Outcomes Survey revealed that the magnitude of growth/effect size was largest for
The OBOS provides detailed information to OBI and to each individual School participating in the project. Each School can use the data to guide program development & staff training and to inform stakeholders (partners, donors, board members) of evidence of impact.
This chart shows the relative amount of learning in each outcome measured across all OB Schools using the OB Outcomes Survey in 2022.
Outward Bound is important to this world because it’s building the students who will one day change it.
One of the Questions asked in the OB Outcomes Survey is - “What was the most valuable learning was on your Outward Bound course?”
As you can see from the Word Cloud,
is most often cited followed by: