Young people, wild adventure, and doing more than you think you can: 24hrs with the Outward Bound Trust

Doing something you don’t know you can do is powerful. It sticks with you. It makes you wonder what else you might be capable of.

The Outward Bound Trust can trace it’s roots to 1941, and over 1.2 million young people have taken part in wild adventures with the trust. The famed quote of one of its founders Kurt Hahn is; “there is more in us than we know. If we could be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.”

At the end of May a group of companies spent 24 hours with Outward Bound, taking a behind the scenes look at 2 of the trust’s 6 UK centres, both located on the shores of Ullswater. The team bonded over flapjack and wild adventure, rowing out across the lake to see some young people jumping in, pushing their comfort zones to (literal) new heights and taking ownership of their own adventure level. The team hiked, toured centres and networked in the elements, hearing stories of Outward Bound’s history, teaching methods and learning outcomes.

The group heard from a primary school teacher about why Outward Bound is so important to him and his young people, and from a donor about the impact he has seen his donations make through his years supporting the trust.

Connections were made, friendships forged and adventurous plans for ways to support the Outward Bound Trust were hatched. The group reflected on what they had known about Outward Bound before their visit, and what they had learned – and that they could maybe do more than they thought, through their organisations, to support the trust’s work.

Thank you to Outward Bound and to all the companies who took part. If you’d like to know more about the Outward Bound Trust, it’s work, and how you might be able to support, or if you’d like your organisation to be a part of a future similar event, email Natalie.jackson@outwardbound.org.uk.