History of Outward Bound - July 8th, 2003

Established in Great Britain in 1941, Outward Bound is the oldest, largest and most recognized wilderness education organization in the world. There are more than 48 Outward Bound schools and centers in 28 countries. There are nearly 2 million Outward Bound alumni, and 100,000 new alumni each year.

The name Outward Bound actually comes from the nautical term that describes the moment a ship leaves the safety of the harbor for the unknown challenges and adventures of the open sea. A ship will fly the Blue Peter flag when heading Outward Bound.

The Outward Bound program was founded during World War II. German U-boats were sinking British merchant ships and many merchant sailors were dying as they waited to be rescued from the rough and frigid waters.

Sir Lawrence Holt, owner of the Blue Funnel shipping line in Great Britain, called upon a progressive educator, Kurt Hahn, to help him uncover the answer to this question: Why were the older, more seasoned sailors surviving at a rate much higher than the younger and presumably more fit sailors?

Hahn identified the problem as a lack of confidence rather than any shortage of skill or equipment. He recognized that the younger sailors had not yet developed an understanding of their own physical, emotional and psychological resources. The older men were able to draw on their life experiences and inner resources to survive the hardships presented to them.

To address this problem, Hahn opened the first Outward Bound school in Aberdovey, Wales, in 1941, providing students with a series of progressively challenging opportunities for success. Through achievement, they discovered that they possessed, "far more then they knew." The school was an immediate success.

Hahn attributed the success of Outward Bound to students' innate yearning to master challenges and uncover latent physical, spiritual and moral strengths. He saw these strengths as central to survival not only in the North Atlantic but in all aspects of a complex modern society.

With this focus, Outward Bound continued to thrive and grow after the war, establishing schools around the world. Outward Bound expanded in the 1950’s in the United Kingdom, then into Asia, Malaysia, Europe, Germany, Africa, Kenya, and into Australia. Growth continued in the 1960’s with schools in the USA and Canada as well as Singapore. North Carolina Outward Bound is an independent chartered entity within Outward Bound USA, which offers courses in more than 20 states.


North Carolina Outward Bound’s Legacy

In the early part of the century, Outward Bound was merely a vision. Now, more than 60 years later, Outward Bound is an international organization with more than 40 schools. North Carolina Outward Bound has been a part of that legacy since 1966. We were the fourth of five schools in the United States to become part of the Outward Bound system.

It all began in the mountains of Western North Carolina, with an eager group of teenagers in the Linville Gorge Wilderness. This first crew, known as “NC-1,” probably never realized that they were blazing the trail for thousands of future North Carolina Outward Bound students.
Now, approximately 60,000 students later, North Carolina Outward Bound is still going strong. Throughout the years, we have remained dedicated to our mission -- to inspire personal growth through a challenging, adventure-based learning experience.

Outward Bound Professional has been a part of North Carolina Outward Bound for 15 years. Currently, OBP offers multi-day Wilderness Programs as well as one-day Insight Programs. Outward Bound Professional worked with 63 clients in 2000, an increase of 33% from the previous year. Clients included Bank of America, Turner Broadcasting, First Union, and Cox Enterprises.

We are extremely proud of the way North Carolina Outward Bound has evolved since our founding. As we move into the future, we will continue to learn, change and grow. The road ahead is sure to be filled with the roots of challenge and the rocks of adversity. But as Outward Bound, would we have it any other way?



# # #