Our Vision
We seek to establish NYC Outward Bound as a model of and champion for an educational approach that makes learning active, engaging, challenging and adventurous, puts equal emphasis on intellectual and character development, promotes teamwork and compassion, and results in people achieving at higher levels than they ever thought possible.
More specifically, our vision includes establishing a network of great public schools in New York City that we are full partners in running, along with the City's Department of Education. These schools, based upon the nationally-recognized Expeditionary Learning school model, will primarily enroll students from underserved communities. Our network schools will be recognized and acclaimed for providing students with a high-quality education that prepares them for success in college, work and life, and for being models of educational excellence. They will be schools of choice that are highly sought after by students, parents, teachers and principals.
It also includes having an enhanced capacity to deliver customized adventure and team building programs to schools and youth-serving organizations outside of our network. These programs will use Outward Bound's approaches, practices and activities to promote character development, leadership, service and/or academic achievement. They will be in high demand because of the quality with which they are delivered and the impact they have on participants.
By directing our organizational resources to both our network schools and to our adventure and team building programs, we will be able to realize our mission of "effecting positive and lasting change in the lives of New York City's young people and their public schools" through a strategy that incorporates both depth and breadth approaches. Our work with our network schools will allow us to make targeted investments in a relatively small number of places, with the aim of having maximum impact at those places. Through our adventure and team building programs we will be able to bring Outward Bound programs to many people and institutions in the City who seek and will benefit from these programs, but who would not have access to them were we to focus exclusively on our network schools.
"NYC Outward Bound is...defying the lie, defying the myth, defying the stereotypes about what children can and cannot do."
—Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
“NYC Outward Bound, we think the world of you. We think you are outstanding: all the energy, all the work and the vision that you have – but more importantly, your partnership with the Department of Education will allow our students to grow and prosper and be successful adults.”
-NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott
“The ability to think critically is one the most important things that a school can help a student develop, and it is a necessity in the society and political system that we live in. Sadly, from what I’ve seen, it is largely undervalued in education systems across the United States… [At Baldwin] these are all parts of our curriculum that demonstrate this school’s values in thinking critically and in a democracy.”
-2011 James Baldwin School Graduate Kysen Kuo
