History and Overview

History and Overview

Founded in 1987, NYC Outward Bound is the first independent urban Outward Bound Center in the United States. Our organization traces its roots to 1941, when Outward Bound was founded by the well-known European educator Kurt Hahn.

The term "outward bound" is nautical, describing the moment a ship leaves the safety of harbor and its crew commits to the challenges of an ocean journey. Outward Bound programs—in schools, the wilderness or other settings—are based on the belief that both youth and adults learn and grow when they leave the safety of everyday experiences and challenge themselves in new ways.

NYC Outward Bound programs are transformational. In New York City, we focus primarily on bringing our educational approach to City youth where they live, reaching them mainly through their public schools.

Our educational method is called Expeditionary Learning™(EL). It is used successfully in schools nationwide, and is achievement-oriented. Through EL, students reach higher levels than they ever thought possible. Academic learning connects to students’ own experiences, and to real-world issues and concerns. All students in EL schools join a "crew" and a strong, supportive community where they feel secure and take responsibility for how they work. NYC Outward Bound values academic and character development equally.

• In the early 1990s we introduced student-focused programs in a number of City schools. Some focused on improving attendance and staying in school, others on enrichment and livelier academics. Still other programs aimed to reduce racial tensions or violence in schools.

• To reach many more young New Yorkers, we began to train public school teachers in our techniques and practices, so they could engage and motivate students to higher levels of achievement. These programs were soon in high demand and produced profound learning and personal growth.

• In 1992, based in large part on our pioneering work in New York City’s public schools, Outward Bound USA submitted a proposal to the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) calling for the creation of a network of schools around the country that would be based upon “Expeditionary Learning”, the pedagogy of Outward Bound. The Outward Bound proposal was one of 11 selected for funding from almost 700 submitted. There are now over 150 Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound schools in the country.

• In 2004 we embarked on our most exciting and ambitious work to date—our Small School Initiative, creating a network of small Expeditionary Learning public schools that draw upon all of the education and leadership programs we successfully offered to both youth and educators since 1987. The Initiative was seeded by a grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. By 2008 we will have a network of at least nine Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound schools in the City. Each of these new small schools features the Expeditionary Learning school design and is distinguished by the highest degree of Outward Bound involvement. Through this Initiative, we have an opportunity to play a significant role in helping to transform the educational landscape in New York City. The Initiative also provides us an opportunity to bring high quality schools to those students who need them and can benefit from them the most.