An ethic of service is the cornerstone of any Outward Bound experience and Outward Bound California is committed to impacting the communities we work with through service projects on and off course. Our instructors teach to and within the context of compassion and service throughout our courses. Students learn about “Leave No Trace” practices in the wilderness and how to participate in the group and within their communities as an empathetic and positive leader.

Depending on the length of the expedition, each crew partakes in a service project. Activities vary from an hour-long beach clean-up, an afternoon of trail maintenance, or a three-day service initiative in and around San Francisco, like we had on this month’s Wilderness-to-Urban Course. During this course, twelve teens hiked over 50 miles from Point Reyes Station to San Francisco, fed the hungry at Glide in the Tenderloin District and picked up trash on Baker Beach and Angel Island.

While navigating from the wilderness of the California coast into bustling neighborhoods of San Francisco, this international crew experienced a wide spectrum of quality of life. Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound, said service “tends to change the balance of power in a youth’s inner life with the result that compassion can become the master motive.” 

In providing young people a venue to create genuine acts of compassion, they go home with a lasting impression towards those who serve and those who are being served and are more likely to continue to serve their communities. In fact, our program evaluations show that after an Outward Bound California course, students report a 15% increase in measures of their commitment to compassionate behavior and service. 

It isn’t just the students who are dedicated to compassion; this November, ten instructors will come together on the first ever Outward Bound California Service Bus, a six-week initiative where they will travel to serve communities throughout the state. Working with our program partners and local agencies the crew will build houses, clear trails, serve meals, and spread the values of Outward Bound across the state. Stay tuned for details on where this crew will be traveling and how you can join in the fun!

Other Service Opportunities

• Our Youth Leadership Corps (YLC) is an annual merit-based scholarship program where dedicated teens from around the Bay Area meet once a month during the school year to lend a hand. YLC students kick off the program each summer with a 14-day expedition in the High Sierra and then they commit to 25 hours of community service projects during the school year which include reading to seniors, feeding the hungry, and organizing restoration projects in the Presidio. Know a student who would like to participate? We field applications for YLC in February every year. Check back on our website in January for more information!
• Looking to give back? Join us, September 23rd-28th, when Outward Bound California staff and instructors will be travelling to Yosemite Facelift, the largest organized volunteer cleanup of any national park! Outward Bound California instructors have been going informally to volunteer and climb for years and this is the first year Outward Bound California will be joining the ranks as an organized volunteer group. If you would like to participate in the fun, contact [email protected].
• Outward Bound California hosts a monthly volunteer night at our office in the Presidio so you too can be community-minded. Every second Wednesday of the month, we meet at our offices at 1539 Pershing Drive and take on projects while making new connections with like minded folks. We even provide dinner! If you are interested in volunteering, contact [email protected] or RSVP on facebook here.