Outward Bound’s mission statement goes as follows: To change lives through challenge and discovery.  What exactly does this mean?  Well simply put we use challenge and discovery out in the field in an attempt to build confidence, character, and leadership... READ MORE

It is such a pleasure to experience Outward Bound courses through the perspective of a wide variety of folks; curious teenagers, confident veterans, and sometimes even the parent of an alum! Last week I had the honor of having lunch with John Sarter,... READ MORE

 My family isn’t really the outdoorsy type. My dad’s idea of camping involves full sized inflatable mattresses and battery operated heaters, and I’ve lived in San Francisco my entire life. Needless to say when I signed up to spend three... READ MORE

As a 15-year-old student at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, Inez Vara chose to challenge herself and push outside her comfort zone on a two-week Outward Bound California expedition. Through backpacking, rappelling and rock climbing with a diverse... READ MORE

Test Your Knowledge of Outward Bound   Q: What is the name of the Outward Bound Flag and what does it mean?   Q: When the Outward Bound model was first brought to the United States, which popular US volunteer... READ MORE

Our alarm chimes at 4:30am. The room is as dark as it was when we went to sleep. I roll over to my pull-out-bed mate and stretch. We encourage each other get out of our toasty sleeping bags and begin to get... READ MORE

The 2015 Service Bus is now one week away from ending its 2nd annual route of giving back to communities around California and all six of us on the bus had countless hours of driving time to reflect on our interactions... READ MORE

In August, we wrote a blog post about a groundbreaking environmental restoration program that Outward Bound California students and staff were taking on this summer in the High Sierra. Underwritten by the National Forest Foundation, this program restored heavily used wilderness areas... READ MORE

Linda Mornell has worked to dramatically change the lives of disadvantaged young people for the past 25 years. She began Summer Search in the Bay Area in 1990 with the idea of making summer experiential education programs possible for low-income teenagers. She was... READ MORE

Last month, long-time supporter Winn Ellis shared her inspiration to give her daughters an opportunity for self-discovery. Now Tess, her oldest, writes about how Outward Bound gave her the confidence to say ‘yes’: I was born shy. My mom and dad told me... READ MORE