Lee Evans Completes the Marathon

Lee Evans ran the London 2010 marathon on behalf of Outward Bound Trust. Physicool is proud to be associated with the Trust

Outward Bound in Brief

"We are all better than we know. If only we can be brought to realise this, we may never be prepared to settle for anything less."

(Kurt Hahn, Co-founder of Outward Bound®).

Our Mission

The Outward Bound Trust exists to turn Kurt Hahn’s words into reality for an ever-increasing number of young people. We are an educational charity dedicated to developing young people through adventure in the outdoors. We raise money for bursaries to help support as many disadvantaged young people as possible to have access to safe, yet challenging and character-forming experiences through which they can raise their self-esteem, realise their full potential and achieve more than they ever thought possible. Since our humble beginnings in 1941, we have touched the lives of more than one million young people.

Our Programme

We offer a number of progressive residential courses to young people which inspire and educate them. We take young people on a journey of personal discovery, impelling them to undertake challenging outdoor activities with an element of exploration and adventure that requires personal effort. In doing so we show young people what they are truly capable of, creating and harnessing the passion and self belief that can influence them to change their lives for the better. Central to all Outward Bound courses is the Kolb cycle of experiential learning, and the engagement of young people in the natural environment with “Frontier Adventure”. On a real adventure, real learning takes place. Our residential courses range from three days to three weeks, and include activities such as kayaking, gorge walking, high ropes course, rock climbing and overnight expeditions.

Our Ambition

The Outward Bound Trust is at the forefront of positively changing young people’s lives; we delivered outdoor education and learning courses to approximately 26,000 young people in 2008/09, double the figure of a decade ago. We are committed to an ambitious goal of increasing the number of young people who benefit from our residential courses to over 40,000 by 2012. The charitable giving which supports these young people through their Outward Bound journeys will be crucial in underpinning this growth. Over 50% of participants currently receive financial support, and we envisage this figure will rise to over 70% by 2012. Paradoxically, it is often those young people who are unable to afford Outward Bound that most benefit from the experience.

Our Challenge

In looking to build on our successes in previous years and increase the number of young people experiencing adventure in the outdoors, we must meet an ever increasing fundraising challenge. The more successful we are, the more young people need financial support; and the more we focus our courses towards the disadvantaged young people in our society, the greater the level of financial support needed. In 2008/09 we required approximately £2.2m of bursary support for young people. By 2012, we estimate that we will need to raise approximately £3.9m of bursary support for young people.

Our Beneficiaries

The Outward Bound Trust serves young people between the ages of 11-25 no matter what their background or status. Many of the young people who receive financial support have a variety of backgrounds. Some are eligible for free school meals, others have special educational needs or come from low income families. Others have poor educational attainment and some are classified as at risk of offending. For them all this is a unique opportunity to take them away from their homes and to challenge them in a different environment.

Our Effect

In June 2009, we asked 521 teachers to provide feedback on their participants two months after they completed an Outward Bound personal development residential. The following observations were made:

• 24% of the students showed significant improvement in academic achievement
• 80% of the students showed a significant improvement in their communication skills
• 87% of the students showed significant improvement their ability to work with others
• 89% of the students demonstrated a significant increase in confidence