North Carolina Outward Bound Remains Independent - April 28th, 2005

Media Contact:
Erin Leonard, 828-299-3366 ext. 147 .. media@ncobs.org

North Carolina Outward Bound School applauds the March 31, 2005 affiliation of five of the former eight Outward Bound entities in the United States into one nonprofit and strongly supports this innovative and bold consolidation. North Carolina Outward Bound will continue to operate as an independent, chartered school within the national Outward Bound system. The integrity of North Carolina Outward Bound’s risk management procedures, program quality and overall mission focus will remain unchanged as Outward Bound USA embarks on the new structure.

The North Carolina Outward Bound Board of Directors, with the strong support of the staff, opted in 2004 to remain an autonomous, independent Outward Bound school. Its rationale was simple: the magic of the Outward Bound experience and the legacy of Outward Bound founder Kurt Hahn’s inspirational education philosophy would best be served by continuation of the federated national structure. North Carolina Outward Bound will continue to offer programs in the Southeast and internationally, and Outward Bound Wilderness will conduct programs across the United States and internationally. These two wilderness schools will foster a healthy system dynamic within their mutual national market.

Larger and smaller Outward Bound enterprises, working together as partners, will allow an enhanced opportunity for innovative approaches to programming, marketing and staff training. Both North Carolina Outward Bound and Outward Bound USA are committed to “best practice” sharing, and North Carolina Outward Bound’s decision to remain independent will spur a vigilance within the Outward Bound USA system to remain the pre-eminent provider of adventure experiences designed to inspire people to discover and develop their potential to care for themselves, others, and the world around them.

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