Family Expeditions

Outward Bound Family expeditions are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience the great outdoors with the people you love. These eye-opening adventures provide a new and exciting place to bond as a family, improve communication, and cultivate a shared sense of natural wonder as you explore some of the nation’s most pristine wilderness areas together.

• Build skills, form connections: Learn, practice and refine expedition and personal skills. Faced with demanding natural challenges, discover the strength within each family member – but also the power of working together.
• Value strengths and strengthen values: Learn to incorporate Outward Bound values into everyday life by pushing your own limits and seeking challenge as an opportunity for personal growth – as individuals and as a family unit.
• Demonstrate mastery: As the course nears the end, Instructors transfer leadership responsibilities to crewmembers so they may apply skills, make group decisions and celebrate successes as a family.
• What you’ll learn: Return home with wilderness skills, conflict resolution strategies, compassion for others, and the ability to work together as a highly-functioning, collaborative family unit.

Duo

Near the end of the families course, students will participate in an adapted version of the Outward Bound Solo experience called Duo. Parent and child duos will separate from their crew to be alone together for a period of time, generally overnight. During this time, Instructors assign each duo with their own individual campsite within a designated area. These areas are both secluded and within hearing distance of other group members and Instructors to preserve safety protocols. Students will have all of the necessary gear, food, water and skills to complete this portion of the course. They will also know the location of their Instructors’ campsite should they need to contact them for any reason. Instructors will be monitoring students closely during this time and the Duo will last no longer than 24 hours. This experience is a great opportunity for families to relax, recharge, connect and reflect on their course after long days of strenuous group activities.

Service

Service to others and the environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as service to the environment and do acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. Students develop a value of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand, and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home. 

Outcomes

Acquire a taste for adventure on this four-day Outward Bound experience, which reminds students of their connection to nature and leaves them feeling inspired to take on real challenge in their everyday life. Through these condensed experiences, students become comfortable living and working together in the wilderness while practicing the Four Pillars of Outward Bound; craftsmanship, self-reliance, physical fitness and compassion. Participants also create a solid foundation of skills that they can build upon once they return home.