Virtual Outward Bound: The End or the Beginning?

Last week a few of us from five Outward Bound schools met to wrap up the Virtual Engagement calls we’ve been having the better part of a year. Present were NYCOBS, CBOBS, VOBS, POBS and NCOBS. Missing from the call was TIOBS as they were, ironically, deep into virtual program facilitation that day.

We spent time summarizing our engagement and our successes and failures.

• Many schools found new ways to engage staff and especially those who weren’t located near a basecamp

• People felt like they met a need that partners had (in fact, all programs were group programs)

• Virtual programming was a heavier lift than a lot of leadership expected. They took more time and resources to develop and maintain than originally thought.

• It was very difficult for staff to do more than a few programs every day.

• Many schools indicated that it was a fantastic exercise in productively doing less in order to do better

• Staff can be shared across schools more easily

We also, perhaps surprisingly, acknowledged that this endeavor changed our OB for the better. Schools were forced out of old ways of doing things and to innovate. It was hard, and everyone acknowledged growth.

New revenue streams were developed, and new type of programming became available that was more accessible for some partners and students. It became a way of maintaining and enhancing partner relationships. Virtual OB became a way to set a stage for a more progressive relationship with other experiences at Outward Bound. Additionally, new partnerships were developed that would not have been there were it not for virtual student engagement.

There is consensus that while we will all be blissfully returning to in-person and outdoor student experiences, no one can leave this new course area behind. It could be useful in a variety of ways moving forward:

• Parent orientation

• Pre-program warm-up and community building

• Open Enrollment reunions

• Transference sessions post course

One person said it very effectively: “This may be the best way to intro what OB is to someone who has never done it before. Give them a hands on experience that really showcases what our programming is all about.”

One of the most impressive ways that virtual OB will stay with us is summarized by this one word: intentionality. Many a program designer and facilitator now recognizes the benefits of being deliberate with learning objectives and doing less in order to focus on the most important and achievable methods and outcomes. What this looks like is one primary objective instead of multiple; it might be the sixth day of a virtual program, but it’s really still the first few hours of a group forming. Additionally the Domains of Thriving became a very functional support for virtual programming and is now used more widely.

The future is uncertain, but in the present, there are ways to utilize our virtual engagement resources and experience to boost the effectiveness of Outward Bound everywhere.

If you would like a link to the Conceptboard that was used during this meeting, click here. Long in as a guest.

A video recording of the meeting is here.

An audio recording is here.