NYC Outward Bound Schools

08/19/2026

After a decade of partnership, we thought it was time to make it official 🤝

Corona Arts & Sciences Academy (CASA) is the newest member of our Compass Rose core network of schools! Read more:

Outward Bound is committed to sparking lifelong growth through challenge—outside. We facilitate adventurous learning, rooted in the outdoors, to unlock confidence, curiosity, and the skills to thrive with purpose.

08/14/2026

That's a wrap on our first-ever Basecamp to Career program! ⛰️ Our pilot Crew of students graduated yesterday with college credit and micro-credentials in restorative practices, youth mental health first aid & leadership/facilitation.

Their 6-week program included a 3-day backpacking expedition, career readiness skill-building, expert interviews, site visits, rock climbing and belaying, facilitating workshops for New York City Public Schools educators — and lots of fun in between!

"This summer I learned how to work on my goals and make a plan," said Ricky, a student at East Side Community School. "It felt really great to learn something hard when the payoff is big."

08/10/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Lisa Lepson as our new Vice President of Advancement! With more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Lisa also has a special connection to this work: she’s a parent to two NYC Outward Bound Schools students, and has seen the impact of adventurous learning firsthand. Join us in welcoming Lisa to the Crew! 🧭

Outward Bound is committed to sparking lifelong growth through challenge—outside. We facilitate adventurous learning, rooted in the outdoors, to unlock confidence, curiosity, and the skills to thrive with purpose.

08/06/2026

It's time to 🗳️ VOTE for panel presentations — and Aurora Kushner, our VP of Programs, has TWO on the docket!

1) Designing authentic learning that prepares students to thrive in a democratic society: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1785109229779001Goqk

and

2. How one NYC district & three nonprofit partners have fostered innovation through decades of change: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784918285109001QNSH

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

07/22/2026

Last week, NYC Outward Bound Schools students returned to the backcountry for the first time in EIGHT years! Participating in a three-day backpacking expedition through Harriman State Park, our Basecamp to Career Crew handled several unforeseen challenges — from a heat wave to poor air quality — and came out stronger on the other side. 💪 That's resilience in action!

👏 Endless gratitude to our instructors who made sure our students were safe and supported throughout!

07/15/2026

Kudos to our FIRST group of students to run a session on Elevating Student Voice & Choice at the New York City Public Schools Office of Student Pathways’ Summer Institute yesterday!

✏️ Over the course of the next two months, our student facilitators will reach teachers & leaders at over 90% of NYC high schools.

07/15/2026

Kudos to our FIRST group of students to run a session on Elevating Student Voice & Choice at the New York City Public Schools Office of Student Pathways’ Summer Institute yesterday!

✏️ Over the course of the next two months, our student facilitators will reach teachers & leaders at over 90% of NYC high schools.

07/08/2026

📣 20 of our student leaders have an incredible opportunity to influence what learning looks like in New York City Public Schools this year! In partnership with the Office of Student Pathways, they’ll lead twice-weekly workshops focused on elevating student voice and choice — reaching representatives from nearly EVERY high school in the city.

Yesterday was their first prep session before the Summer Institute kicks off next week!

07/06/2026

🗞️ MUST READ: Aurora Kushner, our VP of School Programming & Impact, penned a letter to the editor in The New York Times about the opportunities we have to center authentic and future-focused learning in the wake of No Child Left Behind:

Readers respond to “‘No Child Left Behind’ Nostalgia Is Delusional,” an Opinion guest essay by Ross Wiener.

07/03/2026

📑 Educators: bookmark this resource!

Join the conversation around America’s 250th by exploring the Imagining Liberty project, led by Tom James, Professor of History & Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and longtime friend & supporter of Outward Bound USA & NYC Outward Bound Schools.

Tom & team have put together commissioned papers, a podcast and a micro-credentialed course aimed at furthering discussion around the Declaration of Independence’s complexities and contradictions.

As the Declaration of Independence turns 250 years old, a new project from TC faculty and students offers the public an opportunity to reflect on America’s origins, historical narratives often overlooked and what we can learn from them