Most College Savings Plans, including the 529 College Savings Plan, may be used to attend an Outward Bound expedition, thanks to a partnership with Western Colorado University. Anyone can register – you do not have to be a current Western Colorado University student. Registration is easy! Click here to learn more. 

Outdoor Educator Courses

Are you motivated by the never-ending discovery in the adventure of the outdoors? Are you passionate about sharing knowledge and helping future generations become comfortable and confident appreciators of the natural world? Working as an outdoor educator requires deep technical expertise in outdoor skills alongside hands-on training in the science behind experiential learning and how to create lasting impact for students. Outward Bound leads the outdoor education industry in both areas, providing a coveted foundation to jump-start an outdoor-involved career.

• Build skills, form connections: Refine backcountry, technical, and interpersonal skills - and practice teaching them. Help students evaluate options, manage risks, and learn to engage people of different ages and backgrounds in an environment where they are “crew, not passengers.” Master the outdoor knowledge, strengths, and skills that can’t be found in a traditional classroom.
• Value strengths and strengthen values: Absorb the technical prowess you’ll need to master multiple outdoor activities and potentially help others do the same. Discover the power of reflection and how to create lasting impact behind every adventure, challenge, and opportunity.
• Demonstrate mastery: Learn from the best outdoor educators in the industry and add your own strengths as you design and lead courses, as you take on physical and mental challenges in numerous wilderness environments and as you become responsible for the creation and fulfillment of life-changing lessons.
• What you’ll learn: Return home with the knowledge and skills necessary for teaching and leading field-based wilderness education programs. Depending on the course, you’ll have expanded knowledge and skills relating to a variety of land and/or water-based activities. You’ll be a conscientious safety and risk management leader and you’ll have a solid grounding in the Outward Bound philosophy and methodology for teaching and facilitation.

Outdoor Educator courses allow you to work in and through the widest variety of wilderness environments and develop high-level skills in each. Beyond preparing you for career opportunities in the outdoor industry, you may also earn academic credit in the field of Recreation and Outdoor Education.

Wilderness First Aid

This on-trail introduction to wilderness medicine is geared toward people of all ability levels and is a precursor to additional certifications as you progress in your career. In the Wilderness First Aid portion of the course, you’ll learn the Patient Assessment System, how to provide effective first aid treatments for injuries and illnesses common in the outdoors, and how to make appropriate evacuation decisions in varying conditions.

Service

Service to people 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. Designated service projects are often coordinated with land managers like the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service to collaborate on land restoration projects, while some projects are more social services based. Students develop a value of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand and transfer this desire to serve their communities back home. Past projects have included working on a goat farm, building trails, cleaning trash and debris from natural spaces, working with a local community garden and removing invasive species. Service on the Outdoor Educator course involves the practicum, in which you’ll plan lessons and deliver them to local students.

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Solo is that opportunity, and that time can range anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours or more, depending on the length of the course. Weather and time permitting, Solo provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. Many students use this reflection time to make decisions about their future, journal and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings unencumbered by the constant external stimulation of modern life. The duration of Solo depends on the course length and type, as well as the competency and preparedness of the student group. With all the food, skills and supplies they need, participants are given a secluded spot to reflect alone and are monitored by Instructors at regular intervals, as safety is always a top priority. Students find that Solo provokes profound and powerful learning in a short period of time and often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their Outward Bound experience.

Outcomes

This 55-day course will trains students to the level of a backpacking and climbing instructors. It provides extensive experience in these activities and prepares them for an entry-level position anywhere in the country. Over the duration of the 55 days, Outdoor Educator students will develop the requisite technical skills, group management skills, facilitation skills  and teaching skills. Throughout the course via focused discussions, activities and workshops, they’ll also be prepared to transfer these skills to any future outdoor leadership endeavors. Students will be assessed on all skills and knowledge and receive a professional development plan, work on your resume, and identify professional goals and a pathway to reaching them with the support of their Instructors, Course Managers and fellow students.

Technical skills:

• Wilderness First Aid
• Backpacking Instructor (Desert and Canyon Backpacking)
• Rappel Instructor
• Top Rope Climbing Instructor

Instructor skills:

• Leadership
• Group management
• Emergency Management
• Search and Rescue
• Risk Assessment
• Facilitation and debriefing
• Teaching for educational outcomes