Happy New Year from VOBS

Greetings Partners, Friends and Champions,

Thank you! 2019 was a remarkable year for us here at Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) and it has everything to do with all of you.

We are so thankful to help you build character and community in Minnesota and Texas. Because of your energy, commitment and courage, the world is a better place.

Thanks to you, more people experience a sense of belonging, more people are developing the skills and strength to succeed, and more people are discovering their purpose in life. Thanks to you, the world is a more resilient and compassionate place, because there are more resilient and compassionate people out there, leading us into the future.

Character matters. Our communities need character. We need resilient and compassionate leaders. As we all know, the challenges are many: poverty, climate change, political discord, discrimination, injustice... the list goes on. How do we eliminate poverty, curb climate change or stop racism? The answer is character.

When we feel like we belong, we have the confidence to raise our voices and the empathy to take compassionate action.

When we are strong, we have the fortitude to apply our skills to challenges and the resolve to make ethical decisions.

When we discover purpose, we tap into a deep well of hope and have the courage to solve problems for a better tomorrow.

“Young people who have stronger social, emotional, and cognitive
skills are more likely to enter and graduate from college; succeed
in their careers; have positive work and family relationships,
better mental and physical health, and reduced criminal
behavior; and be more engaged citizens... Employers recognize
that it doesn’t matter how much workers know if they can’t work
well in teams, communicate clearly, and persevere when
confronted with complex problems.”

FROM A NATION AT RISK TO A NATION AT HOPE, Aspen Institute

We all need robust interpersonal skills to thrive in our homes, our schools and our workplaces. We need Outward Bound. And thanks to you, more of us have an opportunity to live into our potential and lead with compassion and resilience.

For over 50 years, Outward Bound has prepared people to succeed through transformational experience, together. Thanks to you, we are creating the conditions for students to learn--regardless of race, zip code or income--and to build skills for success. Thanks to you, we are serving more students and supporting those students with increasingly relevant programming.

You partner with us, you share your perspective and knowledge and you support us with your time or your funds. One way or another, each and every one of you is helping us fulfill our vision to serve more students for a more compassionate and resilient world.

We launched more than 14 new partnerships this year-- in fact, another organization (Stillpoint Engage), just teamed up with us today! Thanks to a generous local donor, we funded these partnerships and others by 50-80%, greatly reducing barriers to access and allowing us to innovate with pilot programming that meets the needs of our students.

We know that we are better together, that we each contribute unique assets and strengths to our communities and our challenges. Our students need each other, and we need you to grow. Simply put: we can’t make change without you.

Over 170,000 of the 850,000 children in Minnesota are living in poverty. 1 child out of every 5 children in Minnesota lives in poverty. Disparity is real.

Six Minnesotans have a net worth of $185 billion; more than 600,000 Minnesotans live in households with an annual income under $24,000. The combined annual income of those 600,000 people is less than $7 billion. Disparity is real.

88% of white students graduate from high school in Minnesota; Minnesota ranks 50th out of 50 states for graduation rates for children of color. 67% of African American students graduate. 51% of Native American students graduate. Disparity is real.

Every year, VOBS serves more than 2,000 students and provides over 17,000 days of transformational programming, regardless of race, zip code, or income. Our programs bring people together to discover strength in themselves and each other. We know that people learn best by doing and we create the right conditions for self discovery and character development by using the wilderness as a classroom.

We partner with over 30 schools, colleges and nonprofits and 100% of our current partners would recommend us to others. For the last seven years, we have doubled our revenue, and we have more than doubled the number of students we serve. But is this enough?

At Outward Bound, we are crew not passengers and we believe rising tides should lift all boats. Only when we make a commitment to character, to serve each other with compassion, do we go father, faster. Thanks to you, we look forward to serving more students and helping you change more lives.

We wish you belonging, strength and purpose in the New Year!