The Spark | March 2020 : Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month! VOBS has had a long history of serving women and young girls. Over 55 years ago, Jean Replinger, proposed that Outward Bound courses be available for girls. Voyageur Outward Bound School is proud to be the first Outward Bound school in the U.S. to make that proposal a reality. Thank you to Max Davis, VOBS alum and local film maker for capturing the stories behind that first Women's course in her documentary, Woman Outward Bound.

To celebrate Women's History Month, in this eNews issue of The Spark, we'd like to highlight a few of the women and young girls that have had life-changing experiences through our programs and because of your support!

On an Outward Bound journey, there are no passengers, only crew.

Thank you for being a part of ours!

Courtney Kupsch
Director of Development
courtney.kupsch@vobs.org
(651) 401-0635

VOBS Partner Highlight: Sejong Academy

Sejong Academy's mission is "to provide an academically rigorous education to Twin Cities students through immersion experience in Korean language and culture by using research-based curricula, high standards for accountability and promoting an appreciation for diversity and international cultures." Their vision is that, "Sejong Academy students will become scholars of Korean and English, as well as socially responsible global citizens.

Sejong Academy is a new partner of ours in the Twin Cities. We partner to serve their 13-14 year old students. Our goal for programming is to develop personal and peer leadership skills across Four Domains of Thriving: Belonging, Courage, Physical Education and Reflection. Almost all of the students we serve at Sejong are learning English in addition to their native language and have experienced life as refugees.

"VOBS programming gave our 9th grade class the opportunity to bond and build community at the start of the school year. This helped new students to get to know their classmates quickly. The trip also helped students gain self confidence in their own abilities - a great way to start off high school! We heard very positive comments from students, and the VOBS staff were great!"

- Grace Lee, Sejong Academy Board Chair and Parent Board Member

VOBS Alumni Spotlight: Past and Present

Last month we had the pleasure of connecting with five female VOBS alum, ranging in age from 27-70, and from courses that happened last week to over 40 years ago. VOBS programs are life-changing and can make a life long impact. But don't take our word for it; hear it straight from the alum that experienced it. Click on the stories below!

For more stories featuring female VOBS alum, visit our blog, "Women Go Outward Bound"

Where do you work?

I am a family lawyer at Nancy Zalusky Berg, LLC.

What inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
I represent clients in divorce and custody actions. I am passionate about helping clients find vision in difficulty, and develop a path to move forward, representative of their goals and values.

What influenced you to join the VOBS Board of Trustees?
I received the 2003 Mark Moeller Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Leaders, in support of my participation in the 49-day Voyager Outward Bound instructor training program in Redford, Texas. I deeply connected with the experience and it continues to influence my life to date. My little red book of readings from VOBS has accompanied me on many journeys to follow and the exploration of that experience continues to inspire me - 17 years later! VOBS has deeply impacted me and I believe in the organization.

What excites you most about the mission and direction of VOBS and how will you contribute to it?
Inspiring growth through freedom of the wild, self-reliance and teamwork are exciting to me. Experiencing nature and being vulnerable to - and part of - it are healing. These ideas resonate with me as central to the VOBS mission. The experiences I’ve had with it influence me to bring my children up as cyclists, campers and swimmers - and have helped me to find connection with clients going through deep transformational processes. VOBS has influenced my personal and professional life; I hope to bring some of those skills, personal and legal, back in to support the organization.

Our values at VOBS are: Compassion, Integrity, Excellence, Inclusion and Safety. Which VOBS Value is your favorite and why?
Inclusion. I highly value experiential learning and fostering an environment of growth and discovery.

Where is your favorite outdoor spot in Minnesota?
The beach at my family cabin on the St. Croix River, North Hudson.

Tell us about a person that changed your life for the better?
My mentor and business coach, and now friend, Dennis Coyne. I heard him speak at a multidisciplinary group I belong to, presenting on “Resiliency and the Art of the Bounceback.” I’ll never forget how he quietly commanded the attention of the room, presenting with humor and insight.

When I heard him speak, I knew I needed to know more. Since then, we’ve kayaked in Madeline Island, worked on the Aikido art of Jo and shared many other ideas and experiences! His mentorship and teaching have caused me to observe assumptions in my life, develop a keen somatic awareness and to trust deeply in my intuition - personally and professionally. To live my life! Thank you Dennis.

What is your advice for future leaders?
Be yourself!

Outward Bound Partners with 12 Youth Programs to Launch "Be a Champion, #InvestInKids" Campaign!

VOBS and our entire Outward Bound network is proud to join 12 of the nation’s leading youth programs to launch the Be a Champion, #InvestInKids campaign to raise awareness and increase support for youth programs across the country.

The Be a Champion, #InvestInKids campaign is funded through generous support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Participating organizations include, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire, Coaching Corps, Girls Inc., National 4H Council, NatureBridge, Outward Bound, Playworks, Positive Coaching Alliance, the Student Conservation Association and the YMCA.

For more information, click here.

To #InvestInKids we serve through Voyageur Outward Bound School programming, click on the donate button below.

Last year VOBS went through the process of conducting a campaign feasibility study. We are excited to share that the interview findings were overwhelmingly positive. Based on the encouraging results of this study, VOBS’ Board of Trustees unanimously approved moving forward with the planning phase to launch a fundraising campaign.

This Leadership Campaign will support three specific areas: our purpose, people, and places.

Purpose: to ensure that anyone, regardless of income, can experience a VOBS course. We aim to provide student scholarships with a focus on underserved populations locally here in the Twin Cities.
People: strengthening our existing staff and hiring new staff to effectively run expanded programming
Places: repair and upgrade facilities for programming at Homeplace, Texas and our Twin Cities Center.

We will share a more detailed update early next year, but if you have questions about the feasibility study or the campaign in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

4:00 - 6:00 P.M. | 1400 ENERGY PARK DRIVE, SUITE 18, ST. PAUL, MN 55108

Join us at our Twin Cities Center in St. Paul, MN as we build community, celebrate successes, and support the life-changing work of Voyageur Outward Bound School. For more details, or to RSVP contact Emily Hoover by email Emily.Hoover@vobs.org or call (651) 401-0632.

*As we continue to monitor concerns and risks around COVID-19, this event may be postponed. For more information on our response to COVID-19 please visit our website or email questions to information.officer@vobs.org.