TFI Goes Big With Outward Bound

The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) is pretty big too. TFI is a nationwide JPMorgan Chase endeavor to engage emerging, male leaders of color with hands-on leadership development. TFI touches hundreds of young men across the major cities of America, and it certainly creates a ripple effect in our world. For 10 years, JPMorgan Chase and TFI have provided TFI Fellows with sustained mentorship, intensive academic support and educational opportunities across America, and internationally. No wonder TFI teams-up with Outward Bound to provide experiential leadership expeditions for Fellows– we are both invested in that ripple effect– we want to support emerging leaders of color, and we want to make the world a more compassionate and resilient place.

When you stand at the foot of that deep, cold lake, you experience awe and wonder. You are one pretty small person and it is one very big lake. Somehow the bigness of the lake invites you to put yourself in context. The water, the sky, the land and you. Things get simple and big. The water is clear and it is so cold–average temp of 40 degrees fahrenheit–it demands your attention. This is no Caribbean idyll, this is a big force of nature, and you are gonna stay awake for it. Gichigamiing challenges you, and invites you to figure out how you want to show up in the world– just like TFI… just like Outward Bound.

Natural awe and wonder are part of every Outward Bound expedition. Nature is a powerful teacher, and Outward Bound enlists nature as a third instructor. We know nature can be a tool for equity, showing up the same way for everyone and “leveling the playing field.” Nature also creates great conditions for learning; it is sometimes predictable, and most often unpredictable. Nature’s students learn how to adapt, pivot and just plain cope. Mud, thunderstorms, mosquitos– nature doesn’t always cooperate, so you learn what you can control, and how you can show up in the moment. Nature is also an excellent catalyst for learning about yourself– who you are and who you want to be. And actual water provides a pretty powerful metaphor for that life-changing self-reflection.

This crystal clear written reflection comes from TFI Houston Fellow, Isaiah. Isaiah was in the first of 20 crews to go out in the field with VOBS this summer through our Twin Cities Center basecamp. From June through August, 200 young men of color will travel from cities across America to embrace challenge and adventure at the foot of the largest lake in the world. TFI Fellows will backpack the Superior Hiking Trail, up and down the ancient Sawtooth Range, to discover brotherhood, strength and purpose.