The Spark 11.2018 : Gratitude for growth

We are thankful for the staff, supporters, and students who value challenge, and as equally failure, as powerful opportunity to learn and grow.

This August, I worked with a group of students who have and will share plenty of gifts with the world. They are highly accomplished first-year Notre Dame Merit Scholars. These young adults have spent their high school years building non-profits, learning the nuances of geopolitics or acing AP physics because they plan to be the first woman of color on Mars.

The Scholars arrived at our wilderness base with a measure of confidence grounded in a track record of demonstrated academic and intellectual success. They have not only achieved admission to a highly selective higher education institution, but they have also secured coveted scholarships based on their achievements, their merit. An internationally renowned university made a big investment in them because of their demonstrated success. Success. But what about their failures? It’s no secret that Outward Bound invites people to fail. We see failure as an opportunity to learn and to build resilience. So does Notre Dame.

As an instructor, I know my students will fail. It won’t all be high fives and fist pumps. My job is to facilitate failure, to create a safe space where students can fall down, freak out, recover and learn from the experience. Through trying and failing and trying and succeeding, failure becomes an acceptable thing, something that is bound to happen. Failure is something that is so guaranteed, you can embrace it because you know you are going to learn from it. But, learning the fine art of failure is a delicate and long process. It takes time and repeated experiences to demonstrate the power of failure and to see that it can be a healthy facet of life.

On our third morning in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, we encountered some moving water. When I say moving water, imagine a Class I rapid, relatively smooth, some riffles and occasional obstacles.

My fellow instructor and I immediately saw an opportunity. There was just enough challenge to inspire trepidation, but we knew the challenge didn’t exceed the students' skills. You could immediately sense their hesitation. Somebody said, “Shouldn’t we just portage this?” They’d mastered portaging to the extent that success was guaranteed, but paddling this water? That presented a risk. It could suck. Bad. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to fight their way upstream.

To find out how my crew failed, and what they learned, connect to our blog: https://vobs.org/blog/life-sweetness-hope-failure/

Working with Notre Dame scholars reminds me that even the most talented, driven, passionate people experience failure and they should. It's a part of life. Thankfully, Outward Bound gives us all excellent opportunity to practice the fine art of failing well.

Thank you for embracing challenge and discovery with us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! - Katherine Davis, Development Officer

JEAN REPLINGER SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Over 50 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 United States to make that dream a reality.

In honor of Jean Replinger and her legacy of equity and empowerment, we’re launching a new scholarship program in her name.

At the Voyageur Outward Bound School, we are committed to providing equal access to our programs. Please consider making a donation today to the Jean Replinger Scholarship Fund and give the gift of challenge and discovery for future female and non-binary leaders.
Click on the link here to learn more.

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Thank you for being part of a community that develops accomplished and compassionate people who make a positive difference not only in their own lives, but also in their communities and the world.

When you donate to VOBS, you are changing lives by providing students with unparalleled opportunities for personal growth, self-reliance, teamwork and compassion. Click here to read about how your gift makes a difference.

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