Outdoor school of life

Outward Bound Croatia is a non-profit, non-government organization whose main activity is experiential learning in natural environment, i.e. outdoors. It is what you may call an outdoor school of life.

With a different approach from the one in the classroom – school in nature gives its pupils or participants the possibility to expand their horizons and to develop to their full potential. The participants are faced with different challenges on physical and mental level, enabling them to finish the programme stronger and more prepared for the challenges life will put in front of them. The course of programme is carefully designed, including various outdoors games and activities to strengthen participant’s character and to improve his social and leadership skills.

Empowered by this new experience and skills (not just the outdoors skills), given the sense of adventure, participants are encouraged to face whatever the challenge is put before them.

Why school in the outdoors?

Outward Bound courses may seems as a typical summer camp, but what makes our courses different is the guided review of the experienced, led by competent and certified trainers.

Outward Bound outdoors courses are far beyond classical teaching and schooling system (but also much different from typical summer camps) and the learning process takes place within various games and activities, carefully planned and designed to achieve specific goals with the participants. Some of those goals are raising self-awareness of one own capabilities and true potentials, improving teamwork skills and inspiring openness and courage to cope with new challenges and unpredictable situations. You will learn how to successfully operate in a team and how to lead one – important everyday skills both in personal life and business career.

Requirements? Good will, open mind and readiness for challenges

To successfully pass all the exams of Outward Bound school of life, it is necessary to have confidence in yourself and others, to be physically healthy and prepared for around the clock activities, to have initiative and be compassionate towards others. Those are at the same time the values Outward Bound highly treasures and promotes on its courses.

Typical day on an Outward Bound Croatia Course

Typical day in Outward Bound outdoor school of life consists of making your own food (and for the team, of course), learning new skills and immediately using them in given tasks, sharing your experience with others through conversation and reviews… Finally, the day ends by resting under a magical starry sky!

Living in a small community is challenging for anyone. When you move that community into nature, you get a life’s adventure. The reward for managing it are the lifelong friendships and memories. It is expected that everyone one of us will enter the course with different level of enthusiasm, background experience, knowledge and skills – making it impossible to completely avoid arguments and different approaches to facing problems. Outward Bound instructors are prepared to help you work on your differences, come to peace with them and to bring important team decisions. This is an important life trait from which you will benefit every day onward.

Every member of the team helps with preparation, cleaning and maintenance of the camp, as with the preparation of the food. If you think that food prepared in the simplicity of the forest is tasteless and boring, take are word on it, you are wrong! Hungriness after spending vast amounts of energy on hiking and activities in nature is the best spice there is!

To make the course easier to learn and to relax, both for the participants and the instructors, it is necessary to visit our school page where you can choose your application and list in all possible requirements and health issues you have.

Given that nature doesn’t offer all the commodities of a modern bathroom, you should prepare yourself for a bit different aspect of the very important personal hygiene issue. But don’t worry, your skillful instructors will help you with the necessary knowledge to “get one with nature”!

Safety first, especially when in outdoors

To ensure the highest level of safety, our Outward Bound Croatia instructors and team members are always proportionally numbered with the participants. This also enables us ample time of reaction to any possible situation.

The core of Outward Bound learning process is to directly practice newly acquired skills and knowledge. Multi-day programmes will end with an expedition on which the participants will, besides employing their new skills, taken on a period of solitude. During solitude the participant is separated from the group to spend several hours on his own, in contemplation of the experience from the course. Everyone is also given a pen and paper to write a letter to them future selves and the Outward Bound Croatia team will mail it to them after 6-months period.

Always looking after the safety of our participants, the Outward Bound Croatia instructors will watch over them from a safe distance, in need of their intervention.

General safety of Outward Bound Croatia courses is ensured by the Safety Committee, whose members all experienced mountaineers, rock climbers and doctors.

What equipment do you need for the course?

Besides good will and open mind, you should have hiking boots, a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. Don’t worry if you don’t have – Outward Bound Croatia will lend you its own equipment for the duration of the course.

Every course has a list of suited clothing for the outdoors conditions, but do not worry – you don’t need to have any professional equipment.

To help the participants bond with the nature and get their minds of the modern distractions, cell phones will be handed to your instructors at the beginning of the course and given back to you at the end. In cases of emergency, Outward Bound Croatia instructors are equipped with cell phones and satellite phones, being able to communicate with each other and rescue service from every location.

The advantages of Outward Bound Croatia courses

Through an atmosphere of so-called structures risk, younger participants are building trust in themselves and others. And, of course, they are doing so by having fun. Within different new experiences participants discover the advantages and possibilities of their independence, but also the power of teamwork and togetherness. The participants will learn how to safely test their limits, set reasonable goals and be included in mutual decision making process.

Research done by the Outward Bound Trust shows that 93% of teachers agree that attending an Outward Bound course improved social skills of their students.

Improvements seen on the participants:

• Enhanced self-awareness of one owns skills and capabilities
• Enhanced capability of listening to others and improved communication within working environment
• Bravery and persistence
• Readiness to face challenges and to enforce the planned
• Setting up realistic and achievable
• Will to try and experience new things
• Enhanced ecological awareness

and many other individual psychological and social changes.

Also, 91% of teachers that accompanied their students on the courses, claim that they have enhanced their understanding of the students and improved their relationship with them.

Why wait? Join us on an adventure that will change your life!

If you have gathered up your courage and decided to join us on an expedition that will change your life view, you can do so by choosing a course on our school page!

More about OBC School Courses