April 3, 2020


Dear Northwest Outward Bound School Community,

In a world that looks nothing like what we knew just a few short weeks ago, I know that one thing hasn’t changed - Northwest Outward Bound School exists to create transformational change in lives and communities. Our work has prepared our students for life’s challenges and to serve their communities to create a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable world. On the other side of this pandemic we expect the world may look quite different and through grit and resilience NWOBS will be here to help students heal, serve their communities and create a compassionate and prosperous world.

For the past weeks, we have been focused on keeping our community of students and staff safe, including those that were on course, were preparing to come on course this spring or are currently living at a basecamp. While we know we will prevail, we also are searching deeply for answers about our organizational future, but of course we can only find short term answers for now. We’ll continue to share what we know with our community and embrace the uncertainty with optimism and with the collective strength we’ve all built through our connection to Outward Bound. 

I wanted to share with you three updates regarding our school: 

• Currently, all NWOBS programming is canceled through May 31st, a decision that is consistent with the Outward Bound network across the U.S. Our spring field staff teams are living on base, sheltered in place and supporting each other daily as family and community. Our Portland office team has been working virtually for three weeks as our part of slowing community spread. And, we are proactively monitoring and assessing the evolving situation and will take appropriate action regarding summer programs. We are hopeful for at least a partial summer season, for the mountain vistas, the raging rapids and of course the transformational changes in our students. We shall see.
   
• Additionally, as a result of the current situation we have instituted a temporary furlough of many administrative staff for a period of four weeks. This was a devastating decision but necessary given the current uncertainty and the seasonality of our operations. We are helping connect our staff with available resources to help them get through these challenging times.  During this time while we wait and hope for greater clarity as a society, the team members working will focus on maintaining enrollment activities, recalibrating fundraising strategies, and looking for creative big picture financial solutions. We are helping connect our staff with available resources to help them get through these challenging times.
   
• As a school, we had already invested over six months of staff time and resources in planning our spring and summer season. The programming that occurs in June, July and August not only represents our best opportunity to create transformational experiences, it is also core to our financial model. Needless to say, if our season is canceled it will be financially devastating for the organization. We are actively seeking working capital from new or enhanced Small Business Administration programs, unrestricting past donations where possible and building contingency plans for the unknowns that lie ahead. In the coming week, we will share more ways that you can be actively engaged in our School’s future. As we stand together in partnership with our community, you can help ensure that we can continue to run our transformational programs when it is safe to do so.  As stated by James Baldwin, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

At NWOBS we facilitate learning that builds compassion, a service ethic and resilience in our students. Our phenomenal instructors ensure that our students are ready for all the challenges of life. This is that challenge. In this time our team and our alumni are well prepared to serve, be resilient and tenacious, and above all things be compassionate. To our students, parents, donors, partners and alumni – this is the course we’ve been preparing for. Personally, I know I rest easier at night knowing that there are alumni from over five decades out in the world right now living and demonstrating our values. 

We thank you for your compassion, understanding and support as we navigate these unpredictable waters. We are truly in this together. 

Sincerely,