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Home | Summer Outward Bound Alternative
Outward Bound is an international organization that has been working with youth in the US for over 40 years. OB's focus has generally been on helping troubled youth and their style of program reflects this. Adventure Education has many schools of thought on programming style. Adventure Links, a recreational based program, focuses on the inherent benefits within adventure program itself versus Outward Bound's more focused and frontloaded self-improvement programming. For instance, Outward Bound will expect specific outcomes by frontloading a certain activity. Adventure Links will run adventure activities and have the participants evaluate their outcomes during a group debrief. The variation of these philosophies account for many of the differences listed below.
Adventure Links |
Outward Bound |
Adventure Links encourages you to bring friends to foster a mutual expansion of experience |
Outward Bound discourages bringing friends |
Adventure Links offers low program cost while maintaining a stellar experience |
Outward Bound offers comparable programs for higher cost |
The Adventure Links focus is on safety and fun, with inherent opportunities for self-realization for participants. This environment contributes to personal growth and character development. Additionally, we provide structured yet creative teambuilding experiences to propel interpersonal and social skills. |
Outward Bound participant experience is focused on frontloading personal and individual change |
Adventure Links mandates extensive staff training from hand selected staff members. Most of our staff members have completed or are pursuing degrees in Outdoor/Environmental Education |
Outward Bound relies on word of mouth for staff hiring and offer limited staff training |
Adventure Links provides a natural progression in program experience. Most of our participants to return for additional programs, we offer a natural progression of Day Camp, Overnight Camp and Teen Expeditions. |
Outward Bound offers a large variety of single programs, but doesn’t focus on fostering something to belong to. |
Adventure Links Expeditions are van supported for parts of our expeditions allows for more flexibility in programming and allows the participants to have a break every now and then. The van support also allows for more extensive and health oriented meals to be prepared. |
Outward Bound programs are generally not van supported and fosters the idea of you carry everything you need from beginning to end. |
Adventure Links targeted population of 14-17 year olds allows us to fine tune our skills for people of this age |
Outward Bound caters to a very broad population |
Adventure Links Expeditions experience four different adventure activities during our two week expedition |
Outward Bound programs experience one or two different adventure activities during a non-semester expedition |
Adventure Links is a smaller company where you can always get a person to talk to on the phone about selecting programs that is actually running the program, or has run this program in the past |
Outward Bound is a large company with admission advisers to help you make decisions |
Return to the Summer Introduction page.
Request for Proposal - 800.877.0954 - www.AdventureLinks.net 21498 Blue Ridge Mountain Road
Paris, VA 20130
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