What do young people actually take away from an OUTWARD BOUND experience? A new international study by Outward Bound International examined the experiences of 1,260 young people from 14 countries. Participants described in their own words their most important learning experiences and which elements of the program made this development possible.
The three most important learning effects
The study shows that OUTWARD BOUND works primarily in three areas:
✅ 43% strengthen their social skills and relationships with other people.
✅ 31% gain more self-confidence, resilience and inner strength.
✅ 13% develop practical outdoor, expedition and problem-solving skills.
For schools and training companies, this means that young people not only learn subjects, but also develop important future skills such as teamwork, communication, personal responsibility and perseverance.
What makes the difference?
The participants named three factors that particularly promoted their learning:
🏕️ 27%: Intensive course and expedition experience
⛰️ 16%: Challenging situations outside the comfort zone
👥 15.5%: A supportive and appreciative group culture
It was particularly clear:
➡️ Challenges foster resilience.
➡️ Community and team culture promote social skills.
Conclusion
The results confirm what our customers have been observing for many years: By combining challenge, community and the experience of nature, young people worldwide are supported in developing resilience, self-confidence, social skills, compassion and ecological responsibility. At the same time, the study provides one of the most comprehensive global perspectives to date on what participants experience as particularly valuable and which factors explain the lasting impact of outward bound experiences across cultural and social boundaries.
👉 You can download the full Learning Impact Report 2025 (source: Outward Bound International) with all results here .
