COLORADO OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL RECORDS

The Denver Public Library is the official repository for the records of the Colorado Outward Bound School. The collection contains papers from 1961 to 2000. It documents the growth of the organization, the development of courses, and the expansion of the program to serve new groups of persons. It contains the Board of Trustees and Directors meeting minutes, reports, and correspondence. Annual and financial reports, fundraising, marketing, and course development material, are also included.

The bulk of records were generated by the organizations' fundraising activities. The staff realized student tuition alone would not be adequate to meet the needs of the organization, plus many students who would benefit from the program would not be able to meet the financial commitment. A development department was instituted and programs were created to secure funding through capital and endowment campaigns, and grant programs and alumni giving. The collection contains numerous grant applications and reports. Scholarship programs were of particular importance, so the students were encouraged to write their sponsors a description of what the program had meant to them. Many of these letters are also included in the collection.

The occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Colorado program was used for a major endowment campaign. It culminated in a visit by Prince Philip who attended a rock climbing demonstration and a dinner where he was the recipient of the Kurt Hahn award. The award is given by the national office to honor persons who have made outstanding contributions to the Outward Bound programs. Prince Philip had attended Kurt Hahn’s preparatory school in Gordonstoun, Scotland, which led to a long acquaintance with him. Prince Philip served as President of the Outward Bound Trust in England. The collection contains documentation of the extensive preparations for this celebration.

Program development and evaluation materials are included. Staff evaluations and grant reports describe the successes and failures of many of the programs. The Denver Youth Leadership program evaluations include student academic records and testing, using the Jernstedt Impact Scale. This confidential material is restricted and has been sealed until 2075. The collection also documents the expansion of the program, from courses targeted to individual young men, to experiential learning programs within the tradition school environment or serving non-tradition groups such as corporate executives. Programs were also developed for very specific groups such as youth at high-risk for delinquency, persons in rehabilitation programs for alcohol or drug dependence, and victims of violence.

While the group dynamics had always been a part of the Outward Bound experience, broader group and cultural issues were more directly addressed through some very specific programs. An example of this is the attempt to influence the growing racial tensions at East High School in Denver by providing an Outward Bound experience for selected students. Others programs deliberately combined youth who had come into the judicial system and were considered high risk for failure, with students from more traditional backgrounds. A program with the Greeley High School aimed to prevent students from dropping out of school.

A small amount of material from Outward Bound USA and other Outward Bound schools is included such as brochures and newsletters from the Hurricane Island, Pacific Crest, and Thompson Island schools. A ten-year history of the Dartmouth program and a copy of the trustee's handbook from the Voyageur school are included. Material from programs in Australia and Wales is also present.

The movies and videos in the collection are primarily marketing films and news footage, however, the film, Journey to the Outer Limits was produced by the National Geographic Society.

This small series consists of general correspondence, facilities information, staff newsletters, training material, long range planning documents and several safety reports. It reflects the basic ongoing administrative work of the organization. The annual financial reports and audit statements from 1961 through 1997 (except 1965) are included in this series

Board of Trustees and Executive Committee members list, correspondence and meeting minutes comprise this second series. The Colorado Outward Bound School annual report and the Director’s annual report to the Trustees are included.

This material relates primarily to the Development Department and fundraising activities. It includes capital and endowment campaigns, grant requests, fundraising events, marketing, and the development of scholarship funds. It also includes reports from the Ice Axe Club, an organization of special contributors to the school.

The Colorado Outward Bound School 25th Anniversary was celebrated with several events, including a major fundraising dinner in 1986, and a visit by Prince Phillip, in 1987, to receive the Kurt Hahn Award. The series contains material from the detailed planning of these events.

There is a large volume of material on the urban programs, a series of courses designed to give youth at risk an alternative learning experience beyond the classroom. The series also contains records on the Denver Youth Leadership program that is based on the experiential learning model. Since many of the youth programs were supported by scholarship funds, the series contains files about awarding, evaluating, and promoting these scholarships. Student records and testing material are restricted until the year 2075.

The adult programs series consists of catalogs, promotional brochures, course syllabus, and program evaluation material. Also included are publications for Colorado Outward Bound School alumni and staff. The reference material contains articles on the underlying theoretical basis of Outward Bound programs and on the principles of organizational management and development.

Annual reports of others schools, trustee handbooks, development activities, programs and publications comprise this small series.

The oversize material consists of mailing lists of Alumni and promotional posters.

The promotional videocassettes comprise advertisements of the courses offered by Colorado Outward Bound School, and document the television coverage of its activities, such as Prince Philip's visit to Colorado in 1987.