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Unity Project

 
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Outward Bound Unity Project

Empowering communities of young people to initiate compassionate social change.

Communities are crisscrossed with social fracture lines across which people learn to separate themselves, fear each other and perpetuate inequalities. Race, economics, gender, sexual orientation, and religion can all present barriers and challenges to forming a just, inclusive community. Young people offer important leadership on issues of diversity and social justice because divisions are less entrenched in their beliefs and behaviors. The Unity Project is a yearlong program designed to harness and develop this youth leadership in order to build stronger schools and communities. The Unity Project operates in two forms - a high school age model, and a middle school model.

Unity Project Objectives

Group

The Unity Project is structured to achieve the following outcomes:

Compassionate Leadership: Participants discover and develop their potential to care for themselves, others and the world around them.
Community Building: Participants construct a model community for themselves.
Diversity Awareness: Participants increase awareness of stereotyping and discrimination in their community and in their own actions and beliefs.
Moral Courage: Participants develop the courage to challenge and change actions or beliefs in order to create a more just and inclusive community.
Action for Social Change: Participants organize community projects that address issues of diversity and social justice.

Activities Included in Wilderness Course

The high school level wilderness course is always a backcountry expedition. The middle school level wilderness course is either backcountry or front country, depending upon the appropriate level of challenge for the students participating. A front country expedition stays close to an Outward Bound base camp. Most days on front country expeditions do not involve heavy packs and generally return to the same campsite.

Backcountry Expedition
Expedition travel (backpacking or canoeing)
Camping
High impact activity (rock climbing, rappelling, ropes course, whitewater canoeing or rafting, night paddling)
Group initiatives and discussions
Solo reflection and journaling
Service project

Unity Frontcountry Expedition
Day hiking & short expeditions
Camping
High impact activity (rock climbing, rappelling, or ropes course)
Group initiatives and discussions
Solo reflection and journaling
Service project

Program Format

A teacher, counselor or youth worker from your organization operates as 'coordinator' supporting students throughout the program. Comprehensive materials guide the coordinator through managing the program. Outward Bound delivers the wilderness course with or without the coordinator attending as an accompanying adult. Outward Bound community instructors can support phase 1 and phase 3, depending on the needs of your organization. We strongly recommend that every coordinator takes an Outward Bound Educator Course.

Phase Program Focus

Phase 1
Recruitment and Preparation
Students are recruited to represent the diversity of their school or youth group and the wider community. Preparation occurs by community building within the group, introducing students to diversity issues, briefing students for their wilderness course, and getting physically fit.

Phase 2
Wilderness Course
High school age students undertake a 9-day wilderness course. Middle school age students undertake a 5-day wilderness course. During this time, students develop personal qualities they need to be community leaders and create a learning culture within which issues of diversity and social justice can be positively addressed. This community of twelve offers a model from which students can analyze their community back home and imagine a more inclusive and just future.

Phase 3
Community Projects
Upon returning home to their school or youth group students organize and participate in community projects that apply their new skills and initiate meaningful social change. At the high school level, a workbook assists students in managing community projects. At the middle school level, the coordinator is provided a series of lesson plans to help them guide students through organizing projects and that continue the students development as compassionate leaders.
 

North Carlina Outward Bound Schools