Brief History of Outdoor Learning

To begin with, Outbound learning was setup not to change lives but to save lives. Way back in the dark days of World War in the early 1940’s, hundreds of young men recruited for war were dying not by bullets but due to bad weather conditions in the north Atlantic. They were facing severe challenge of survival due to lack of experience and confidence.

To address this need, Kurt Hahn an esteemed and innovative educator was asked to develop a programme to help these young men survive. Hahn believed that Outdoor education offered true learning involving the heart, mind and body that would last a lifetime. The wilderness environment allows each person can grow through daring, to risk, to care and to share with others. That is how Outbound Learning as a medium was born.

The Scottish Highlands were first used as training grounds and adventure was used as a medium to imbibe learning. After the War, in 1945 this medium was appreciated and acknowledged by all and was chosen to be offered to everyone, everywhere. This was then wildly adopted and started growing rapidly.