Genevieve Russell

I was lucky to be granted the opportunity to go to Outward Bound during the July holidays, thanks to Otago Community Trust for the Outward Bound scholarship and the support from this school. I was fortunate to participate in the Mind Body and Soul course which is a 21-day-long course for 16-18 year olds. For those of you who don’t know what Outward Bound is, it is a registered charity, directed at helping people realise their full potential through outdoor challenges and adventure. At Outward Bound you get placed into a watch group which becomes your home for the time period that you are there. At first the others in your watch group are complete strangers which may sound scary, but trust me it’s not! Once you are there, you end up developing special friendships with people in your watch which can last for your lifetime. For me, I was on course 703 and was in Cobham watch and I met very cool and nice people even though we had our ups and downs. My friends that I made were very supportive throughout all the schemes and activities that we did, which helped me push myself to my full potential.

At Outward Bound the outdoor activities include tramping, kayaking, sailing or rowing depending on the wind; rock climbing, high ropes, solo, running and even a half marathon. These activities are challenging in their own way. During my experience we kayaked down rapids, I learnt how to properly use a map when tramping in the bush, did a lot of rowing during the sailing scheme and saw some beautiful dolphins. I reflected on myself and did a lot of sleeping during my solo. My favourite activity at Outward Bound was the rock climbing and the high ropes because I found them the most enjoyable, and they were my strengths. During rock climbing I was even challenged to climb to the top with both my shoes tied together, so I could barely move my legs and relied on my upper body strength. I ended up successfully climbing to the top and was extremely proud of myself.

A few highlights of my course would be hanging out with my friends in my watch group and also getting to see such unforgettable stunning views of the sunrise at the top of Mount Royal. What I found most physically challenging was the three-day tramp because I struggled with carrying a heavy backpack for 10 hours a day, or walking up steep hills with a heavy load, which was difficult for me, but my friends made this experience more fun. Another challenge for me was having to wake up at 6:00 am every morning for Pt, but the Pt runs and morning dip in the sea was a nice way to wake me up and get me prepared for the busy day ahead. By the end of the course I learnt so many skills and made some huge achievements that taught me so much about myself such as my values and what I am truly capable of. I came home feeling more confident, independent and with a whole different mindset. The memories I made there were remarkable. And I highly recommend anyone who is interested in going to Outward Bound to apply or get a scholarship, as I promise this is the experience of a lifetime.