Manawatū schools celebrate achievements of 14 Outward Bound alumni

Outward Bound alumni Jonathan Jamieson from Palmerston North Boys' High School and Hannah Russell from Feilding High School. Photo / Supplied

Outward Bound and the Te Awa Foundation have celebrated the achievements of 14 students from seven Manawatū secondary schools.

The Harakeke Outward Bound course celebration was held at the Manawatū Golf Club in Palmerston North last month.

In October, the 14 secondary students pushed themselves to their physical and mental limits at Outward Bound’s Harakeke 21-day course in Anakiwa. Harakeke is one of 13 schools courses involving 118 New Zealand schools being held this year at the outdoor education school in the Marlborough Sounds.

Outward Bound has been running courses to develop youth leadership and personal skills since 1962, this year celebrating the school’s 60th anniversary. More than 70,000 New Zealanders have attended courses designed to help them reach their full potential through outdoor adventure.

A new partnership between Te Awa Community Foundation and Outward Bound enables supporters in the region to ensure long-term opportunities exist for more Manawatū rangatahi to attend Outward Bound Harakeke courses.

Feilding High School student Hannah Russell was one of the students who attended Harakeke and found the course enlightening.

“I thought all the self-improvement stuff was yuck and terrible, I didn’t need that. Then I went to Outward Bound and realised I really enjoyed the structure and the challenge,” Hannah says.

“I have just applied to the New Zealand Army and I want to be a medic. I want to be of service to my community and my country. Thank you for what you have given me, at Outward Bound I found me.”

Outward Bound chief executive Malindi MacLean says like Hannah, most students find the course transformational.

“For the majority of our schools programme students, Outward Bound is three weeks of firsts. They tell us that the course provides a safe, encouraging, and stimulating environment in which they can rediscover themselves, examine their priorities and values, and push the boundaries of what they believe they can achieve.

“Outward Bound complements the school system by adding tangible outdoor experiential learning that benefits our rangatahi’s growth,” MacLean says.

Outward Bound is inspired by how Te Awa Community Foundation has pulled together donors in Manawatū to generously support future generations, she says.

Te Awa chairman Clive Pedley says together with Outward Bound the foundation has a goal to support 14 young people from the region to attend their own journey of self-discovery and become leaders in the community for now and many years into the future.

This year, the donors allowed two students from seven Manawatū secondary schools to attend Harakeke.

• Organisations interested in investing in the Outward Bound Fund can contact support@teawafoundation.org.nz.