Cyrus Holloway was 17 when he earned an Outward Bound scholarship. He didn’t know what to expect – but a tough hike on the Queen Charlotte Track, part of a three-week course in the Marlborough Sounds, pushed him further than ever before.

“We really struggled, but we made it,” Cyrus says. “Everyone was so happy to be there. That was the most rewarding part.”

Three weeks later, he returned home to South Auckland with fresh purpose. Soon afterwards, he became head boy of De La Salle College, the youngest of seven children and the first in his whānau to hold that role.

Yet at first, Cyrus nearly didn’t attend the course at all.

“I said yes without thinking,” he admits. “I didn’t really expect much from it.”

Reality hit the moment he arrived at Outward Bound’s Anakiwa base and handed over his phone for a complete digital detox. Like many teens, Cyrus was spending too much time online and struggling to find his place in the world.

“The first wake-up call was when they took our phones,” he says. “That was the one I needed.”

Days began at 6am with a run. Cyrus’ group of about ten students spent each day tramping, climbing, and learning to navigate together. Crawling out of a sleeping bag before dawn was a challenge, but it revealed something unexpected.

“Before the course, I would stop when things got hard,” he says. “On the course, I couldn’t give up. I had to keep going. I found an extra gear.”

The difference in his confidence was just as noticeable.

“I never thought I’d be comfortable leading a group or speaking up,” he says. “Now I do it without even thinking. I’ve become more confident, not just at school but in life generally.”

He also found himself stepping up more at home.

“I came back with a different mindset about helping around the house and doing all that stuff,” Cyrus says “I take more initiative now. If something needs doing, I just do it.”

His mother Anna noticed the shift straight away.

“There is less hesitation, less second-guessing,” she says. “He pushes through now, in sport, at school, in how he carries himself.”

New Zealand teenagers spend about 42 hours a week on screens, seven hours more than the global average. Over the past decade, high psychological distress among youth has risen sharply from 5% to 21%. Loneliness among teens is at an all-time high.

Outward Bound confronts this digital overload directly. The entirely phone-free experience, combined with physical challenges and team-building delivers proven results:

• 92% of students say they leave feeling they are a better person
• 91% say the course positively impacts their life even six months later
• 79% of teachers notice their returning students stepping into leadership roles
• Teens spending six or more hours online daily drop dramatically – from 31% before the course to just 7% afterwards.

Outward Bound Chief Executive Malindi MacLean emphasised the experience can be life-changing.

“Reconnecting with nature and real-time teamwork rebuilds the resilience social media strips away,” she says.

Cyrus’s life-changing experience at Outward Bound was only possible because generous supporters helped fund his scholarship. Each year, hundreds of young people apply for scholarships, full of hope for the same chance to grow and discover their potential. But without donor support, the charity simply doesn’t have the funds to give every teen the opportunity they deserve.

“If young people get that window of opportunity, the leaps are amazing,” Anna says. She believes the impact is even greater for Māori and Pasifika students.

“We are naturally people who love being outdoors. Outward Bound widens their lens and shows them what is possible.”

Next year, Cyrus plans to begin studying health science at the University of Auckland. It’s a fiercely competitive programme, but he feels prepared.

“I can take the same mindset into my studies,” he says. “You compete with others and with yourself, but I have done that already.”

He remains connected with his Outward Bound friends.

“You make lifetime friends,” Cyrus says. “We stay in contact and catch up. That is the best thing.”

His advice for anyone thinking of applying? “Take the leap,” he says. “Step into the unknown. You will grow in ways you never thought you could.”

Outward Bound relies heavily on donors, like Outward Bound (OB) Crew Members, who donate every month to provide more teens like Cyrus with life-changing experiences.

Every $50 donated as a monthly gift funds one day on course. Independent analysis has found that for every dollar invested, it delivers $9 in social value.

“Your donation does not help only one person,” Malindi says. “It ripples through schools, whānau, and entire communities.”

Join the OB Crew or make a one-off donation at turnalifearound.co.nz. Even a small amount will help young people build confidence, resilience, and real-world skills, away from screens and into life. Without donor support, teens like Cyrus may never get this chance.