– The North Face has awarded a $25,000 Explore Fund grant to Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) for its Urban Youth Go Outward Bound project. VOBS is part of Outward Bound, the national leader in experiential and outdoor education.
The Explore Fund’s mission is to inspire and enable the next generation of explorers by funding non-profit organizations that are working to connect children with nature. By encouraging an active healthy lifestyle and protection of our natural landscapes, a stronger connection of youth to the outdoors can be nurtured.
Voyageur Outward Bound was selected from more than 500 applications submitted for in 2013 because it expands opportunities for urban youth to connect with their inner strength and leadership qualities through outdoor expedition.
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The Urban Youth Go Outward Bound project is a project of VOBS that will help youth from all walks of life discover the strength of their character, their ability to lead, their determination to succeed, and to serve when they return – because they will have discovered that the impossible is not impossible.
“We believe every young person deserves the opportunity to experience what nature can teach us about ourselves and the world around us,” says Jack Lee, executive director of VOBS. “Most participants return home from their program with a deep conviction that they can do far more than they ever thought possible.” That perception is backed up by evaluations from parents and teachers reporting increased leadership qualities, communication skills, school attendance and grades.
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Since The Explore Fund was initiated in 2010, The North Face has provided more than $1 million in grants to non-profits all over the world working to connect youth to the outdoors with more than three quarters of that going to programs in the United States.
“We are extremely proud to receive this important grant because it will allow us to engage even greater numbers of urban youth in these life-changing outdoor experiences,” said Lee. Aided by expanded partnerships with schools and youth development organizations, Urban Youth Go Outward Bound aims to increase participation by almost 50 percent to serve 750 urban youth in 2013. “The program will help urban youth change their lives through challenge and discovery.”
All of The North Face Explore Fund recipients were chosen based on their commitment to one of three different focus areas: access to front and back country recreation, education for personal and environmental health, and creating a connection to nature that will empower the future leaders of tomorrow. For more information about The North Face Explore Fund, visit www.explorefund.org.
About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in Alameda, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.
About Voyageur Outward Bound School
Founded in 1941, Outward Bound is a national non-profit educational organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through challenging learning expeditions that focus on character development, leadership and service. Its world renowned outdoor programs help individuals and teams discover strength of character and an aptitude for leadership needed to serve others in their community and care for the world around them. Outward Bound (www.outwardbound.org) serves 70,000 students annually and has a nationwide community of more than one million people. Locally, Voyageur Outward Bound School (www.vobs.org) serves over 1,200 students a year.
