Live It Learn It Competitors

The leader in wilderness education since 1965. NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that will help you step forward boldly as a leader. We believe that anyone can be a leader; it's our role to provide the environment and training to help you discover your full potential. We do that in classrooms close to home and in remote wilderness areas around the world. We're an organization with heart, expertise, and wildness, and these qualities help us support powerful, authentic experiences. Our mission is to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Our community—staff, students, trustees, and alumni—shares a commitment to wilderness, education, leadership, safety, community, and excellence.

Environmental science in nature’s classroom NatureBridge provides hands-on environmental science programs for young people. Our multi-day programs take place outdoors in the magnificence of nature’s classroom, where students are immersed in the wonder and science of our national parks in Yosemite, Golden Gate, Olympic and Prince William Forest. Founded as Yosemite Institute in 1971, today NatureBridge welcomes more than 700 schools and 30,000 students and teachers annually to our four campuses. After more than 50 years of teaching and inspiring students, NatureBridge has provided life-changing experiences for more than one million participants and is a national leader in the field of environmental education. Providing access for all students NatureBridge environmental science programs are inclusive. We work intentionally to bring students from underserved communities to our programs and to offer culturally relevant and transformative experiences in our national parks. Almost 50% of our participating schools receive scholarship support and more than 30% of our students are from underrepresented communities. The NatureBridge business model is fueled by a powerful combination of earned and contributed revenue. More than 70% of our revenue comes from the tuition associated with our environmental science programs and the remaining 30% comes from donations. As a 501(c)(3) we rely on generous donations to advance our mission, to provide scholarships, and to support new curricula development and program extensions into classrooms. Making an impact Our staff of environmental science educators is at the core of our organization. Working with small groups of elementary, middle, and high school students, our educators bring science to life in national parks through engaging environmental science lessons paired with walks, hikes, scrambles, explorations and overnight backcountry expeditions to the best spots in each park.

Outward Bound, founded in 1941 by educator Kurt Hahn, is a non-profit educational organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through challenging learning expeditions that focus on character development, leadership and service. As the pioneer and leading provider of experiential and outdoor education in the U.S., Outward Bound offers over 1,000 courses throughout the year, across the U.S. and internationally. Outward Bound helps 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 serves 70,000 students annually, many of whom receive scholarship support, and has a nationwide community of more than 1 million people.