Outward Bound does not reflect society’s diversity – Martin Davidson

Young people on an Outward Bound course

What do you see when you close your eyes and try to picture an outdoor education instructor? Chances are it would be a young, white, non-disabled, male. That ­corresponds quite closely to the ­profile of many of our current instructors, when, at the time of our staff survey, 80 per cent were male and white.

If we look more closely, none of the categories above are real prerequisites for the job. Being fit, surely is necessary? Yes, but as our Paralympians have shown us, you don’t ­necessarily need to be non-disabled to be ­physically fit.

Youth is another category we need to question. Although our ­bodies decline eventually, the experience and wisdom gained with age is a prized resource to be used and is as valuable in our profession as it is in others. When it comes to gender and ethnicity, is there any reason why women and people of colour shouldn’t excel as outdoor instructors? After all, they do just as well on our courses. So, something is ­happening here to work against a more diverse workforce. To improve diversity we’ve decided to open our mindset and review this issue.

We have spent decades at the ­Outward Bound Trust developing young people’s potential through challenging adventures outdoors. We have devoted boundless energy to ensuring that we are reaching out to those who need us most. Our residential programmes are now populated equally by girls and boys. Around 15 per cent of young participants are from ethnic minority groups and we are making strides to reach young people who are carers and engage with youngsters from some of the most deprived areas of the country. During 2017, 82 per cent of schools we worked with utilised our bursary to enable their participation in our residential programmes.