Instructors Traveling the Nation with Focus on Service
What do you get when you mix six Outward Bound instructors, a passion for giving back to the world, a renovated school bus and the open road? The North Carolina Outward Bound Service Bus!
For two years, a group of Outward Bound instructors have been traveling, during the autumn months, from coast to coast stopping in countless towns along the way, with a mission to make a difference. From trail building to working in soup kitchens, this group of instructors are working to live out one of the pillars of Outward Bound - the importance of service.
To find out what it is all about we spoke to Erica Nixon, Outward Bound instructor and one of the founders of the Service Bus. Here is what she had to say:
Q: What is the North Carolina Outward Bound School Service Bus? A: We're a group of six North Carolina Outward Bound School instructors spending two months driving from North Carolina to California and back again. Our goal is to "live" the Outward Bound motto: to serve, to strive and not to yield. During our time on the road, we're combining professional development (opportunities like rock climbing in Joshua Tree and sea kayaking in the Outer Banks) with service projects like building houses for Habitat for Humanity and volunteering at homeless shelters.
Q: Where did the idea come from? A: During the months when Outward Bound instructors aren't in the backcountry leading courses, many of us spend time pursuing our professional development through personal trips. While having our own adventures can be great fun, we wanted to find a way to give back to the communities we visit. We decided to be proactive and set up service opportunities ahead of time to participate in along the way. For example, we are helping to gather research for a study documenting climbers' use of Joshua Tree National Park in order to ensure future climbing access to this area. Last year we spent Thanksgiving serving food at a shelter for women and children in Las Vegas.
Q: Why do you think doing service is so important? A: Service provides us opportunities for learning and for growth. Some of our projects involve working with people very different from ourselves, from less advantaged backgrounds; other projects involve giving back to the wilderness areas we use by picking up trash and minimizing human impact. Mostly we find that we get more from the experience than anyone else. In the words of Albert Schweitzer, "One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."
Q: Do you find the service you participate in on course strikingly different from the service you are doing now? A: Yes. The service we’ve been involved with on the Bus has been more about the people we’ve worked with than the actual work we do. This has inspired us to consider ways in which we can bring this personal aspect to our on-course service projects.
Q: What advice do you have as a "Service Guru" to alumni to bring service into their daily lives? A: It seems that if you accept service as a “selfish” act, one that serves yourself primarily and meets your desires, it’s easier to incorporate it into your daily life. Service opportunities are almost everywhere, from local grass-roots organizations like soup kitchens to national groups like Habitat for Humanity. Sometimes we find that the most important work we do is supporting the individuals who work hard for good organizations every day.
Q: What is it like traveling cross country in a mini-school bus? A: Fun! There are many delightful aspects to traveling around in a little yellow school bus, like pulling out our own version of “bunk beds” which comfortably sleep all six of us; or accidentally activating our fully-functional stop sign at 60 miles per hour on a busy interstate. We get noticed everywhere we go!
Q: Do you miss instructing when you are traveling with the bus? A: While instructing, we spend as much of our time in front of a group as being a part of it. On the Service Bus, we have the opportunity to experience the power of a group by being a community member. We can still teach and learn from each other. Believe it or not, we still “circle up,” give feedback, and even “storm” from time to time!
Q: Which other instructors are traveling with you on the Service Bus? A: Erica “Roots” Nixon is a 5-year veteran instructor and one of the masterminds behind the Service Bus. Her favorite project thus far has been helping The Tree People care for trees planted at a school for kids with special needs in Los Angeles. The project was organized by Andrew Anderson, a semester alum and Pinnacle Scholar.
Brandon “Ricardo” Mack is Roots’ partner in crime and co-founder of the Bus. His favorite project has been working with a grass-roots organization that feeds the hungry of LA every night of the year. This project involved organizing and distributing clothes to the recipients of the food line. This has inspired him to consider a Masters Degree in organizational management.
Lisa “Rosa” Powell has just completed her first year as an instructor and hails from Atlanta, GA. Favorite project: connecting with North Carolina Outward Bound Unity Project students charged with implementing projects which address social justice and teach tolerance. This allowed her to witness the impact of an Outward Bound course as students took what they experienced back to their communities.
Meredith “Circle” Rose just joined the North Carolina Outward Bound School this Fall after working with OBUSA and the Colorado Outward Bound School. Favorite project: “vertical mulching” as a means of land restoration at Joshua Tree National Park. Planting dead things in the ground allowed her to express her kindergarten talents.
Gina “Diesel” Raicovich, an NCOBS Outdoor Leader Course alum turned instructor, got her nickname by researching BioDiesel options for our Bus. One of her favorite Bus moments was talking with a homeless woman in Leadville, CO; she has a remarkable ability to connect with all kinds of different people.
Coz “Todd” Teplitz left Harvard University to be a climbing instructor for Outward Bound. Favorite project: working with at-risk Los Angeles kids at a local after school program called “the Blazers.” Whether helping with homework or playing a simple game of soccer, Todd had as much fun as the kids did.
Q: Where are you stopping next? A: Tonight, we’ll be leaving Los Angeles and heading to Joshua Tree National Park for a second week of climbing, service projects with the park, and cooking a pancake breakfast for our campsite neighbors.
Q: How can alumni get involved with the Service Bus? A: Get compassionate: go out and spend two hours volunteering your time someplace where your services are needed. Go do something nice for a stranger, or a friend. Email us at servicebus@ncobs.org with support, ideas for future projects, or housing opportunities along the way for the Bus folks. Let us know if you are interested in hosting the Service Bus for a slide show on this project or about Outward Bound and we’ll consider it for next year, and help to organize a project in you area. Or if you can’t think of anything else, we’re accepting donations for Service Bus 2004!
