Outward Bound USA Home
Crew
Crew is NYC Outward Bound Schools’ signature advisory structure that supports social, emotional and academic development.
CB10 Secondary Banner
Photo credit
Lisa Berg
CB13 Repeatable Callout
Crew, Not Passengers
Building Belonging, Agency and Connection
We partner with schools to build the capacity to implement or grow a Crew program — reshaping school culture to be more inclusive, human-centered and empowering.
The spirit of “Crew, not passengers” — a phrase coined by Outward Bound founder Kurt Hahn — demonstrates our shared responsibility to care for one another. Built on a foundation of trust and empathy, Crew is a space that honors diverse voices and lived experiences, where students are seen and valued as their full selves. It is a transformative structure that fosters meaningful relationships and encourages students to develop their voice, ultimately fueling deeper engagement in learning and community.
.jpg?vh=bf944f?vh=bf944f&w=800)
Photo credit
Argenis Apolinario
CB27 Pull Quotes
Our goal is to make sure that each student in our school has somebody looking out for them and advocating for them. The Crew Leader is the person that’s responsible for the social-emotional support of this child. Crew is the front line of lateness, it is the front line of absenteeism, it is the front line of academics
CB17 FAQs
What Crew Looks Like in Practice
Student-Centered Crew Curriculum Design
Relevant and Authentic: Create Crew experiences rooted in students’ identities, goals, and lived experiences to deepen personal meaning and relevance
SEAD-Integrated: Design Crew routines that explicitly develop students’ social, emotional, and academic competencies
Equitable Crew Facilitation
Student Agency and Leadership: Empower students to lead Crew with clear roles, responsibilities, and routines that encourage ownership of their academic and personal growth
Inclusivity and Belonging: Facilitate Crew conversations that engage students in understanding identity, power, and systemic inequities, using relevant texts and shared inquiry
Crew Beyond the Classroom
Schoolwide Integration: Extend Crew practices beyond the classroom to cultivate a shared culture of care, belonging, and community
Data-Informed: Use data to guide Crew planning, monitor growth, and ensure Crew is responsive to school strengths and needs
CB38 List
Student Outcomes
Belonging
- Students feel seen, heard and valued as their full selves in their school community.
Agency
- Students have agency and voice in collaboratively building their school culture and community.
Self-Awareness
- Students develop a greater sense of who they are as humans and learners.
Leadership
- Students grow their skills as leaders, building on their strengths and areas for growth.
Goal Setting
- Students set goals and create plans to meet those goals — dealing with and managing setbacks as they go.
Empathy
- Students foster empathy and compassion for themselves and those around them.
CB31 Media Gallery
See Crew in Action
A Crew lesson is typically made up of the same building blocks. This consistency helps foster belonging and trust among students. Watch the videos to learn more.
play
This video showcases the typical cadence of a Crew meeting — the opening, main activity and closing — and how all of these elements fit together to provide a complete experience for students.
In this video, hear from students about how this structure helps them develop relationships that translate beyond Crew, classroom and school.
/
CB03 Program Paths
How We Support Crew
We partner with schools to build the capacity to successfully embed a Crew program and culture in their school communities. We do this through a combination of Coaching and Networked Learning.
Coaching
We provide one-on-one coaching to educators and leaders and together, develop a data-driven plan to achieve goals unique to the school’s needs.
Learn More: Coaching
.jpg?vh=2dc710?vh=2dc710&w=800)
Networked Learning
Crew partners participate in a continuous improvement group with other schools, engaging in collective problem-solving, generating short-cycle change ideas, and analyzing data to assess impact.
Learn More: Networked Learning
CB11 Scrolling Bullets
9 days of coaching
Networked improvement community
Two full-day convenings
Three 2-hour in-person convenings
Three 2-hour virtual convenings
Two half-day intervisitations
Summer PD
Crew Institute
Two pathway convenings
Kick-off and end-of-year convenings with all schools in our network
CB14 Contact
