At NOLS, our vision is to elevate the leader in everyone. Wilderness is at our heart, and as one of the foremost outdoor leadership schools in the world, we take seriously our responsibility to make these inspiring classrooms inclusive and welcoming. We believe that the ability to work well with people of different backgrounds, experiences, and identities is a critical 21st-century leadership skill. This ability is nurtured through Expedition Behavior.
At NOLS, we prepare students to build inclusive teams in which each group member contributes to important decisions, feels a sense of belonging, and has opportunities for powerful, transferable learning experiences. Across our community, we embrace the opportunities and challenges of learning and working with diverse, global teams of students and instructors. We are committed to turning these beliefs into action by drawing on our longstanding practice of learning through reflection, both in the field and in the classroom. This approach, applied consistently, fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation.
We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered and connected. We recognize that our outreach and programming have not always met our own or others' expectations, and we are committed to doing better in the future. As we move forward together, we have a renewed commitment to constructive resolution and our growth and development as inclusive leaders. We recognize how societal inequities present barriers to access in outdoor education and to programs like ours. We strive to dismantle those barriers in order to create a more expansive NOLS community where everyone belongs, contributing to a larger community that provides experiences to more students.
We understand that the impact of ever-present technology on our lives and the divisive political and cultural environment makes NOLS education more relevant now than at any time in its 60-year history. It is, therefore, with curiosity, determination, and humility that we endeavor to foster an ethos of respect, collaboration, and equity in our school community. At NOLS, we embrace diversity in our staff, faculty, and students and prepare our alumni to lead in the field of their choice in order to make a positive difference in their communities.