A zoom out view

“Outward Bound“- a concept we have probably all heard of. It is the educational theory by the educationalist Kurt Hahn as well as the educational fundament of the Thor Heyerdahl and the KUS-Project.

It consists of four pieces: physical and medical training, the project and the expedition.

The concept Outward Bound was a nautical term first, it describes a ship that is ready to head out on a big journey. In the educational field it refers to youngsters who are ready to head out on their big journey into life.

It has been four months now since we sailed away from the Kieler Förde and started our own big journey into our adult lives. It is unbelievable how much has happened since then. We crossed the big Atlantic Ocean, experienced the consequences of hurricane Beryl on Union Island and celebrated our first Christmas and New Year’s Eve without our loved ones. We lived deep in the rainforest in Panama, saw how people in Cuba live in very different political conditions compared to ours and we experienced so much more.

All these experiences have shaped us over the past few months, but we didn’t only see and learn about the big wide world, we also learned a lot about ourselves. In our little KUS-bubble, we have a lot of time to just think, especially on sea. Time to think about us, about our experiences, our goals in life and our future.

I for myself can say, that the journey already has changed me, all these impressions had a huge impact on my thinking and my way of seeing the world.

Unfortunately, there are also a few of not so nice things, that we experience during this journey. Climate Change, for example, is a topic that constantly reappears. We see so many different places of the world, that we can see people already suffering from the effects of Climate Change.

Seeing humans flee from their homeland over outrages routes under toughest conditions, seeing the poverty that a lot of people must handle in contrast to our privileged life in Germany – these experiences will also have shaped us. After we saw the problems of the world, we can learn to act and try to help in every way, that’s possible for us to make this world a better place.

Another big thing, that we learn on KUS is taking over responsibilities and becoming independent. Here on the ship, we are trusted with an immense amount of responsibilities. We are allowed to work in the engine or the navigation room – which isn’t normal on other vessels.

For one night watch, I was on duty from 2:00 am to 5:00 am and while we had stormy winds of 8 Beaufort, I as a student was still allowed to be the so called „Watch Princess“, so I was responsible for the whole night, that all the duties are getting done and everybody is safe.

Living with 50 different people on such a small space isn’t always easy, but in the end, we are all sitting in the same boat. Because of discussions, feedback and the fact of never being able to be alone (except maybe in the bathroom), our social competences have already reached a new level.

Not to mention all our duties on board like cleaning, cooking, studying or attending watches.

Of course, a big part of our life on KUS is the sailing, which can also be very challenging sometimes. If you imagine your friends lying in their warm and cosy bed, while you are standing under a wave, in the freezing cold, the pitch-black darkness of the night around you, giving everything to haul away your preventer. It can be frustrating, but I am sure, it is very good training for the perseverance.

This adventure isn’t just a learning from within a classroom far away, as we know it from our schools at home. This is learning about the important things in life by experiencing the real life.

I can’t describe how grateful I am to be able to be part of this project. I am so happy for all the students, that already made this experience, as well as for all the new guys, who will be able to experience this journey in the future. KUS prepares us for our lives and our existence as global citizens. As a friend of my family would say: “We sailed away as Kids, and we are going to come back as young adults”.