Northwest Outward Bound School, Circle Up
Growth and connection sit at the center of this Outward Bound fundraising film, created in partnership with Northwest Outward Bound School to support their annual giving efforts. Circle Up reflects the organization’s belief that access to outdoor education can shape confidence, leadership, and resilience long after a course ends.
Rather than focusing on adventure alone, the film centers on the internal journeys students experience while on course. Through firsthand reflections, participants describe facing uncertainty, vulnerability, and discomfort. Over time, those challenges give way to confidence, empathy, and self-trust.
Learning Through Challenge and Community
The wilderness serves as a classroom, but the deeper work happens internally. As the story unfolds, student voices blend with instructor perspective and moments from the field. Individual experiences slowly evolve into shared community.
Over the course of several weeks, strangers become a support system. Students learn how to show up for themselves and for one another. Responsibility, care, and leadership emerge through practice rather than instruction.
Connecting Mission to Impact
Designed as a donor-facing piece, the film connects Northwest Outward Bound School’s mission to real outcomes. It emphasizes scholarship access, equity, and the long-term impact students carry beyond the course itself.
Ultimately, Circle Up offers an honest, reflective portrait of how challenge and discovery translate into lifelong growth. It shows how access to outdoor education can open doors to resilience, leadership, and a deeper sense of belonging.
This project is part of our broader Nonprofit & Community Storytelling work and our collaborations with organizations focused on education, youth development, and access.
Client: Northwest Outward Bound School
Project: Circle Up
Industry: Nonprofit / Outdoor Education / Youth Development
Location: Pacific Northwest, USA
Services: Documentary-Style Filmmaking, Fundraising Video Production, On-Location Production, Post-Production
