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In September 1991, Jim Rowe traveled by land from Colorado, where he had been working as an instructor for Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS), to Costa Rica. The first year in Costa Rica he focused on learning first-hand indigenous culture, rainforest ecology, and Costa Rican geography. He returned the second year with a monolithic raft and some scuba diving equipment and began his operation, using the same boat to run scuba and river trips.
The third year brought more equipment and more of a river rafting and mountaineering focus. The Quepos area where he was located had three rivers ideal for rafting and no organized companies who had tried such trips. Running day trips on the river helped him build the needed capital and marketing funds to establish a school that would run trips more consistent with Jim's philosophical approach to instructing. Rather than running quick commercial trips, Jim started leading trips whose objectives were principle-based learning through adventure experiences. He founded Save the Rainforest Expeditions and School (STRES) to provide an avenue to work with youth applying the same philosophies Jim used while at COBS. STRES was committed to instilling self-reliance, leadership, compassion, and service in a Costa Rican context. That is, students discovered Outward Bound principles through their adventures and course service projects were geared toward rainforest conservation and working with people who live within the rainforest.
One year later, Jim applied for and received a provisional charter, i.e. a charter that would become a permanent charter after three years if CRROBS maintained Outward Bound International (OBI) policies and procedures. The mission of CRROBS is to promote personal, cultural, and environmental integrity through Outward Bound principle-based adventure. Application of the mission involves an endeavor to instill, through CRROBS courses, twelve specific character traits:
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• Active curiosity
• Tenacity & Pursuit
• Undefeatable spirit
• Sensible self-denial
• Compassion
• Sense of community & holism
• Physical fitness
• Dynamic leadership
• Open & effective communication
• Inter-cultural understanding
• Knowledge & respect for the natural environment
• Self-respect
In September 1997, CRROBS received a full charter from Outward Bound International.
At CRROBS we combine adventure activities including hiking, rafting, kayaking, surfing, rappelling, scuba diving and tree climbing with the culturally rich experience of learning firsthand about the Costa Rican way of life and environment by staying with local families and immersing themselves in wilderness settings.
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