Our first newsletter! 365 days of swapping screen time for green time.

One year of Out of Office Foundation!

Hi Contact First Name,

We’re one year old! And what a year it’s been. In just twelve months, we’ve hiked the Camino de Santiago, walked on ice in Finland, rowed to an island with 20 young women and slept under the pine trees in a Polish forest. All with one goal: helping young people swap screen time for green time.

We’re proud of every adventure, and so grateful to everyone who believed in what we do and made them possible!

To celebrate, we’d love to take you along on a look back at our first year, and peek at what’s next!

Rutger, Bibi & Anna

PS: We didn’t announce this first newsletter, so if you don’t want to receive it, feel free to unsubscribe at the bottom.

Why we exist

We started the Out of Office Foundation with one belief: adventure shouldn’t depend on where you come from. For many young people, a week in nature, a trip abroad or a night around a campfire simply isn’t within reach. Too many of them end up struggling, mentally and physically, and stuck behind their screens. So we decided to change that, with safe, offline adventures in nature. Always free!

A year full of adventures

Hiking the Camino: 110 km, zero phones

In February, 5 young people from the Netherlands walked the last 110 km of the Camino de Santiago, together with peers from all over Europe. That made 30 walkers on one trail, with 24 hours completely offline. Spoiler: they survived. And loved it!

WATCH THE MINI DOCUMENTARY

Finland: 27 teens, 3 countries, 1 week

In April, we took 9 Dutch teenagers to a youth exchange at Hyvärilä Youth Centre, together with young people from Spain and Finland. A week of sports, nature, big conversations about who you are, and finding out that friendship doesn't need a shared language.

READ OUR BLOG

We are writing a book!

Together with Kamaleonte from Italy, we’re asking outdoor professionals and youth workers one question: what does nature do for young people? Their stories are becoming a free book for youth workers. The first stories are almost ready, and so is an exciting training opportunity. Stay tuned!

Follow the OUTnature project here

Outdoor education in Romania & Germany

Anna and Elbert travelled to Romania and Germany to learn how to bring nature into our work with young people. They hiked through the snow, cooked over the fire and slept in a mountain hut at -10°C. And from Romania, they brought back a lovely video recap!

WATCH THE VIDEO

A girls’ weekend on an island

In August, 20 young women from the Stichting Anne-Bo network rowed to a remote island. They camped (a first for most!), cooked over the fire, learned to read a compass, went into the ice bath and spent 24 hours offline. Made possible by the Outbase community.

“I came home with a clear head, new energy and the feeling that I’m allowed to take time for myself.” – Amani, participant

Tue, Oct 13

“It was dark, but there was so much life”

At a training in Poland, our volunteer Ruben swapped his cosy room for a tarp in the forest.

READ RUBEN’S STORY

Hero's Journey in Spain

In September, our ambassador Charlotte travelled to Cambrils with 5 young people for an Erasmus+ youth exchange about finding and shaping your own story. For most of them, it was their first time away from home for this long. And by the end of the week, one participant said: “It feels like I finally have friends.”

Cinetree Forest Forest festival

At the Cinretree Forest Festival, Bibi shared with 600 people why Out of Office Foundation exists: young people are stuck indoors and on screens, and nature helps them breathe, recover and connect. Then everyone watched the beautiful movie Captain Fantastic under the stars.

A big thank you!

None of this would be possible without our amazing crew: Charlotte, Annelies, Ruben, Elbert, Eefke, Yara, Rowan, Emmy, Aukje, Willemijn, Dominiek and our new treasurer Lisa. You lead groups, write stories, film, share your outdoor skills, cook, count and cheer louder than anyone. We’re so lucky to have you!

And Bibi? She’s on leave for the most beautiful reason there is, and we’ll keep the campfire warm for her. While she’s away, Anna Vlassov is stepping in. So happy to have you on board, Anna!

We’d also like to thank the organisations who believe in what we do:

Erasmus+, for co-funding our projects
Stichting Anne-Bo and Stichting Sport & Behaviour, for connecting us with the young people we work with
Outbase, for their donations and for turning their customers into ambassadors for our foundation
Cortazu, for keeping our crew warm in their beautiful clothes
A few anonymous funds, for making dreams come true for our young people

Thank you

Join the adventure

We’re so grateful for this first year, and even more excited about what’s coming. But we can’t do it without you. Here’s how you can be part of it:

Spread the word: forward this email to someone who’d like it
Join the crew: lead groups, share stories, bring us along
Partner with us: schools, youth and care organisations, companies and funds, let’s co-create an adventure that fits your group
Donate: participants never pay, so every euro gives a young person a chance they wouldn’t otherwise get
Got a question or idea? Just hit reply. We’d love to hear from you.!

Until next time, and don’t forget: SWAP SCREEN TIME FOR GREEN TIME!