Outward
Bound Singapore (Ubin)
These
details are summarised from the Outward Bound Singapore website:
The Outward Bound School was established on Ubin in 1967 by Dr Goh
Keng Swee and came under the People's Association. In 1970 it came
under the Ministry of Defence and served to prepare young boys for
National Service. In 1991, it came under the People's Association,
renamed Outward Bound Singapore and its mission was to help young
people develop and better themselves.
In 1995, a reservoir was commissioned which made OBS self-sufficient
in water for 1,000 people a day. In 1997, facilities were upgraded
to include power and water supply, sea transportation and the area
under OBS enlarged to 257ha. In 1999, the Outward Bound Leadership
Centre was established as a training wing under OBS for leadership
development in the corporate and educational sectors. In 2000, SparkC@Marine
Parade was launched by OBS as a children's development training centre.
The OBS Mission Statement is "to develop character, leadership
skills and team spirit through direct and purposeful experience in
the outdoors." In this way, OBS sees itself has having an important
role in the education and nation building.
For the Outward Bound method of education, wilderness is a must. Around
the world, Outward Bound schools are situated in special, carefully
chosen places with access to mountains, rivers and wide open spaces.
In the wilderness, a person is taken out of his/her comfort zone and
placed in an environment that frequently demands a change in thinking
and behaviour.
The purpose of Outward Bound is not to make people better rock-climbers,
kayakers or sailor, but to help them become better persons through
these endeavours.
Outward Bound is an international educational movement that originated
in the UK, founded by Kurt Hahn, a German educator. The Outward Bound
concept focused on training young people physical endurance, community,
rescue and personal development skills. Since then, the movement has
grown to more than 50 centres worldwide.
Back to exploring Ubin
Links
Media
articles
References
- Chua
Ee Kiam, Pulau Ubin: Ours to Treasure, Simply Green, 2000
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