Outward Bound Singapore
Encyclopedia
Outward Bound
Outward Bound is an international, non-profit, independent, outdoor educationorganization with approximately 40 schools around the world and 200,000 participants per year...
centres worldwide. While Outward Bound is well-established in many other countries, the Outward Bound centre in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
has the distinction of having an 'Excellent' rating for expertise, facilities and safety. Established in 1967, it aims to be a world-class Outward Bound centre for outdoor education and leadership development. Outward Bound Singapore has two campuses, located on the island of Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is a small island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. Granite quarrying supported a few thousand settlers on Pulau Ubin in the 1960s, but only about a hundred villagers live there today...
and at East Coast Park
East Coast Park
The East Coast Park is a beach park located on the southeastern coast of Singapore. It was opened in the 1970s, when the government completed reclaiming land off the coast at Katong which extends from Changi to Tanjong Rhu...
.
History
People's Association
The People’s Association was established in Singapore as a statutory board on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion. PA commemorated its 50th Anniversary in 2010....
, Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years...
in 1967. From 1970, OBSS was under the management of the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
, where it was used as a facility to prepare young men for compulsory national service
National Service in Singapore
Conscription in Singapore, called National Service , requires all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 to enrol in the military...
. After it was returned to the People's Association in 1991, however, the school was renamed to Outward Bound Singapore, hence playing an active role in helping young people in their development. The number of participants has grown since 1991 and it is currently the largest Outward Bound school worldwide. Secondary school students are strongly encouraged to attend a week's programme at Outward Bound's Pulau Ubin centre. The programme is either an indoor or outdoor programme, depending on the weather conditions.
Facilities
National Service in Singapore
Conscription in Singapore, called National Service , requires all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 to enrol in the military...
. The facilities at the Pulau Ubin campus include a Peak Ascent Tower, tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
ling and caving system, inverse and tripod
Tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The word comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability against downward forces, horizontal forces and moments about the...
towers, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
walls, teaching rooms and a 25-metre swimming pool for kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing. The Pulau Ubin campus is located at two locations, with Campus 1 being larger than Campus 2. Depending on the course, Residential or Mobile, the campers either stay in the dormitories
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
provided on campus or in tents on the school's ground respectively.
The other campus at East Coast Park, also known as SPARKc@Marine Parade, is located in the eastern area of the beach park. The campus caters more to children and adolescents in the development of their physical and mental abilities. The facilities at the East Coast campus include a Multi-Element Tower, tunnel/caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
/maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
system, rope courses, a tree house
Tree house
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
, dormitories for overnight campers, rock climbing walls and also learning studios.
Awards
1995/1996- Pin of Honour Award to Winston Lim from Outward Bound International
- 12 Friends of Schools Award
1997
- OBS Spirit Award (International) from Chairman of Outward Bound International
- Spirit of the Outward Bound Award from Chairman of Outward Bound AustraliaOutward Bound AustraliaOutward Bound Australia is the Australian chapter of the not-for-profit organisation Outward Bound International. Since its founding 1956, Outward Bound Australia has made outdoor education courses available to the community with the aim of developing teamwork skills and raising environmental...
2000
- Excellence for Singapore Award from Singapore Totaliser Board.
- Distinguished Service Award from Outward Bound Indonesia.
- Leadership Award to Winston Lim from Outward Bound International.
2001
- Winner of Innovative Programming Award from Outward Bound International for Overseas Youth Programme.
- Special Commendation Award in Innovative Programming from Outward Bound International for SPARKc .
2002
- Winner of NOVA Award for artificial Tunnel/Cave/Maze (TCM).
- Winner of Innovative Programming Award from Outward Bound International for artificial Tunnel/Cave/Maze (TCM).
- Distinguished Service Award to Winston Lim from Outward Bound International.
2003
- Leader Mentor Award to Winston Lim at Global Leaders Mentoring Congress.