New OBS campus on Coney Island

[johnny333]

What is the purpose of OBS The youth of Spore can already join NCC, boy scout, girl guides,...etc

Wouldn't it be cheaper to send these kids to Malaysia or Batam & let them build their confidence there, or wait until they are ready for NS.

 

[scroobal]

OBS is fun but I doubt it will help develop the the type of youth for the future. There has to be a drastic change. You also do not need OBS if there is National Service which is lot harder, teaches you a whole range of values as well as tells you where your limit physically and mentally are.

What we need is to develop the spirit of adventure and to recognise out potential at an early edge.

Take a look at the number of Australian and Japanese kids that are prepared to sail around the World solo in their teens - both male and females. Thats takes a lot of balls. Where do they come from and why do they do it. I know ex-Singaporean families whose kids do undertake more rigorous things than their counterparts here.

Here we have people getting lost in MacRitchie Reservoir and have to call the emergency services.

You look at the children of PAP Ministers and MPs. They all have kids that game the system. They do the minimal for ECA. Just to keep up with their Joneses, they take up Piano or some exclusive activity.

 

[mojito]

I believe that an individual could not attend the Outward Bound School on Pulau Ubin, unless he or she is age 16.

I attended PU Course 70 when I was age 17 in Pre U One, during the June school holidays.

I attended OBS when i was 15. Nowsaday you have primary school kids climbing Mt Kinabalu, so nothing new, just bragging rights like doing bungee jumps or the more tame flying fox slides in our time. Another one at Coney means garmen making the experience more accessible to lower middle income group. After all, this group will have children growing up into the same social class as their parents, but with a brave new world economy worse off than their parents ever were, so they need all the help they can get to go take some risks while we sit easy behind our ministry desks.

 

[johnny333]

When I was younger I went camping with some friends on Coney Island. We were the only ones there
We also went camping in places like Tekong. Back then it was not occupied by the SAF, just some villagers.

Nowadays life in Spore is so artificial. If you want to go camping, you have to go to a designated area & book a place. While there you have to follow all the rules & regulations. I've never gone for any OBS course, but it is probably going to be the same, with all the rules & regulations.

 

[ginfreely]

Yes I attended during Secondary 3 too.....this was in the 70s.
Youth leadership training camp.....that was during JC year 1.

Mine was in the 80s. It's a 9 day course, part of school ECA.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Mine was in the 80s. It's a 9 day course, part of school ECA.

I remembered St. John's island camp too. Also in secondary school.
And I went back as an instructor a few years later and sian one of the school teachers.

 

[ginfreely]

What is the purpose of OBS The youth of Spore can already join NCC, boy scout, girl guides,...etc

Wouldn't it be cheaper to send these kids to Malaysia or Batam & let them build their confidence there, or wait until they are ready for NS.

It's an adventure camp with interesting activities like diving into sea and swimming, canoeing, dinghy sailing, obstacle course etc. Will leave the students very good memories.

 

[ginfreely]

I remembered St. John's island camp too. Also in secondary school.
And I went back as an instructor a few years later and sian one of the school teachers.

We have camps every year but never go St John's island. The OBS one was the best and got to interact with students from other schools too.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

It's an adventure camp with interesting activities like diving into sea and swimming, canoeing, dinghy sailing, obstacle course etc. Will leave the students very good memories.

I remembered the flying fox, jetty jump and round island canoe. Indeed it was very memorable.....I wouldn't want my kids to do NS but OBS I would recommend

 

[Narong Wongwan]

We have camps every year but never go St John's island. The OBS one was the best and got to interact with students from other schools too.

Then go where to camp?
PA campsite?

 

[ginfreely]

OBS is fun but I doubt it will help develop the the type of youth for the future. There has to be a drastic change. You also do not need OBS if there is National Service which is lot harder, teaches you a whole range of values as well as tells you where your limit physically and mentally are.

What we need is to develop the spirit of adventure and to recognise out potential at an early edge.

Take a look at the number of Australian and Japanese kids that are prepared to sail around the World solo in their teens - both male and females. Thats takes a lot of balls. Where do they come from and why do they do it. I know ex-Singaporean families whose kids do undertake more rigorous things than their counterparts here.

Here we have people getting lost in MacRitchie Reservoir and have to call the emergency services.

You look at the children of PAP Ministers and MPs. They all have kids that game the system. They do the minimal for ECA. Just to keep up with their Joneses, they take up Piano or some exclusive activity.

OBS is just a camp to leave the students with good memories, not a miracle course. But I agree that Asian students are very caught up with studying and school grades while the Western ones have alot more leeway to do such adventure like solo sailing. I think it has alot to do with the society, if there is good welfare and people no need to worry about rice bowls all the time, people can afford to be relaxed and a lot more adventurous in life.

 

[ginfreely]

Then go where to camp?
PA campsite?

Camp in school grounds. One camp in serimbun campsite, the name is something like that.

 

[ginfreely]

I remembered the flying fox, jetty jump and round island canoe. Indeed it was very memorable.....I wouldn't want my kids to do NS but OBS I would recommend

Yes it was so fun, at the end we had a big camp fire night.

 

[ginfreely]

I attended OBS when i was 15. Nowsaday you have primary school kids climbing Mt Kinabalu, so nothing new, just bragging rights like doing bungee jumps or the more tame flying fox slides in our time. Another one at Coney means garmen making the experience more accessible to lower middle income group. After all, this group will have children growing up into the same social class as their parents, but with a brave new world economy worse off than their parents ever were, so they need all the help they can get to go take some risks while we sit easy behind our ministry desks.

Yes better to have such school camps and make it free for all. No need to pay like when students go for overseas holidays. It's a burden for lower income families.

 

[ginfreely]

When I was younger I went camping with some friends on Coney Island. We were the only ones there
We also went camping in places like Tekong. Back then it was not occupied by the SAF, just some villagers.

Nowadays life in Spore is so artificial. If you want to go camping, you have to go to a designated area & book a place. While there you have to follow all the rules & regulations. I've never gone for any OBS course, but it is probably going to be the same, with all the rules & regulations.

Camping on Coney Island was one of the activities in the OBS course. After the canoeing, we camped overnight in Coney Island. Yes we were the only ones there but many of us haha.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Camp in school grounds. One camp in serimbun campsite, the name is something like that.

Saribum? You must be a guy then as the scouts campsite is there

 

[ginfreely]

Saribum? You must be a guy then as the scouts campsite is there

I can't remember the exact name, should be it then as it was a designated campsite. And I was not a scout or girl guide.

 

[johnny333]

Camping on Coney Island was one of the activities in the OBS course. After the canoeing, we camped overnight in Coney Island. Yes we were the only ones there but many of us haha.

In my case it was all DIY with 2 to 3 friends. We did our own fishing & cooking. You don't need the gov't or any 3rd party to arrange an OBS like trip.
It is even more interesting in Canada. Over there you have plenty of National Parks to explore & the fishing is good.

I doubt that I could do the same now because you are not allowed to camp on the islands of Spore.

Going to OBS is like booking a tour holiday with a bunch of strangers. I prefer the flexibility of a free & easy, because you get to decide what you want to do

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Camping on Coney Island was one of the activities in the OBS course. After the canoeing, we camped overnight in Coney Island. Yes we were the only ones there but many of us haha.

Is that the so called solo night? Bits and pieces coming back to me now side it's been so long ago

 

[Charlie99]

Is that the so called solo night? Bits and pieces coming back to me now side it's been so long ago

I remember the "solo" at Outward Bound School, canoeing around Singapore, etc.