December is always nice!

Hello there! Thank you for visiting our blog. It's been a while we have not been able to publish new event, the centre has been hectic and most staff are out in the field helping each other to run programmes.

Five of the industrial practical students have completed their attachment with OBS at the end of November. They have been lovely addition to the existing team of energetic OBS staff, although lots of training were spent to fit them in the team but worth it. Certainly they have acquired valuable experience with us but most importantly they also has contributed to the organisation in a form of helping hands in many areas.

It is debatable actually to ask how much does the students contribute to the organisation. But we believe the students really need this opportunity that we feel we have responsibility to be part of the society. Further as a training organisation, OBS is an ideal location and exposure for these novices to gain some experience! 

Students coming on a short attachment i.e two months cannot gain much because the time will be too short. Some people may think that it is enough for them to see and observe but this is against our philosophy. Our student must be given the opportunity to do it 'hands on' that to do this we have to spend ample time to prepare them properly.  Here at OBS, we are training our students to become instructors, supervisors and managers! Therefore they need to be exposed on many matters i.e orientation, group dynamics, confidence building, policies & procedures, skills training, leadership training etc.   

Anyway OBS will continue this effort and to provide opportunity for those who continues to support our training philosophy. Our best wishes to those who had gained their experience at OBS to have a wonderful future ahead. This could be our last write-up for December as most of us will go for our year end break. The centre will be closed until 3rd January 2013. Today the 10-Day Global Programmes is returning back to Singapore, this evening we have the OBS Christmas Beach Party for children and tomorrow is the big day 'THE OBS ANNUAL DINNER GATHERING'. 

Again thank you and we will be back next year!

        

Asia Pacific Smart School (29 Oct - 04 Nov 2012)

Another new group :) yayyy...! Outward bound Sabah delivered a 6 days programme called the Voyager Course for students aged between 15 to 16 years old from a private school of Asia Pacific Smart School from Peninsular Malaysia (formerly known SAPURA Smart School).

At the beginning of the course, the students embarked on a 2-day 1-night sea expedition paddling and rowing to Dinawan Island. We were blessed with good weather during that day but the paddling on a strong sea current wasn't that easy. After striving for 3 hours we finally made to Dinawan island and rewarded ourselves with swimming and dipping in the clear blue shallow sea water.....!

Upon reaching the campsite... the participants were taught to set up their tents and started fire using firewood for bush cooking. The group's teamwork was fantastic and the group leader managed the activity effectively.

Beautiful scenery at Dinawan Island 

The REWARD....! Dip in the clear blue water...!

The second expedition was the 3 days 2 nights Jungle Expedition in the Crocker Range! The group was given with map and compass to navigates their way to the checkpoints and to find their campsite. It was so nice to see the team supporting and encouraging each other when climbing up the slope. We reached the campsite at around 4pm and the team managed to pitch their tents and cooked their meals just before dark. It was really great to see the group performed all the camp craft skills and bush cooking skills that were taught to them earlier on.

Jungle rice has always been the best.....!
 Cause u'll eat it anyway:)

The Campsite

The next day, the group was in high spirit and reached the 2nd campsite early. With so much spare time, the group took the opportunity to have a nice dip in the stream which they called it "The Jungle Spa". The have a lots fun time splashing water and of course sometimes you can hear loud scream from them " Leeeeech....! leeeeeech......!" Most of them have never experienced showering in the middle of the jungle in a crystal clear stream water... again.... its was rewarding.

At about 5pm, we heard the roaring thunder from far so everyone started securing their tents including the instructors. The rain started to pour heavily and it continued for about two hours. The clear stream water earlier on started to get milky color and the stream water level started to raise. And then a few minutes later we heard a loud whistle blown by the students...(when the whistle is blown it is actually a sign of emergency!)... So we (the instructors) quickly changed into our wet clothes (oh! we were comfortably in our dry clothes already!) and hurried to the group's campsite. We heard them shouting "Move...! move...! hurry up...! safe all you can...! cepat...!". We could see torch lights moving up and down the slope. We found out that the group panicked as they saw the stream water near their camp site has risen so they decided to move up to a higher ground.

From our assessment, we can see that the situation was manageable and decided to let the group to experience the situation. We asked the group to calm down and here are our conversation with the group:-

Student: We're not panicking....we are excited....!

Instructor : Oowwhh.... well okaaay..... (confused) so what's the plan.....?

Student: We need to relocate our tents but we need to save the girls first.......

Instructor : Okaaaay...... (awww so sweet....!)

What we saw that night was actually a rewarding experience for them as the group help one another and really work hard together to rebuild their  jungle house (tents) in the dark and in the middle of the rain. It was great to see that nobody was sitting around waiting for help to come during a disaster. 

So...they survived the night as they called it "the rain disaster". We, as their instructors were really proud of them....:)! High credits to all the students because with their backgrounds we know it was not easy for them. They have successfully overcame a huge obstacle as a final challenge in this programme.

At the end of the 7-day programme, the group shared their great experiences, completing a great Outward Bound course with great pride on their face. For us the instructors.....we also shared the joy, seeing another individual's life improved through an Outward Bound experience is rewarding :)....! This is what we called an experience that will last a lifetime......

Written from the Instructor's point of view,

Ira:)

Lawatan ke Air Terjun Mahua

Pada 24 Oktober yang lalu, seramai 32 orang kakitangan Outward Bound Sabah (OBS) telah mengikuti lawatan ke Air Terjun Mahua yang bertempat di Tambunan, Sabah. Saya, Cecilia sebagai pengerusi penganjur bagi lawatan ini merasa amat bangga kerana dapat membawa kakitangan OBS datang ke kampung halaman saya. Semuanya kelihatan sungguh gembira dan teruja untuk datang menikmati keindahan semulajadi yang ada di Air Terjun Mahua. Sememangnya lawatan seumpama ini merupakan satu inisiatif yang baik untuk kakitangan OBS kerana ianya dapat merapatkan lagi hubungan silatuhrahim dan semangat setia kawan antara satu sama lain.

Walaupun keadaan air terjun pada ketika itu amat sejuk sehingga mencengkam tulang namun semuanya nampak berpuas hati dan gembira kerana akhirnya berpeluang merasai keindahan alam semulajadi di air terjun Mahua. Dalam kesempatan ini, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua kakitangan OBS yang begitu 'sporting' dalam menjayakan lawatan ini. :) 

By

Cecilia Cyril
UiTM Practical Student

Local School Groups at OB Sabah

    When Outward Bound first set foot in Sabah in 1985, perhaps the early leaders in the Government in those days see Outward Bound training as an important tool to develop the nation especially the youths. Today after 27 years in existence, it is so great to see that our own young students continue to benefit from Outward Bound programme! 

    Operating as a non-profit organisation and always limited in funding, we are struggling to keep the course fee affordable for our youths. OBS does not receive any grant from the Government, surprisingly a lot of people think we do. The operations is solely funded by the participants' course fee. However we are thankful to corporate partners and overseas clients, with their support we were able to offer a subsidized programme for our local youths.

   From end of August until mid October, we have organised programme for SJK(C) Chung Hwa Likas (60 students) , SJK(C) Chung Hwa Sipitang (46 students)  and SK Likas (100 students); SJK(C) Kin Kiau Kinarut (46 students), Interact Club members from SM All Saints Kota Kinabalu, SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu, SM La Salle Kota Kinabalu, Maktab Sabah, SM St Francis Convent Kota Kinabalu (50 students).

By Benjamin Benedict

Best Training Before University?

When I reflected upon my own experience while pursuing my studies at universities, I can imagine back all the hardships and challenges that a student must face in an entirely different environment. Most of the time I was left to solve problems on my own and trying best to be independent.

I was not prepared for it at all but as a young poor village boy, perhaps my earlier experience may have helped. My precious learning in determination and patience living as farmer, I completed my studies. 

I can now imagine some fresh students are like flying kite with a broken string! Although it may not be the same with everybody, I guess the foundation of many families nowadays are much stronger.  And leaving this comfort zone and protection, the result can be devastating sometimes if they take the wrong decision.     

A lot of people take this seriously to be better prepared. In other parts of the world people take gap semester before they go to the university. 

And exactly this is the reason these two young ladies from Scotland; Clea and Jenny are here with OBS for one year attachment. Both are only 17 years old but they are thousand of miles from home to search for new experience.   

By Benjamin Benedict 

OBS Team A and Team B

You don't have to look far for inspiration, it could right next to you. You just need to open your mind and start to appreciate things around you. If there is something you did today that you have actually enjoyed it, perhaps that is the inspiration. Perhaps it could lead to a positive output later. 

A lot of people search very far for inspiration. It is nothing wrong with that but sometimes we pity ourselves for not being able to do like others. Anything can be an inspiration, you just need to be yourself. And if you decide to learn and make changes after, that is even meaningful. 

OBS has divided the Operations staff, volunteers and practical students into 2 teams. Each team has a leader.

 Team A - Johnny Suti 

Team B - Rosli Abdullah.

By Benjamin Benedict

Abseiling on Natural Rock

Hi folks, my name is Johnny Suti. I am in-charged of the Programme Delivery Unit at OBS. Recently OBS embarked on a new project at the top of the ridge to develop new abseiling site on a natural rock site.

In fact OBS Assistant Director has been constantly pushing for this project; finally myself and another Senior Instructor Pius Jaimin went to recce the place and subsequently on 1st October 2012 all the operations staff including the Marketing officer went up to have a feel about the new OBS activity. 

By Johnny Suti

OBS Staff Meeting

On the 19th September, a staff meeting was held to discuss about current issues and updates from each department. The meeting was chaired by the Assistant Director, Benjamin Benedict. It was also our opportunity to gather again as a 'family' of OBS especially in the presence of our Executive Director, Datuk Gabriel William. 

During the Meeting

Apart from being serious and focus towards the important issues during the meeting, as always, there was fun and laughter and great sharing amongst the staff.

The Family Of OBS..group photo after the meeting

By, Evline Beludi @ ELL

Year End School Holiday Special

Dedicated Especially To All Local School Students!...

Happening from 10 - 15 November 2012, Outward Bound Sabah is opening its door to all local school students to participate in our programme. The course fee has been subsidized to make it affordable. Hurry! First-Come-First-Serve basis. 

The theme is "Journey of Discovery", the programme design is based on an ancient story of a group of friends embark on an adventure into the unknown world. Along the way, they found  various items in which they discovered something special about it.   

Kindergarten students, primary schools or secondary school students are eligible to apply. We need to register minimum 10 students in a team to proceed the activity. If you need further information, contact Elly or Edith at 750311.

By Administrator

Futsal Friendly Game

Growth is best to happen when you feel proud, appreciated and having fun. And talking about having fun, we were invited by the staff of State Ministry of Finance to have a futsal friendly game.

It is not so much about winning the game but just to meet people and making friends. We enjoyed ourselves but at the same time provide good physical exercise too. Well, if you want to play against us, don't hesitate to contact us.  

By Benjamin Benedict

Rising Star Kindergarten Kota Kinabalu

We should let kids play and find their own identity. The effort by the teachers from Rising Star Kindergarten Kota Kinabalu is exemplary. They brought their 24 kindergarten pupils to 'play'at OBS for a half day programme on 14 September 2012. 

They maybe aged 4-6 years now but it is already an amazing story to tell to their parents that they have climbed 35ft rock wall and rode the 100m flying fox!

We are glad to have given the kids a memorable experience, perhaps might last a lifetime. Because experience is the knowledge that enables them to recognize a mistake when they do it again next time.

By Benjamin Benedict
14 September 2012  

Student Industrial Placement at OBS

"Learn from the experiences of others because you won't live long enough to undergo all of them yourself!". That is exactly our advice to the students which currently undergoing practical work attachment at OBS. 

Every year OBS is swarmed with many applications from students at our local universities and colleges applying for a placement at our center. We ought to take them all but with financial constraints plus other factors, we just cannot host them all. 

OBS is widely known for its programme that helps individual to discover their potential. It is not about the outdoor activities itself but it is more to our expertise in facilitating educational programmes coupled with our strong belief in the educational philosophy. It is for this reason that people from around the world wanting to attend our programmes.

By Benjamin Benedict
13 September 2012 

Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) training programme at Outward Bound Sabah

33 cadet officers of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) attended a 9-Day Leadership Adventure Programme at Outward Bound Sabah. The composition of the group this time was special because we also have cadets from Vietnam and Abu Dhabi together with the Singaporeans.

This programme has been ongoing in the last two years in collaboration with Outward Bound Singapore. The natural adventures that Sabah provides plus with the expertise in conducting a unique programme is a compliment to this programme. 

By Benjamin Benedict

Project Trust volunteers at OBS

PROJECT TRUST VOLUNTEERS AT OUTWARD BOUND SABAH

Last Tuesday 4th September, two Project Trust volunteers arrived to undergo the one year placement at OBS. Clea Halliday and Jennifer Alison Stewart; both 18 years old are the first female volunteers to come to OBS. OBS has been receiving Project Trust male volunteers in the past two batches.

The feedback from the past volunteers have been encouraging and have benefited both ends.  The volunteers felt that their experience with OBS is exciting and more complete because they were exposed to many things and not confined to the volunteer's job only. The OBS activities itself might have helped in their transformation.

Currently at OBS, we have created a unit especially to look after our volunteer's programme. Rechel George and Eveline Beludi have been appointed coach/ mentor to the volunteers. For the past one week induction programme, the volunteers seems to have settled pretty good. 

by Benjamin Benedict  

  

OBS new blog site

Dear Followers!

Hi, and welcome to Outward Bound Sabah's blog. For those who have been following us in our previous blog, we are very sorry to inform that we have abandoned the address due to technical problem.

I hope it has not caused too much of inconvenience. Anyway this blog as previously will be used to give updates and information on OBS current activities. Many people want to know what is happening at OBS hence this blog is created.

All blogs that are published here are written by the current staff of OBS.  Feel free to tell your friends or anybody who might be interested to know us more about this blog.

Thank you for your support!

Administrator