Sabah Cheshire Home Program

"You are our source of inspiration; it made us work really hard to make this program successful but we were never bothered by that; because you have made the course so fun to run; we really enjoyed ourselves; I will personally volunteer myself to run another similar program in the future" says Rechel George, the Course Manager for the 5 Days Sabah Cheshire Home Program. 

The program was sponsored by Tun Fuad Foundation and Co-organised by Outward Bound Sabah and Sabah Cheshire Home Kota Kinabalu. 20 students and officers consisting of bakery students, members of the Young Voices and single mothers attended the program.

Perhaps our society have too much negative perception and stereotype on these group of people. Although they are "disabled" but they have so much potential that we "the able people" failed to see. 

They have proven to us that they have the same human spirit and strength to live happily in this world. They have climbed the Giant Ladder, they abseiled down the 40ft rock wall, they rode our 100m flying fox, they sailed to the island of Dinawan, they cooked and slept in the island...what more can you ask! Overall they have successfully completed our 5 days Personal Discovery Program. 

Listening to their sharing at the closing ceremony is something extraordinary because you can feel the honesty that comes directly from the heart. The joy and appreciation were truly remarkable, I am sure many have been touched.

"Your disabilities is your opportunity" - says Dr Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound. We all have our own "disabilities", only if we focus and reinforce our strength, we may discover new ways to improve our ability.

Thank you Tun Fuad Foundation for the opportunity!

Written by:
Benjamin Benedict

International Program Review for OB Sabah

The program review is a mandatory process undertaken by Outward Bound centers to gauge the standard and quality of services to the highest level. This process must be done every two years interval and it is conducted by two appointed senior staff members from other Outward Bound center.

The criteria and standards of assessment is produced by Outward Bound International based on some of the best quality award framework such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the European Quality Award, the Japan's Quality Award, Singapore Quality Award etc.

Recently Outward Bound Sabah organised its 7th Program Review since the idea was first brought to Sabah in 1997. The reviewers were Malcom Hughes; the Safety Manager of OB New Zealand and Rob Chatfield; the Associate Director of Outward Bound International. The review was held from 2nd March to 7th March 2013. 

  

The process involved the entire management team and staff of OB Sabah. The review looked at the standard practices and offered a different perspectives for improvement. It did not cover only standard practices but also the strategic planning of the organisation.

Obviously there have been plenty of learning opportunities happened during the review. From the staff perspective, it was an opportunity to share and learn from other experts.

Written by;

Benjamin Benedict