Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) is extending its youth
expedition activities, now conducted mainly on Pulau Ubin, to new
areas in Punggol and Pasir Ris, among others.
These activities will be incorporated into the Ministry
of Education-OBS Secondary 3 programme that started earlier this
year.
Some 4,300 students have enrolled to get some rugged
physical activity and social interaction.
It is a five-day outdoor education programme in which
students get to meet teenagers from another school and learn to
overcome various outdoor challenges.
Young people
in the programme can now take part in activities such as cycling in
park connector networks, as well as paddling in Punggol
Reservoir.
Currently,
most of OBS' activities, including trekking and kayaking, are held
on Pulau Ubin.
The addition
aims to help young people better appreciate nature on the main
island of Singapore and embrace a more active lifestyle within
their communities.
Sec 3 student
Kong Zheng Yao from Catholic High School tried kickbiking - a cross
between riding a scooter and a bike - on Wednesday in Punggol and
Pasir Ris. He enjoyed the scenery, he said, and would want to
return in the future.
He was one of
24 students from Catholic High and Woodlands Ring Secondary who
were taking part together.
"It's amazing
from our experience today how much you can do with the very small
area that we have, with mainly very creative use of space," said Ms
Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at a media
briefing, after paddling with students and 20 newly appointed
members of the 15th National Youth Council in Punggol Reservoir
.
Mrs Tan Chen
Kee, 44, divisional director of student development curriculum at
the Ministry of Education, said: "We can also help them (the
students) to appreciate the cultural and the natural heritage that
they have here (Singapore), so that they don't need to go all the
way overseas to appreciate the outdoors."
OBS plans to
work with relevant agencies to continue to expand its activities
across mainland Singapore.