He was afraid of water. She was shy. For Mr Dowen Tan, 22, and Ms Nurina Syakirah Azmi, 17 — both students with special educational needs — Outward Bound Singapore’s (OBS) Inclusive Sailing Programme in 2019 helped them to overcome their fears, and build confidence and skills for the future.

A rite of passage for many students in Singapore, OBS is making its adventure learning more inclusive through sailing — an uncommon activity among most students that puts the 54 participants in the programme on an equal footing. Participants comprise students from special education and mainstream schools.

Although the programme, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education, was held just once before the Covid-19 pandemic stalled further runs, it won the Dare To Do Award at the Public Sector Transformation Awards in October 2020.

Participants of the inaugural programme mingled in two preparatory sessions on the mainland before embarking on a five-day, four-night expedition in Pulau Ubin that included learning how to navigate a sailboat around the island’s waters.

For Ms Syakirah, a Secondary 5 student at Grace Orchard School, one of the best parts of the OBS course was sitting around a campfire at night and chatting with her new friends from Jurongville Secondary School.

The normally reserved student came out of her shell through bonding with her teammates. “I liked the sailing, which was fun, but what I remember is talking about our feelings and sharing our dreams around the campfire,” she says.

“Both the instructors and the other students were very friendly and encouraged us in everything.”

Currently interning as a childcare centre teaching assistant, she feels her OBS experience has reinforced her goal of becoming a teacher.

Mr Azmi Abdul Wahab, her father, noticed the change in her. “She’s more open and eager to speak now, rather than keeping to herself. She’s less shy and likes to meet new people,” says the 57-year-old service technician.

Mr Tan, for his part, was initially reluctant to join the programme because of his fear of water. A student and head prefect at Metta School at the time, his teacher persuaded him to step up, be brave, and set an example for his peers.

“At first, I did not want to go (for the programme). But my teacher encouraged me and said it would be a good learning experience,” he says.

His teacher, Mr Muhammad Ridhwan Rahmat, 39, explains, "I reminded (Mr Tan) of the time he was first nominated to be the head prefect. 

“I made him recall that he was initially not confident to take up the role, but eventually became a good head prefect because he faced his fear head on and had support around him. Similarly, I believed he could face his fear of water."

Now enrolled at the Institute of Technical Education College West’s Nitec course in western culinary arts, he says that he not only conquered his fear, but picked up teamwork and team-building skills — useful for his goal of someday opening and running his own restaurant.

“We needed to work together to row and steer the boat, and look out for each other, especially when someone got tired. I definitely got better at communicating.

“What I learned has been helpful even now, when I’m working with my classmates on projects.”

Fostering inclusivity

Such courses can foster more inclusivity in Singapore, adds OBS team manager Daryl Wong, 29, who co-led one of the sailing programme’s groups. He explains: “You have students with differing abilities sharing this experience and learning about one another.”

The expedition in Pulau Ubin challenged both the instructors’ and mainstream students’ preconceptions about people with special needs.

Recalls Mr Wong: “We had this game where the students had to cooperate to transport blocks and build a structure. We thought that we would need to give them more time than usual, but they didn’t need it.

“They finished the task even faster than some adult groups that played the game when we organised corporate retreats.”

While students from the special education and mainstream schools were initially nervous about interacting with each other — even seeking advice from the instructors at the preparatory sessions — they quickly overcame this during the icebreakers.

Mr Wong says: “We just told everyone to be themselves, and to ask each other questions if they wanted to, but respectfully. They soon realised that they are not so different after all, because everyone has strengths and weaknesses.”

He, too, learned a lot from the programme. Though OBS had sent him for courses on understanding disabilities and disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity since he joined in 2015, he and the other instructors did additional research.

“We chose icebreakers that were emotionally safe. This meant no complicated games with long instructions that may be frustrating, and no games with a lot of physical contact and activity that may be upsetting. We also revised instructions for activities to be simpler, and practised with one another,” he says.

OBS will build on its experience to become even more inclusive, with plans to pilot new outdoor education programmes for children who are home-schooled, attend madrasahs, residents of children’s homes and children with physical and intellectual difficulties.

Says Mr Wong: “I’m more motivated now to help expand the accessibility of outdoor education to youths beyond mainstream schools. I want to be a part of improving inclusivity in our society.”

Taking on a new challenge

While most OBS courses were suspended in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation found other ways to give back to society. 

It converted its main campus on Pulau Ubin into a government quarantine facility, housing 522 people from January to September 2020.

Fifteen OBS staff ran the facility after receiving training from the Government, including Mr Mohammed Yusof Abdul Latif, 43, a manager in facilities and project management who became second-in-charge of the facility.

“I was glad to be able to do my part in the fight against Covid-19. This was an unforgettable experience as I learned to respond to the many uncertainties and challenges in operating such a facility,” he shares. 

During the Covid-19 outbreak within the migrant worker community, 78 OBS staff also stepped up to manage three temporary dormitories for over 2,000 affected workers. This included getting the premises ready, welcoming the workers, overseeing the running of daily activities and ensuring the workers’ well-being.

Mr Terence Koek, 34, an OBS team manager who took on the role of deputy dormitory manager, says: “I was a little nervous at first, but seeing the migrant workers settle in smoothly into the premises made it all worthwhile.”

Ms Ong Chiew Ling, 46, an OBS master training consultant, and Mr Raymond Lee, 46, its assistant director of safety and quality audit, were also seconded to the Ministry of Health to support operations and crisis management teams, while others became Safe Distancing Ambassadors.

Ms Ong said that her secondment reinforced her faith in the bonds between Singaporeans. “We all came together to achieve a common goal: To fight the Covid-19 pandemic.”

This feature is supported by the National Youth Council