Last
year in November, 4 of our cadets ( YiLing, Gerald, Alvis, Ahmad) participated
in a 5D4N NPCC-OBS Outward Bound Singapore Adventure Camp on 21-25 Nov 2011. This camp aims to
use outdoor elements such as forests, rivers and seas to provide participants
opportunities for learning and development. Below is a combined article written
by our participants:
This Outward Bound Singapore
(OBS) 5-Day-4-Night adventure camp was an enlightening experience. It taught us
how to work with other ‘leaders’. This was extremely difficult at the start as
nobody knew each other and everybody, being a cadet leader, all have our own
views. Making a decision was a case of shouting each other down and we had to
debate for a long time before we could get things done. Putting ‘leaders’
together and forcing us to work in a group taught us a lot. We had to learn to
be decisive and tried to cooperate with one another. At times, tempers were
high and arguments occurred. We thus had to learn to set aside our pride at
times and be prepared to give in for the greater good of the group. Being
obstinate and refusing to give way in such situations just forced the group to
an impasse and frustrated everyone! Unlike normal school camps the campers
(we!) had total say in everything. The instructors were there to provide
assistance in times of emergencies. They were NOT there to give instructions.
Two
major highlights of the camp was the land and sea expedition respectively. The
former saw us trekking more than 20 km with 15 kg backpacks. The latter saw us
kayaking more than 20km in triyaks i.e. an open-deck kayak with three people
onboard.
The land
expedition taught us that we need to work together to help one another. Each
group had to plan their routes, decided how long each break lasted etc. We also
tried distributing the weight equally and took turns helping each other. We
encouraged one another along the way and made sure one was left behind. None of
us could ever forget the ache in our thighs as we trekked a never-ending trail
stretching from Punggol to Sembawang. We were lucky to reach our destination
just as it started to rain. We doubt anyone had ever pitched up the tents as
quickly as us! The sea expedition took place the next day. Akin to the land
expedition, we were told to set our own targets. It was numbingly tiring as we
kayaked for more than six hours.
We also learnt to identify two
types of ‘leaders’. One is the ‘results-driven’ type.
They aim to finish the task as
soon as possible, without any interruptions unless absolutely necessary. When
any of the group members request for breaks, they will not hesitate to reject
the idea and command the group to continue. Many of us detest this
authoritarian leadership style but they are usually the ones who push you to
the limit and achieve the impossible… with an excruciatingly tough journey
along the way.
The other type of leader – the
‘people-oriented’ type - is the direct opposite. They show concern for the
welfare of their group members. They will not hesitate to stop for breaks when
anyone request, and even when no one requests for it! These leaders will please
many but it would inevitably be difficult to achieve fantastic results as our
potentials remained un-stretched.
From being complete strangers,
the group members soon became fast friends. We would like to end off with a
quote from camp, 'Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of
me, I may not follow. Walk beside me and be my friend.' The times we spent
together were memorable. All of us would remember it for a long time to come.
Combined Article written by SGT Gerald Hay, SGT Alvis
Ang, SSGT Ahmad Azfar & SSGT Tei Yi Ling.
Edited by A/ASP Lam Cherng Yang.
Posted by: CI Cheryl Goh
