OBS LSA - Making your days count

Before attending the 21-day Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) Leadership and Service Award (LSA) course, I always wanted to be a leader, but I was reluctant to take charge.

The course not only brought out leadership traits within me, but it also gave me the opportunity to learn different types of leadership styles from my group mates that can be applied in my daily life.

I am the chairperson for 2019’s Project-IsLand-A-Hand (PIAH), an event hosted by the OBS alumni to protect and appreciate the natural environment of Pulau Ubin through the cleaning of trails and coastal areas. We also conduct heritage trails to teach all participants about the history of island, as our way of giving back to Ubin and its community.

It is important not to count the days, but to make the days count – that is the greatest lesson I took away from OBS and LSA.

For more than 50 years, OBS has maintained its focus on service. To Serve, To Strive and Not to Yield; to develop rugged and resilient youths through our programmes and nurture them to be inspired and active global citizens with a heart to serve our community and be responsible advocates of the environment.

The LSA programme was designed with this goal in mind; to sharpen leadership skills and inspire youths to make an impact on our community. The scholarship sends youths with outstanding leadership and service contributions on a 21-day OBS Classic Challenge Course and position them afterward as they embark on a 3-month community service project to better understand the challenges facing our society today.