The Outward Bound Trust set up in 1970 is a pri- vately registered charity. It provides training pro- grammes of personal and professional develop- ment in outdoor adventures on land and sea.
During the past two years, over a hundred courses have been offered, attracting about 4,000 participants each year.
Said Mr. Keith Choules, director of training of The Outward Bound Trust of Hong Kong Limited: "Outward bound is a term used to describe a ship leaving his home environment and going on adventures."
People may have a wrong perception that only those strong and energetic enough are welcomed by the group.
However, said Mr. Choules: "Our mission is to provide personal development training for people. Nobody should be excluded for any reason such as sex, age, position or nationality."
In fact, according to Mr. David Tam, chief instructor of The Outward Bound Trust, there are different types of courses to suit different individuals.
Said he: "We provide three types of courses. In addition to those for the general public, special programmes are run for the handicapped, socially-deprived and juvenile delinquents."
Under the general public courses there are various programmes including diploma, personal leadership development, outward bound explorer, adult challenge and team working.
Generally speaking, the course fee ranges from $3,000 to $13,300 depending on the type of course one takes. Subsidies are available for those with financial problems.
Besides, there are also contract courses.
"The contract course is specially designed for employees from large corporations to small businesses," said Mr. Tam.
Contract courses generally consist of three phases: first, initial meetings in which the bound assesses the needs and designs the course; second, the actual participation; and third, a thorough review session.
"Each of the three types of courses share equal weight in the total number of courses," said Mr. Tam.
The Outward Bound courses are on a residential basis with an average duration of 10 days. Programmes operate on the brigantine Ji Fung, a sail training ship; at the Tai Mong Tsai base in Sai Kung and the Sir Murray MacLehose Training Base on the island of Double Haven in Mirs Bay.
Besides local courses on sea and land, there are international ones which are co-organized with Kenya Outward Bound School. In addition, two training voyages to Japan on Ji Fung, in collaboration with the Japan Outward Bound Trust are also available.
"Some people wrongly perceive The Outward Bound programmes as difficult and physically demanding. In fact, the physical demand involved is not that great. We want participants to challenge themselves," said Mr. Tam.
"We hope the participants will have open-minds and will be willing to try regardless of the problems they face," said Mr. Tam.
Mr. Choules shares his view.
"I would like to see candidates coming with the willingness to try."
And their view agrees with the motto: "To serve, to strive and not to yield".
"Multi-activities let participants face different challenges. It provides opportunity for everybody to find something which is relatively easy for them," said Mr. Choules.
According to Outward Bound, the purpose of the courses is to enhance individual self-confidence, resourcefulness, leadership, communication skills and personal effectiveness.
One participant, Mr. Chan Wai Hun, 27, said, "I was attracted by the variety of outdoor activities offered. I think they can help me train my mind and learn some outdoor activity skills."
Another participant, Miss Connie Choi, 20, said, "I took the course named Team Working which includes group solo, single solo, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing and camping.
"To be honest, it is quite tough, as I had never tried these activities before.
"During the part of single solo, I had to stay on an isolated island for 24 hours without food.
"Most important, after I have finished the course, I experienced the meaning of 'If you think you can, you can!'" said Miss Choi.
According to Mr. Tam, each coach will look after 12 adult candidates, but six when dealing with children.
Regarding the recruitment of coaches, Mr. Choules said, "For expatriate coaches, we require them to have two years' outward bound experience accompanied with all qualifications in life saving, first aid, canoeing and sailing.
"While for Hong Kong Chinese coaches, as there are no other Outward Bound schools in Hong Kong, it is impossible to require Outward Bound experience from them. Therefore, we will simply consider the potential of the candidates.
"If we think some have the potential to be a coach, we will offer them practical training and they also have to satisfy the requirements of life saving, first aid and so on."
Compared with the very first Outward Bound 25 years ago, Mr. Choules said, "The age range and the varieties of courses today are much wider now. In the old days, there was only one type of course with nine different standards.
"The duration of the course is shortened now. In the past, each course lasted for 26 days, but now it is 18," added Mr. Tam.
Concerning the future development of Outward Bound, Mr. Choules said, "We have already registered in the People's Republic of China. In May, we organized the first outward bound training in Qing Yuan, and this is our stepping stone to expansion in China."