Prefect and Student Council Leadership Training Camp to Bintan

This activity involved the prefect board and the 4^th Student Council of the school. From 20 – 21 June 2008, we boarded a ferry from the Singapore terminal to the terminal at Bintan. This activity involved us learning to work better as a team, through games, activities and scenarios alike. On Day 1, we participated in ice-breakers from 10am to slightly after noon. We played several games which involved innovative thinking and intense teamwork to achieve success. We managed to relate to the games and work to the best of our abilities, as a team. From 2pm to 6pm, we engaged in a ‘race’ around the coast of the island, involving stops along the way, challenging our teamwork and navigational skills. At the same time, we remembered to indulge ourselves in heaps of fun. On that night, we took part in a night trek on the Wakatobi Trail for two hours. This activity aimed to help us overcome our fears and help us realize more about who we are. On Day 2, we participated in the Team Challenge Pyramid. This involved a 25-meter high structure, which we were required to scale as a team of 5 or 6. This challenged our fears to the limit. We learnt more about ourselves and about others, and how we can help one another achieve our goal, be it in terms of mental encouragement or physical strength. Following this activity, we played a round of paintball.

From this activity, I have learnt that we should focus on others as well and not just on ourselves. I have learnt that because we work as a team, we are accountable to one another. At times, we have to make sacrifices in order to benefit the team as a whole. Specifically, through the Team Challenge Pyramid, I have learnt that a team is only as fast as its slowest man and that if one falls, everyone else falls together. From the night trek, I have learnt that fear is an illusion everyone can conquer, no matter how big. On the whole, I have learnt that we can use each person’s unique and special strength to our team’s benefit. If I were to do this activity again, I would improve on my planning and organization skills and I would encourage more people and be more sensitive to them.