New OBS Coney Island campus officially opens, features wheelchair-accessible high adventure elements
“We want OBS to become a rite of passage for all young Singaporeans,” says Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the launch of the new OBS Coney Island campus.
A student attempts a sheltered high adventure element at the OBS Coney Campus, Sep 8, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)
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SINGAPORE: The new Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) Coney Island campus, which features wheelchair-accessible high adventure elements, officially opened on Friday (Sep 11).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that while Singapore has “changed dramatically” since OBS was set up in 1967, the need to build character has not diminished.
“If anything, it has become even more important,” he said.
“We know we cannot shield young people from every setback or difficulty. But we must continue to equip them with the capabilities and the ability to face adversity with confidence and grit. And that is exactly what OBS is designed to do.”
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Also in attendance on Friday were Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo as well as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan.
With the new campus, OBS will be able to offer the MOE-OBS programme to all Secondary 3 students by 2030.
Last year, about 65 per cent of the Secondary 3 cohort from across 90 schools took part in the programme.
“We will not stop at secondary school. We will expand opportunities for older students too,” said Mr Wong.
“After secondary school, they can come back again – be it at ITE, polytechnic or university. So, we want OBS to become a rite of passage for all young Singaporeans.”
Spanning 12ha, the new campus features team-based high and low adventure elements, some of which are wheelchair accessible.
This will allow more people to participate in the MOE-OBS Challenge programme, said Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) and National Youth Council (NYC) in a joint press release.
“This new campus is not just about having more participants. It is about broadening who can take part in, and benefit from the OBS experience, and about creating new possibilities for what OBS can offer,” said Mr Wong.
OBS engaged people with disabilities (PWDs) to shape and validate universal design features, while consulting experts in industrial safety processes for PWDs.
Students can try more than 70 high adventure elements in total, with a mixture of open-air and sheltered elements, allowing OBS programmes to be conducted regardless of the weather.
“These elements are designed to be progressive, meaning students start with easier challenges and gradually work their way up, building confidence, teamwork, and problem-solving along the way,” said OBS and NYC.
More than 30 low-adventure elements are spread across the five clusters.
Activities will be designed for groups of up to four students working together, a shift from the previous pair-based format.
Apart from the campus, there is also 1.2ha sea operations centre with a 170m-long jetty.
The campus’ links to mainland Singapore will enable land expeditions across various campsites islandwide, while its connectivity to Pulau Ubin allows for kayaking and rowboat expeditions.
“This extends the classroom beyond the campus, challenging youths in a range of unfamiliar environments,” said OBS and NYC.
The campus also boasts various sustainability features.
These include super-low energy buildings, designed with ventilation louvres and solar panels to minimise energy consumption.
Rain gardens, vegetation swales, and a sedimentation basin work together to collect and treat rainwater naturally, which is used for irrigation and washing of equipment.
OBS has started using the Coney campus since June with small-scale MOE-OBS programme pilots, and plans to progressively ramp up capacity.
Plans for the Coney Island campus were announced at Budget 2016, with OBS announcing in 2021 that it had begun construction. The budget for the project is S$250 million.
The timelines were revised due to issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ensure construction methods strive to minimise environmental impact, said a ministry spokesperson previously.
“This campus is the result of … many years of planning and partnership. I also want to thank everyone who made this possible – the staff and instructors, planners and architects, contractors, different government agencies, volunteers and partners,” said Mr Wong.
“Through your hard work, you have created more than a new campus.
“You have created new opportunities for generations of young Singaporeans – to grow, to discover what they can do, and to forge bonds with one another.”
Source: CNA/mt(mi)
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