Oban High School pupil Catriona MacFarlane reports on a S6 pupil trip to Loch Eil in the Highland where 11 pupils visited the Outward Bound Centre to learn how to be leaders.
In November, 11 S6 pupils went on a trip to Loch Eil in the Scottish Highlands to the Outward Bound Trust centre on the banks of the loch to gain valuable leadership skills.
The trip lasted three days and was funded by the Outward Bound Trust’s
charitable scheme, which aims to give every child in the UK the experience of having
a unique outdoor adventure away from a traditional school environment.
This meant the pupils only had to pay a refundable £50 deposit to the school so they could attend.
The Outward Bound Trust started in 1941 and has various sites across the UK which thousands of young people go to every year to get some time exploring the outdoors – away from the modern world.
The trust provides various courses from summer camps, where young people can learn outdoor skills, to specialised courses providing pupils with essential life skills.
Pupils from Oban High School participated in a specifically designed leadership course to learn the meaning of working as part of a team, the importance of communication and the need for creativity and problem-solving when faced with challenges.
They learnt all of this through various activities which had elements of leadership
involved in them such as raft building, rope bridge building, canoeing, a rock scramble, the crate stack challenge and a zip line challenge – and more.
Every pupil was given the cjance to lead a specific aspect of the project, so they could test out and develop their skills as a successful leader while also making them step out of their comfort zone.
One pupil said: “My favourite activity of the trip was canoeing, and I liked the challenge of the raft building, since it helped me increase my confidence in and discover my leadership skills, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to go on the trip.”
Once the pupils completed the activities the centre had organised for them, they were presented with certificates.
These certificates will be able to be used in their college and university applications as well as in job or apprenticeship applications to show they have good leadership skills.
The students also got to interact and build relationships with other young people from Lochgilphead, Islay, Campbeltown, Helensburgh and Dunoon, among others. Groups were made up of young people from different schools.
We ate, slept and completed activities in our designated groups, giving everyone the chance to get to know their peers in a leadership and relaxed environment.
This gave the young people the chance to learn about different cultures and characteristics of people who come from different areas and backgrounds, providing
them with a variety of skills which can be used later on in life, such as relationship-
building and communication skills.
Each group was given its own instructor who helped guide the teens through the experience and encouraged each of them to take up a leadership role to help with their co-operation skills when in contact with the students from other schools.
One Oban High School student said: “I liked meeting new people from other schools. It allowed me to work on my public speaking in front of strangers in a relaxed, non-judgmental environment and also gave me a fantastic opportunity to make new friends.”
There were communal areas in the centre where people could interact with a football table along with other games and a large room for playing card games and meeting.
The accommodation was good and only lacked minor luxuries.
Outward Bound says it hopes all young people who come to its centres leave with more self-confidence, emotional well-being, improved relationships, resilience, confidence in learning and an understanding of the natural environment.
Many of the pupils I spoke to found the experience positive and would be happy
to do it all again.
Caption: S6 pupils at Loch Eil on an outward bound course learning new leadership skills
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