Outdoor Education

The culmination of the outdoor education programme, which begins in Grade 1 with a sleepover in the student's classroom, is Project Week in Grade 11. Project Week involves students independently organising to travel in small groups (of three to five) to undertake a worthwhile project outside Singapore. Many of these projects are linked to the UWCSEA Service programme.

Project Week is an integral part of the process of developing confident young adults who are not afraid to face the challenge of an unfamiliar situations. It is also part of helping students understand their responsibilities to humanity and is part of what makes an education at UWCSEA so unique. The goal is to use local transport, travelling by bus, rail or boat and local accommodation.

Project Week takes place towards the end of Term 3 in Grade 11. Students are well prepared for their adventures with extensive guidance and preparation training, first aid instruction and access to 24-hour international medical and travel support services. With COVID restrictions easing around South Asia we hope the resume this programme in 2024 to some degree with projects within Singapore and hopefully further abroad.

Past examples of projects include:

  • Elephant Nature Park volunteers training in Thailand or panda sanctuary volunteer work in China

  • House building in Cambodia or community building projects in the Philippines

  • Hospice and Children's Home work in China, Hong Kong, or Myanmar

  • Volunteer work in animal rescue centres in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia

  • Trekking in Taman Negara, Mulu and Koh Sok National Parks or Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah

  • Sports clinics for impoverished children in Cambodia or Bangkok or basketball coaching in Aceh

  • Hospital work at the Tiger Sanctuary, Ranthambore

  • Work with leprosy patience in Vietnam or Mumbai

  • Teaching music, design or computing in the Philippines or Sumatra

  • Working with street children in Mumbai or Jakarta

  • Learning Muay Thai or silver-smithing in Thailand or calligraphy in Malaysia

For student safety reasons, detailed information on Project Week is on the parent portal here (you will need to log in).

Optional trips during school holidays are available to students in Grade 11. Students do not go on a compulsory trip in Grade 12.