| On 4th November 2010 Outward Bound Monaco held its annual ‘graduation’ ceremony for the Class of 2009 at the Meridian Beach Plaza Hotel.
24 Outward Bounders attended with their parents and relatives and met with committee members, Outward Bound members and local VIPs. There was great excitement amongst the young people when guest of honour Scotland International Rugby hero Ross Beatie arrived to present the certificates. Ross who has been engaged by Nice rugby club met the young people and chatted to them about the challenges they had faced on their Outward Bound courses. In his speech he said that he had been blessed by having a supportive family to help him through the tough times but he said he would have really appreciated having an organisation like Outward Bound to give him a good grounding in how to increase your self esteem and reach your full potential. He said that the local young people were extremely lucky to have benefited from this unique opportunity. This was echoed in the words of local parents and Grandparents. One Monegasque Grandmother couldn’t speak highly enough of the positive effects of the OB experience on her Grandchild. Food and drinks were enjoyed by all in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. President Dr. Michael Peagram made a speech summarising the year’s activities and General Secretary Judy Churchill interviewed two of the Outward Bounders in French and English about he highlights and challenges of the course. One thing that all the young people were unanimous about was that they had gone beyond what they had ever thought possible within themselves and that this had been a life changing experience. Ross was in great demand throughout the evening especially with the young people who were eager to share their experiences with him and chat to him about his new rugby career in Nice. Our Patron Prince Albert sent a message of congratulations and encouragement to the young people and apologised for being unable to attend this year due to a heavy international schedule. During the evening a side show was on display of the tree planting day in Peira Cava in May at which Prince Albert planted the first tree along with many of young people from class of 2009 and unveiled the Outward Bound Sentier Monégasque plaque. We look forward to class of 2010.
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