By Tom Foulds
Your community Cadet Corps, 2881 Queen’s Own Rifles RCACC (QOR Cadets), got off to a busy start this fall. Our Cadets manned an information booth at the West Rouge community Family Day on September 15, providing information about the Cadet program and the Corps, who meet Tuesdays at Sir Oliver Mowat CI.
Cadets also volunteered, and earned volunteer hours, working with Parks Canada staff at the Rouge National Urban Park Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. It was a great opportunity to be reminded of the impact we have on the environment, and to gather with friends. All participants earned well-deserved feelings of accomplishment with hundreds of kilos of trash being removed from our local beachfront.
A dozen members of QOR Cadets spent the last weekend of September gaining and honing their expedition skills in anticipation of participating in and leading great adventures with their friends in the corps over the winter. This training has earned them qualifications and skills that will allow them to take advantage of the great summer opportunities next year. Our Cadets have participated in expeditions at various military bases around Ontario and also at provincial parks. Our senior Cadets worked with our officers instructing younger Cadets on the finer points of outdoor living, upgrading their bivouacking skills.
Cadets is a national program sponsored by the Canadian Forces for young Canadians aged 12 to 18 who are interested in participating in a variety of fun, challenging and rewarding activities, and making friends at the same time. Cadets learn valuable life and work skills such as teamwork, leadership and citizenship, and can attend courses at summer training centres and receive a training allocation. Many senior Cadets participate in advanced training opportunities full-time during the summer as instructors or support staff. These opportunities occur at the 23 Cadet Training Centres located from Vancouver Island to the Maritimes.
More information about the Cadet program can be found at www.cadets.ca.