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CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE

Humility and a can-do attitudeCadence pays tribute to LCdr Peter Morin, thenew commanding officer of 40 Sea Cadet CorpsFALKLAND in Ottawa and invites future nominations for Tribute.

13 Prevent volunteer burnout

14 Volunteer training — Army League, Navy League and Air Cadet LeagueTerrence Whitty, Jerrod Riley and Sarah Putinski

20 Cadet retentionThe power of competition to increase retentionAttracting teenagers is easy. Keeping them interested is not.Young cadets are not obligated to stick around if you do notdeliver excitement. Competition may help.Maj Guy Peterson

22 Competition—good or bad?There are two sides to the argument when it comes to youth.Our challenge is to create the right environment for healthycompetition.

24 Six degrees of separationBetween you and your cadetsAs a leader, it’s good to keep some degree of separationbetween you and your cadets. Capt Kevin Vieneer

27 Meal planning for exercisesA local officer shares her ideas for taking the guesswork (and stress) out of preparing food for exercises.Capt Nancy Marshall

30 CIC to celebrate 100th anniversaryLearn more about plans for 2009 and how to becomeinvolved.LCol Tom McGrath

31 Joining the new Reserve Force pension planHave you earned enough over the past two years to becomea member of the new Reserve Force Pension plan?Maj Al Memess

32 Support to cadet activities, with or without payPolicy has been amended to allow Cadet Instructors to supervise optional cadet activities, paid or not.Maj Al Memess

33 More on the new CF Leadership Doctrine and youLt(N) Darin McRae

34 Cadet Program UpdateAnswers to commonly asked questionsCapt Catherine Griffin

Good morale starts with leadersTime to take stock?Do you stack up as a morale-builder in yourcorps or squadron? High morale starts withCadet Program leaders and is reflected in happycadets who will win friends within the communityfor your corps or squadron.Maj Bob MacKay

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26Freedom’s WingsTeaching disabled cadets to flyAn international non-profit program provides glider flight training to young people with disabilities—including cadets who cannot be accommodated by the Cadet Program’s gliding centres.Peter Musters

UPCOMINGDrug and alcohol use is a problem among youtheverywhere. Canadian youth are no exception. As across-section of Canadian youth, some cadets will trydrugs and alcohol and some may use them on ‘cadettime’.

What can we do about it? Can we spot cadets whohave a problem? How can we promote a drug-freeenvironment in our corps and squadrons? Are therelegal limitations? We will discuss the subject in ourWinter issue.

Other articles in our next issue will include one onwhat New Zealand does to develop its New ZealandCadet Force officers and another on the new CICLearning Centre website, designed to make learningeasier for corps and squadron leaders. As well, a civilian volunteer describes the anti-bullying andmentoring program she has created that is receivingrave reviews from the air cadet squadron she volunteers with.

Copy deadlines for the Winter and Spring/Summer issues are October 12 and January 31,2008 respectively. If you are interested in writingfor an upcoming issue, or have a story idea, please contact the editor in advance at [email protected], [email protected] or 905-468-9371.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program

IN EVERY ISSUE4 Opening notes

5 Letters

6 News and Notes

36 Viewpoint

38 Test your knowledge

FRONT COVERVolunteers: Keep the lifeblood flowingThe Royal Canadian Sea Cadet National Regatta is just one ofthousands of events each year supported by volunteers. Here,volunteer Gary Garnett (former DND/CF vice-chief of thedefence staff and a vice-president of the Navy League) chatswith the national champions at this year’s regatta in Kingston,Ont.—PO2 James Bone, left, from 201 Sea Cadet CorpsGRILSE in Port Moody, B.C., and PO2 Nicholas Kiefer, 81 Sea Cadet Corps HAMPTON GRAY, VC, in Nelson, B.C.(Photo by Jerrod Riley)


It gives me great pride to join theteam of partners who devote

themselves heart and soul to such alarge, diverse and challenging pro-gram. Although I may be a newcom-er to Directorate Cadets and JuniorCanadian Rangers, what is not newto me is the knowledge that, like so many organizations in Canada,the Cadet Program depends on vol-unteers to make it thrive and grow.

The Statistics Canada 2004 CanadaSurvey on Giving, Volunteering andParticipating (the most recent surveyof its kind) says that 11.8 millionCanadians (45 percent of the popu-lation aged 15 and older) volunteertheir time to charities and other non-profit organizations. Certainly, theCadet Program benefits greatly from tens of thousands of these volunteers.

It is important to note, however, thatthere is increasing competitionamong organizations for a dwindlingnumber of volunteers. With this inmind, we must value our volunteersand ensure that the Cadet Programsupports and encourages communi-ty participation and engagement. Wehope that the articles inside give yousome insight into nurturing andretaining your volunteers.

Two other articles in this issue thatcaught my eye are “idea-sharing”articles—articles by your peers whowant to share practices that haveworked in their corps andsquadrons. Capt Nancy Marshallshares her ‘secrets’ on meal planningfor exercises, and Maj Guy Petersonshares his thoughts on the value ofbroad-based competition to retaincadets. Sharing ideas and best prac-tices like this is fundamental to anygood organization’s evolution.

I was equally caught up in the enthu-siasm of Capt Jacqueline Zweng,who writes this issue’s Viewpoint onbeing a commanding officer. “It’snot as scary as it seems,” she says,encouraging all CIC officers to takethe plunge.

These attitudes towards continuouslearning and growth, as well as the enthusiasm I have encounteredto date, are reflective of a Cadet Program that is healthy andthriving.

It is fantastic to see so much of yourinput in your professional develop-ment magazine. You have reallytaken Cadence under your wing and made it your own. Continue tosend your feedback, articles andcomments!

Your dedication to deliver the CadetProgram is an inspiration, and I lookforward to my tenure with you andthe best youth organization in thecountry.

Proud to jointhe team

Col Craig FletcherOPENING NOTES

Issue 23 Fall 2007Cadence is a professional development tool forofficers of the Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC)and civilian instructors of the Cadet Program.Secondary audiences include others involvedwith or interested in the Cadet Program.

The magazine is published three times a year by Chief Reserves and Cadets—Public Affairs,on behalf of Directorate Cadets.

Views expressed do not necessarily reflect official opinion or policy.

Editorial policy and back issuesof Cadence are available online athttp://cadets.ca/support/cadence/intro_e.asp.

Managing editor: Lt(N) Julie Harris, Chief Reserves and Cadets—Public Affairs

Editor: Marsha Scott, Antian Professional Services

Contact informationEditor, CadenceDirectorate Cadets and Junior Canadian RangersNational Defence Headquarters101 Colonel By DriveOttawa ON, K1A 0K2

Email:[email protected] CadetNet at [email protected] [email protected]

Phone: Tel: 1-800-627-0828Fax: 613-996-1618

DistributionCadence is distributed by the Directorate TechnicalInformation and Codification Services (DTICS)Publications Depot to cadet corps and squadrons,regional cadet support units and their sub-units,senior National Defence/CF officials and selectedleague members.

Cadet corps and squadrons not receiving Cadence or wanting to update their distributioninformation should contact their Area CadetOfficer/Cadet Adviser.

Translation: Translation BureauPublic Works and Government Services Canada

Art direction: ADM(PA) Director Public Affairs Products and Services CS07-0250

A-CR-007-000/JP-001

Col Fletcher is the new DirectorCadets and JuniorCanadian Rangers

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LEASING LOCAL HEADQUARTERS

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 5

Your timely article on the possibledangers of leasing unit quarters(Proceed with caution: signing leases can be dangerous, Spring/Summer 2007) needs some clarification.

As pointed out, sponsoring commit-tee members should never sign leas-es in their own names; however,corps/squadrons are not legal enti-ties in their own right, and using thename of the corps/squadron mightvery well result in liability to thecommittee members who sign thelease. To limit this personal liability,

any leases or rental agreementsshould be in the name of the spon-soring committee, which must be anincorporated society.

Obtaining competent legal advice iscrucial in these circumstances: spon-soring committees simply cannotafford NOT to!

Geoffrey Johnston,President, British Columbia Provincial Committee Air Cadet League of CanadaRichmond, BC

Cadence reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Please restrict your letters to 250 words.

FORMER CADET SAYS “THANKS”

Today is my 19th birthday whicheffectively ends my seven-yearcadet career. In this seven years Iachieved more then I had everthought possible.

Years of hard work and unrivaledpassion paid off in what has beenthe most rewarding thing I haveever done in my life. My experiencewill continue to provide me withfond memories and many morerewards.

Everyone involved in the CadetProgram is, in my mind, involvedin the production of Canada'sfuture leaders. In Canada, it seemsthe youth are not taken as seriouslyas they should be by politicians andother influential adults. But the

Cadet Program takes youth seri-ously and provides them with con-structive activities and opportuni-ties they would otherwise neverreceive.

So thank you for doing what youdo, and keep up the good work!

Jeffrey Scott534 Air Cadet SquadronPeterborough, ON

CORRECTION

I recently read the article enti-tled “Cadet Selections andawards: A year-long, transpar-ent process” (Spring/Summer2006). I believe there was somemisinterpretation when thearticle was submitted. It indi-cates the author as Lt(N) Tom

Edwards, when in fact it wasan article I wrote and submit-ted to Lt(N) Edwards to for-ward to you.

Further, the article states, “Thisis a dilemma for manycorps/squadron officers andstaff faced with making these

choices every year. In 1996, ascommanding officer (CO) of237 TRUXTON Sea CadetCorps in Lawn, N.L., I sawthat there had to be a bettersystem for selecting cadets forawards and various positions.”In 1996, I was commanding

officer and this evaluationprocess was one I designed andimplemented to deal with cadetselections.

Lt(N) Maurice TarrantMarksmanship program officer237 Sea Cadet CorpsLawn, NL

MORE SOLUTIONS TO ‘HOMELESSNESS’?

The feature regarding "homelessness" of cadet corps(Spring/Summer 2007) will probably come as a sur-prise to many across the country. It is an unfortunatereality, but thankfully these corps/squadrons havenot given up. Through the hard work of the staff andcadets they continue to deliver their program whilecoping with uncertainty and hardship.

With the article focussing mainly on what types ofproblems these corps/squadrons are having, I thinkthe next steps could be figuring out how to addressthem. Rather than trying to print all the suggestionsthat people probably have, perhaps this problemcould be addressed in a forum on CadetNet.

Capt Edison McLeanProgram Delivery OfficerJunior Canadian RangersOttawa

SAME ‘HOME’ FOR 95 YEARS

After reading the article ‘Homeless’, I realize how fortunateour cadet corps is. We have been in our local armory since1912—one year after our formation. Although it is a smallarmory compared to many, we have all we really need: aparade square for drill and ranges, three classrooms, anadministration/training office and a supply room.

I have great respect and admiration for those CIC officersthat have to work out of their vehicles, and have to con-stantly change locations. It takes a great deal of dedica-tion to work with cadets and those “homeless” corps/squadrons are lucky to have the commitment andresourcefulness of these officers.

Capt Diane Scott318 Army Cadet CorpsWoodstock, NB

LETTERS


For some officers working with theCadet Program, cycling is a hobby.For LCdr Jean Marcotte, publicaffairs co-ordinator for ChiefReserves and Cadets, cycling is apassion. His passion helped him raisemore than $2000 this past summerfor the CDS Military Family Fund.

Using his annual military leave,LCdr Marcotte cycled 7115 kilome-tres across Canada in 52 days.

CF officer cycles across Canada for military families

The CDS Military Family Fund wascreated last April to allow CF basecommanders, partnered withMilitary Family Resource Centresacross the country, to assist militaryfamilies in need.

On June 2, LCdr Marcotte leftOttawa/Gatineau to cycle toNewfoundland, dip his bike into theAtlantic and then fly to Victoria todo the same in the Pacific Ocean.From there, he cycled east to arriveback home in Gatineau, Que., on July 24. The next day, he cycledfrom his home to Parliament Hill,where Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier wel-comed him home and acceptedhis donation.

Suffering mosquito bites, asuccession of flat tires, severewear and tear on his bikeand the elements along theway, LCdr Marcotte oftencycled alone on his jour-ney. Intermittently, he was

LCdr Marcotte completes his 7115- kilometre journey on Parliament Hillin Ottawa.

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Gen Hillieraccepts a cheque from LCdr Marcottefor the CDS MilitaryFamily Fund.

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joined by friends. He often campedand occasionally stayed with friendsand family. Sometimes, he splurgedon a motel, but later admitted tosleeping better in his tent.

As he passed through villages andcities along the route, he was oftenbuoyed by the reception he receivedfrom fellow Canadians. Someallowed him to camp in their yards;others offered meals. Certainly, insometimes gruelling circumstances,meals were the high point of the day.During his journey he enjoyed “thebest hamburger in the world”, a cou-ple of five-pound lobsters and to hisdelight, an omelette with maplesyrup, wrapped in a pancake.

To make a donation to the Military Family Fund in LCdrMarcotte’s name, call 1-877-445-6444 or visit the website atwww.cfpsa.com/en/index.asp andclick on “donations”.

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NEWS AND NOTES


Did you know that about half of thethird clasps to the Canadian ForcesDecoration (CD) are awarded tomembers of the Cadet InstructorsCadre? A total of 58 third clasps wereawarded in 2006. Although thebreakdown for CIC officers was notyet available for 2006, 22 out of 42,24 out of 51 and 14 of 25 went toCIC members in 2005, 2004 and2003 respectively.

The CD is awarded after 12 years ofservice. A clasp is awarded for everysubsequent 10 years of qualifyingservice.

Long service recognizedFew people have achieved fourclasps, and only two people haveever received five clasps—the QueenMother and Air CommodoreLeonard Birchall, Canada's longest-serving air force officer with 62 yearsof service.

Requests for CDs or CD clasps mustbe made by a CIC member’s com-manding officer (CO) directly to theDirectorate of Honours andRecognition. The medal is then sentdirectly to the CO for presentation.

Submitted by LCdr Gerry Pash, regional public affairs officer (Pacific).

Maj David Kerr of Penticton, B.C., isthe Air Cadet League’s “officer of theyear” for 2006. He received his cita-tion at the Albert Head CadetSummer Training Centre in Victoriain June, where he was working aswing training officer. He received the citation for “making a significantdifference to the youth of Canadaand for exemplifying the virtues ofloyalty, integrity, leadership and men-torship” in support of the air cadetprogram.

As Area CIC Officer (ACICO) forthe Okanagan Region of BritishColumbia, Maj Kerr has providedadministrative assistance to theregion’s eight squadrons since 2003.However, his service has gone farbeyond that since he first enrolled asa CIC officer in 1988.

Under his leadership as commandingofficer, 259 Air Cadet Squadron inPenticton became the top squadron inBritish Columbia in 2002. In additionto his duties as an ACICO, Maj Kerr

acted as interim commanding officerfor 902 Air Cadet Squadron inSummerland in 2004/2005 and for243 Air Cadet Squadron in Kelownain 2005/2006. In that same trainingyear, he mentored a young designat-ed commanding officer for 223Squadron in Vernon, Capt ChrisShewchuk. “Maj Kerr always madetime to answer questions and provideguidance,” says Capt Shewchuk. “He was instrumental in my rapidand unexpected development as anofficer and has been a source of inspiration since I was a cadet.”

Maj Kerr’s previous awards include aprovincial presidential citation in2003 and a certificate of honour in2006, both from the B. C.Committee of the Air Cadet League.

In civilian life, Maj Kerr is Pentictonarea site supervisor for the B. C.Corps of Commissionaires. In 2002,he was recognized as Penticton’s“Man of the Year”.

Maj Kerr accepts his CIC Officer of the Year citation from Col (ret’d) Len Jenks, past national president of the Air Cadet League. (DND/CF photo)

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Maj Yvon Savoie, CO of Regional CadetInstructors School (Pacific) since 1991,receives his third clasp to the CD in Aprilfrom Cdr Rick Mountford, commander,Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific).Maj Savoie’s service includes 22 years indirect support of the Cadet Program.

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Air Cadet League’s officer of the year


NEWS AND NOTES

As of Sept. 1, air cadets addedthe new rank of flight corporal(FCpl) to their rank structure.

FCpls Courtney Shields and EricBeauregard, both from 632 AirCadet Squadron in Orleans, Ont.,became the first cadets to be pro-moted to the new rank during arank introduction ceremony inOttawa last June.

To be promoted to flight corporal, acadet must have completed at leastsix months of satisfactory service atthe substantive rank of corporal,

proficiency level two of the localtraining program and preferably, afamiliarization summer course.

To help squadron commanding officers reach a proper ratio betweensergeants and flight sergeants duringthe new rank’s introductory year,COs will have the discretion—for2007-2008 only—to waive the profi-ciency level four requirement forpromotion to flight sergeant to helpfill their flight sergeant vacancies.

One current CIC officer and one former CIC officer have been invested asMembers of the Order of Merit (MOM) of the Police Forces. They are LColWayne Kopan of Abbotsford, B. C., currently regional advisor (Pacific) withthe CIC Branch Advisory Council and an RCMP inspector; and Capt (ret’d)Joseph Browne, formerly commanding officer (CO) of 2515 Army CadetCorps in St. John’s, N. L., and the chief of police for The Royal NewfoundlandConstabulary.

The Order was created in October 2000 to recognize conspicuous merit andexceptional service by members and employees of the Canadian police forceswhose contributions extend beyond community protection. The three levels ofmembership—Commander, Officer and Member—reflect long-term, outstand-ing service in varying degrees of responsibility. Governor General MichaelleJean also invested 40 other Canadians with their MOM insignia last May; oneCanadian as Commander of the Order and another 10 as officers.

LCol Kopan has served in several local corps in British Columbia since he wascommissioned as a CIC officer in 1981. He has also served as deputy CO andCO of Vernon Cadet Summer Training Centre.

In 1996, he was appointed Area CIC Officer (Land) for the LowerMainland/Fraser Valley region of the province. In addition to assisting andcoaching COs of 15 army cadet corps in the region, he was CO of 72 ArmyCadet Corps in Vancouver in 1998/1999 and 2812 Army Cadet Corps inSurrey in 1999/2000. He also served as liaison officer to the B.C. branch of theArmy Cadet League.

LCol Kopan was a catalyst for influencing national policy changes with theRCMP and the CF, which resulted in RCMP members being permitted toserve concurrently as CF Reserve officers in the CIC.

Further information on Capt (ret’d) Brown was not available at press time.

New Rank for Air Cadets

Prestigious award for CIC officers

LCol Kopan is invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces last Mayby Governor General Jean.

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Michel Cataford, president of the Air Cadet League, and LCol Francois Gaboury, senior staff officer for air cadets atDirectorate Cadets, with FCpls Shields and Beauregard.(Photo by Myriam Bower)


Capt Steve Stephenson, commandingofficer (CO) of 2918 Army CadetCorps in Kingsville, Ont., was among12 CF members honoured duringthis year’s CF Recognition Day in theHouse of Commons in June.

Each year, the 12-member CF con-tingent consists of deserving juniorand senior non-commissioned mem-bers, as well as junior officers fromthe Navy, Army, Air Force andReserve Forces.

“Nominations can come from any-where—your corps/squadron, oreven your detachment, as was thecase with me,” says CaptStephenson. “About 1000 nomina-tions were put forward for the dayand I was lucky enough to be cho-sen. It was an inspiring and hum-bling experience.”

In addition to appearing in theHouse of Commons, CaptStephenson and his wife, Leslie, tookpart in a number of events over fivedays, including the Chief of DefenceStaff Ball.

CIC officer takes part in CF Recognition Day

In keeping with this year’s theme of“Supporting those who support us”,Leslie received a DistinguishedService Medallion for the personalsacrifices she has made over theyears to help Capt Stephenson servethe Cadet Program.

Capt Stephenson was still flying highwhen he went this summer to super-vise cadets on the power pilot schol-arship in London, Ont.

CF Recognition Day in the House ofCommons is the centrepiece of theCF Recognition Program. Regularand Reserve Force personnel acrossCanada can apply or be consideredfor participation.

If you would like to nominate a CICmember to take part in CFRecognition Day 2008, June 1 to 3,submit your nomination throughyour chain of command to yourEnvironmental Command, or to theAssistant Deputy Minister (HumanResources-Military). Commandsdetermine their own selection andscoring criteria and are responsible

You TubeMarketing through

for picking up event costs for theircandidates.

Further information is available inCANFORGEN 132/07 CFRecognition P{rogram 2007-08. Thedeadline for 2008 applications isApril 15, 2008.

Capt Stephensonand wife Leslie atRideau Hall for theChief of the DefenceStaff Ball.

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Today’s youths demand customization in very aspect of their lives, says a November 2006article on Media Innovation Awards in Marketing magazine. The article says that whenseeking Alberta teens to work for the company, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canadaabandoned traditional media for a mixture of specific teen vehicles that had a personal“voice” and relevance to their chosen target. Among other things, McDonald’s droveteens to the Web.

Directorate of Cadets is also using the Web to customize its marketing for teens. It hasplaced videos, designed to draw teens to the Cadet Program, on YouTube.

YouTube is a popular video-sharing website—particularly among teens—where users canupload, view, and share video clips. Site content includes movie and television clips and music

videos, as well as amateur content such as video-blogging and short original videos.

If you are interested in checking out one of the promotional Cadet Program videos, you can access the following links:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxYeaGzEceM www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpVlwFw6LPO


Retired MGen Lionel Bourgeois, a former national president with the Air Cadet League, is one ofmany retired military personnel who volunteer with the Cadet Program. Here, he acts as reviewingofficer at the 2006 graduation of cadets from the cadet summer training centre in Trenton, Ont.

“...volunteers are living, breathing entities

with skills, interests and talents that cangreatly benefit your

local program.”

The above description is perhaps alittle closer to your heart than thedefinition of “volunteer” in theMemorandum of Understandingbetween the Department of NationalDefence and the leagues concerningroles and responsibilities regardingthe delivery of the Cadet Program inCanada. The MOU states that a“volunteer” is:

“A person who provides servicesdirectly to or on behalf of DND orthe CF, without compensation orany other thing of value in lieu ofcompensation in support of activitiesdefined as cadet duty, and who hasbeen screened and approved inaccordance with the common leagueand DND process.”

This dry, legalistic definition is nec-essary in a document like the MOU,signed in December of 2005. But forthose of you who depend on volun-teers to make the Cadet Programwork in your community, volunteersare living, breathing entities withskills, interests and talents that cangreatly benefit your local program.

How volunteer efforts can help meetlocal program needs is obvious.Perhaps less obvious, however, ishow you can meet the needs of yourvolunteers. Believe it or not, achiev-ing that ‘fit’ between the needs of

your local program and the needs ofyour volunteers is crucial to the suc-cess of retaining them.

Of course, volunteers have differentreasons for volunteering. Accordingto the Statistics Canada 2004 CanadaSurvey on Giving, Volunteering andParticipating, the top three reasons forvolunteering were: to make a contri-bution to the community, to useone’s skills and experiences, andbeing affected by the cause support-ed by the organization.

The most common volunteers in theCadet Program are parents (familymembers) of cadets participating inthe program. Other volunteers have amultitude of reasons for helping out.Knowing those reasons will help youinspire—and keep—your volunteers.

Volunteers are the lifebloodof the Cadet Program.

FEATURE

Volunteers:

Keep the lifeblood flowing


Each league delivers its own league-required training, which includesorientation. Workshops and semi-nars—national, provincial/Divisionor local—are the preferred vehiclesfor delivery. The Army CadetLeague in particular is placing newemphasis on creating a coherentstrategy to support its volunteertraining. (See “Volunteer training” onpage 14.)

In co-operation with the leagues,Directorate Cadets has developedvolunteer screening policies. It hasalso developed Cadet Administrationand Training Order (CATO) 23-07 togive direction to commanding officerson how they can involve volunteersin corps and squadron activities.According to this CATO, COs mustmonitor the performance of all civil-ian volunteers on an ongoing basis,are authorized to suspend a volun-teer’s participation, or request that avolunteer complete a new applicationand reliability screening.

Ultimately, CIC officers are respon-sible for the day-to-day, hands-onsupervision and direction of all vol-unteers and can, perhaps, make thegreatest contribution to keeping the

Responsibility for volunteersUnder the MOU, both local officersand local league representatives areresponsible for ensuring the author-ized use of volunteers in accordancewith national policies. Additionalresponsibilities are set out below.

Local officers are responsible for:

• Identifying requirements for vol-unteers to sponsoring commit-tees/Branches

• Identifying and delivering DND-required training

Local league representatives areresponsible for:

• Identifying and screening poten-tial volunteers

• Submitting screening results tothe Provincial League

• Providing corps/squadron com-manding officers with lists ofapproved volunteers

• Identifying and delivering league-required training

Currently, there is no DND-requiredtraining for volunteers.

Former cadet WadeHofman, right,

helps OCdt ShaunSimpson set up anavigation course

last May for cadetsfrom 2512 Army

Cadet Corps inCochrane, Alta. Hevolunteers for field

exercises, specialevents and an occa-sional parade night,even though it is a

440-kilometreround trip from hishome to the corps.

(Photo by KatHofman)

lifeblood flowing. Certainly, the goalof officers and the leagues should bea thriving list of satisfied, happy vol-unteers who clearly benefit theCadet Program.

To help, articles on the next fewpages discuss a holistic approach toworking with volunteers, preventingvolunteer burnout and the impor-tance of volunteer recognition.

“Achieving that ‘fit’ between the needs of your local programand the needs of your volunteers is crucial to the success of

retaining them.”

Volunteering in Canada in 2004

• 11.8 million Canadians (45 percent ofthe population aged 15 and older) vol-unteered their time to charities andother non-profit organizations.

• Volunteers contributed almost 2 billionvolunteer hours to organizations—theequivalent of 1 million full-time jobs.

• Canadian volunteers contributed anaverage of 168 hours in 2004.

• 11 percent of Canadians (the 25 per-cent of volunteers who contributed180 hours or more) accounted for 77percent of volunteer hours.

• Canadians volunteered most oftenwith sports and recreation, social

services, education and research, andreligious organizations.

• Volunteer rates were highest amongyouth, those with university degrees,those with household incomes over$100 000, and those who attended religious services weekly.

• The average hours volunteered washighest among seniors, those withlower levels of household income, andthose who attended religious servicesweekly.

• The rate of volunteering varied from ahigh of 54 percent in Saskatchewan toa low of 34 percent in Quebec.

• The average hours volunteered variedfrom a high of 199 hours in BritishColumbia to a low of 132 hours inNunavut.

• The top three reasons for volunteeringwere: to make a contribution to thecommunity, to use one’s skills and expe-riences, and being affected by the causesupported by the organization.

• 83 percent of the population, aged 15and older, helped others directly, with-out going through a charitable orother non-profit organization.

Source: Statistics Canada: 2004 CanadaSurvey on Giving, Volunteering andParticipating


FEATURE

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Volunteer recognition

The sister of acadet, MielsaHirsh-Pearson, centre, volunteers on Friday nightsand during comp -etitions to coach thevolleyball team of690 Air CadetSquadron inBeaconsfield, Que.(Photo by CaptDave Wakely)

promotion of your event are all free.They can help you promote volun-teerism with your corps andsquadron, and celebrate.

Volunteer recognition events can becreative and inexpensive, anythingfrom a cake and coffee night to creat-ing a thank-you slide show featuringphotos from the past year of yourvolunteers in action. A token mightbe as simple as a framed photo ofyour staff holding a sign that says“thank you”. Or a framed groupphoto of your current volunteers.

Remember that even thoughNational Volunteer Week is the time in which most volunteers are formally recognized, informalrecognition is just as important. We encourage you to recognize yourvolunteers throughout the year.

includes planning, recruitment, orien-tation and training, as well as super-vision and evaluation.

Each year, Volunteer Canada launchesNational Volunteer Week—scheduledfor April 27 to May 3 in 2008. If you are looking for a more formal way to pay tribute to your volunteers,the website gives you all sorts of ideasfor organizing local events during that week.

The National Volunteer Week website (http://new.volunteer.ca/en/volcan/nvw/sitemap) can help youkick-start your own corps/ squadronvolunteer recognition campaign.Take a look at what others havedone. You can also click on “cam-paign in a kit” for event ideas, pro-motional tips and more. The materialto support your event, including post-cards, posters and templates for the

A good resource for anyone working with volunteers is Volunteer Canada’s website atwww.volunteer.ca. Volunteer Canada,funded in part by the Department ofCanadian Heritage, offers informa-tion on promoting volunteerism, volunteer management, volunteerrecognition and more.

Recognition is one important link inthe volunteer management cycle that

A holistic approach to working with volunteersThe most effective volunteer programstake a holistic approach to working with volunteers as human beings and pro-vide places that welcome, support andencourage community participation andengagement.

Answer these questions to assess whetheryour corps/squadron has a human-centredapproach to volunteers.

• Are your volunteers involved in thecore purpose and roles of your localprogram?

• Does your staff recognize the impor-tance of your volunteers?

• Is volunteering at your corps/ squadrona two-way process? Do you meet theneeds of your volunteers—give themopportunities to contribute, to havesocial contact and to gain skills?

• Do you ask your volunteers for sugges-tions and take those suggestions seriously?

• Do leaders at all levels of your localcorps/squadron value and recognizevolunteer contributions?

• Do you provide your volunteers withadequate resources to do their jobs?

• Do you recognize your volunteersinformally as well as formally?

• Do you support your volunteers; canthey access support when they need it?

• Do you provide a range of projects togive your volunteers opportunities tothink and use their initiative?

• Are the boundaries between paid andunpaid staff clear and defined, withoutcreating conflict? In effective programs,volunteers recognize that they play dif-ferent but equally important roles to thepaid staff.

Adapted from “Working with Volunteers: aHuman Centred Approach” by Mark Creyton,Deb Olive and Stephen McGarrigle,Volunteering Queensland Inc.

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Prevent volunteer burnout

Did you know that in the StatisticsCanada: 2004 Canada Survey onGiving, Volunteering and Participating,more than one-quarter of volunteerssaid they did not volunteer morebecause no one had asked them!The other side of this coin, however,is that some volunteers are asked toomuch.

In 2004, the top one-quarter of vol-unteers who contributed 180 hoursor more accounted for 77 percent oftotal volunteer hours. The top 10 per-cent contributed 52 percent of allhours!

Active and committed volunteers arekey. Experienced volunteers areespecially valuable because theyalready ‘know the ropes’. They arefamiliar with the work to be doneand can inspire and lead new volun-teers. However, with volunteers jug-gling priorities and the manydemands on their time, volunteersare susceptible to burnout.

It is normal to lose volunteers as theymove to new places or on to newinterests. However, if you are losingkey volunteers after they have con-tributed a great deal of time and

effort, you may have a burnoutsituation.

to do something else, or rest.They may appreciate the changeand return more energized andinspired.

• Promote a sense of accomplish-ment. Ask your volunteers to helpset priorities so the most impor-tant tasks get done first.

• Manage volunteer time efficiently.According to Statistics Canada,Canadians cite lack of time as thegreatest barrier to volunteering.Be prepared so that you don’twaste people’s time. Plan well tomake efficient use of your volun-teers. Ensure your volunteersknow exactly what is expected ofthem. Tailor your volunteer jobsso that they can be accomplishedin one, two or three hours at themost. Most volunteers contributeless than five hours a week.Scheduling in advance allows volunteers to manage their timecommitment.

Source: Adapted from Hands for Nature:A Volunteer Management Handbook, created for Evergreen—a national non-profit environmental organization with a mandate to bring nature to our citiesthrough naturalization projects.

(www.evergreen.ca/en/resources/resources/hands/hands-04.html)

Manage volunteer time efficiently. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians citelack of time as the greatest barrier to volunteering.

Experienced volunteers are especially valuablebecause theyalready ‘know the ropes’. Here,Ron Cleminson, an Air CadetLeague volunteerand a former aircadet who partici-pated in the firstever internationalair cadet exchange,speaks to foreigncadets visitingCanada at theAviation Museumin Ottawa

Can you recognize burnout? Doyour volunteers suffer from a per-sistent lack of energy and satisfac-tion? Are they short on enthusiasmand motivation? Is their interest flag-ging? Do they lack a sense ofhumour and suffer from decreasedself-confidence?

The following tips may help youkeep your volunteers motivated:

• Ensure goals are realistic, relevantand achievable. Don’t make yourvolunteers reach for an impossibletarget. Encourage your volunteersto communicate concerns, so youcan deal with them as soon as pos-sible.

• Keep the workload manageable.Expand timelines and re-evaluatethe size of the job where possible.Don’t overwork volunteers.Spread the work around as muchas possible and if necessary, iden-tify the need for more volunteers.Don’t let one person take on toomuch. Encourage volunteers todelegate.

• Give volunteers the opportunityto say no, or take a break. It’s bet-ter to have a volunteer temporari-ly step away or take a lesser rolethan to lose them altogether.Invite a hard-working volunteer

to take a break

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Orientation and training arecrucial to good volunteermanagement.

Only since the completion of theMemorandum of Understanding(MOU) and the formalization ofleague responsibilities have we in theleagues found it necessary to cometo grips with training. CadetProgram volunteers across Canadaare looking to us for more structuredleadership and guidance than in thepast. The Army Cadet League ismoving in that direction, but we donot expect it to be easy.

In the past, training was deliveredexclusively by provincial and territo-rial branches. A large or well-fundedbranch could afford to deliver a widerange of seminars to orient and trainvolunteers. Other branches had amore difficult time, and with theturnover in the volunteer pool, wealways seemed to be behind thecurve.

The league is aware that the bestpart of being a volunteer is being

free to do what you want, when youwant and if you want. If we delivertraining in a setting that is more likework than fun, our volunteers aregoing to exercise their prerogativenot to take part. Adequate fundingto the provincial/territorial branchesis necessary so that training can beprofessionally delivered in an attrac-tive setting by knowledgeable facili-tators. Here lies our biggest chal-lenge—money, space and people.

The Army Cadet League is startingto tap every resource it has to develop a solid volunteer trainingprogram. Only now—after one yearof formally identifying and organiz-ing volunteers at corps—are we start-ing to get a handle on what leaguetraining entails.

especially Northern Canada) con-duct little or no training, mostly dueto cost and travel issues.

We recognize that this lack of coher-ent ongoing training, and its cousin‘no communication’, create all sortsof spin-off issues and inefficiencies.How to attack this from the nationallevel has been a big question. TheArmy Cadet League’s executive hasbeen discussing with some urgencywhat scope or format of training sup-port the national level can success-fully deliver to provincial and terri-torial branches. The subjects beingconsidered are:

• League orientation (The structureand the parameters of work)

• The partnership (interaction withDND)

• Fundraising (the law and theopportunities)

• Standard first aid (a course for allcorps volunteers and instructors)

• Wilderness first aid (a specialistcourse)

• Public relations (a hands-on prac-tical seminar)

• Managing your volunteers (andwhy it differs from the workplace)

Taking these seemingly serious sub-jects and rendering them into funand formative conferences and semi-nars that volunteers will enjoy andremember is one way we can help(and retain) our volunteers in anincreasingly professional and well-run organization.

Terrence Whitty is the executive director ofthe Army Cadet League.

Although DougSmith’s childrengraduated fromCadets years ago, he stayed on as avolunteer with2824 Army Cadet Corps inMississauga, Ont.Here, he supportsthe qualified abseilinstructor by check-ing a cadet’s harness prior to abseiling.

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Army Cadet LeagueTerrence Whitty

Cadet Program volunteers across

Canada are looking to us for more structuredleadership and guidance

than in the past.

The larger provinces have been ori-enting and training their sponsoringcommittee volunteers for years.British Columbia, for instance, suc-cessfully orients everyone involvedin the army cadet program in thatprovince during a single “PillarsConference”, explaining in clearterms the issues and opportunitiesfor DND/Army Cadet League part-nership. Alberta, Ontario andQuebec have delivered sponsoringcommittee (support committee inOntario) training for years and haveled the way in developing seminarmaterials for volunteers. Otherprovinces are picking up this taskslowly, but smaller provinces (and

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

14

Each of the three leagues has similarchallenges when it comes to volun-teer training. While many of ourtraining initiatives are developedindependently, our national offices docollaborate on common issues (likethe MOU) and share best practices.

Volunteer training is one of eightnational strategic objectives for theNavy League, and we have adaptedthe experience we have gained fromtraining Navy League Cadet Officersto training all our volunteers to support our programs effectively.

While technology has made theprocess easier with distance learningpackages, instructional guides andimproved communication, the work-shop format has proven to be themost popular and effective methodof developing our volunteer pool.

Interpersonal connections throughworkshops allow us to collect

15Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program

information as well as provide it.Feedback from workshops at ournational and Division annual generalmeetings allows us to continuallyadapt our material—addressing theneeds of our volunteers as they seethem, not as we in Ottawa thinkthey might be.

At this year’s annual general meeting,we provided workshops on strategicplanning, governance and financialmanagement. The financial manage-ment workshop proved particularlypopular. Our treasurer, Peter Martin,has also been crisscrossing the nationto share his wisdom (and humour).When he has not been available, we have provided copies of his presentation and support materials tothe Divisions.

In the coming year, we will release aseries of updated guides for ourmembers, and expand distancelearning material on our website.

Navy League

Air Cadet League

Jerrod Riley

Sarah Putinski

However, workshops will remainthe key ingredient in our trainingmix.

Jerrod Riley is the national deputydirector of the Navy League.

The Air Cadet League attempts toprovide its volunteers with the basicskills they need to work at theprovincial and local levels, as thishas proven most effective.

Information for volunteers is deliv-ered through a series of seminarsand presentations aimed at develop-ing knowledge of the league andproviding the tools essential to main-taining a squadron sponsoring com-mittee and effective volunteers.

The league has limited self-directedlearning tools available at themoment. It has, however, developeda compilation of handbooks (on sub-jects such as public relations, volun-teer screening, how to start an effec-tive speaking competition and fill

out financial statements) and fre-quently asked questions to assistprovincial and sponsoring commit-tee chairpersons in performingleague duties. These are all availableon the league’s website.

With a more user-friendly policyand procedures manual in produc-tion (among other things), the goal isto keep volunteers informed no mat-ter what their level of technologicalcomprehension and to make themfeel that they are not alone and arein fact backed by an efficient supportsystem.

Sarah Putinski is the administration officer,communications and media, for the AirCadet League.

LCdr Marie Bourinot, Regional Cadet Sea Training Officer(Atlantic) with Navy League volunteer Gary Garnett at thenational Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Regatta in Kingston,Ont., in August. (Photo by Jerrod Riley)

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Parent volunteers help staff and cadets from 52 Air CadetSquadron in Calgary, sort bottles following a fund-raising bottle drive.

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VOLUNTEER TRAINING

High morale startswith CadetProgram leadersand is reflected inhappy cadets, whowill spread theircontentmentthroughout the com-munity and winfriends for thecorps/squadron.(Photo by Lt(N)Paul Simas)

Good morale starts with leaders

In the Cadet Program, as elsewhere,good morale starts with leaders. Is ittime to take your personal morale-building inventory? (See sidebar)

High or lowmorale?No one will deny the emotional ben-efits of being in a group that hashigh morale, but there is more to itthan emotional pleasure. Highmorale generates thinking and plan-ning, stimulates initiative and enter-prise and is the most importantingredient of efficiency. It is only inthis atmosphere that people areinspired to seek the best. Highmorale pays off in recruitment, jobsatisfaction and the effective opera-tion of corps/squadrons.

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Time to take stock?

Maj Bob MacKay

High morale spreads outward fromcorps/squadron leaders. Cadets whoare happy in their roles, have confi-dence and have co-operative rela-tions with their officers will spreadtheir contentment throughout thecommunity and win friends for thecorps/squadron. What cadets sayabout their corps/squadron is apotent force in public relations.

Consider, now, the situation whenmorale is low. Cadets feel no greatresponsibility for the success of theircorps/squadron. There is significantturnover and excessive absenteeism.The corps/squadron can be plaguedby disobedience, slow-downs and anunconcern about quality. There canbe friction, abuse of privileges andan all-around tension that is bad forthe health of everyone.

Officers’ responsibilitySenior CIC officers get to the topbecause of their ability as leaders,and building morale is first of all aleadership problem and job.

Successful leaders take pride in theteams they are in charge of. Moraleand team spirit are the products ofconsistently high character displayedover a period of years. Loyalty andefficiency are not created overnightby some code, appeal, promise orhand-out. They arise out of aleader’s personality.

The character of leadership includesforethought in the interest of cadets,fairness and impartiality, willingnessto listen to complaints and sugges-tions, giving credit where due andbeing honest in living up to promis-es. But in addition to these necessaryqualities, officers who are most suc-cessful in building morale are thosewho are considerate of their peoplein minor matters.

Great leaders are careful in dealingwith people. They know that it isonly possible for them to progressthrough other people. They do not

OFFICER DEVELOPMENT

High morale pays off in recruitment, job satisfactionand the effective operation of corps/squadrons.


Morale is the “mental condition or attitude with regard to courage, confidence, enthusiasm etc.”, says the Canadian Gage Dictionary.Basically, morale applies to the attitude of a group of people whoshare common goals. A group has good morale if it is willing to plan enthusiastically and work efficiently and harmoniously as a team to attain its purpose.


If you are in charge of others, you may be interested in making a personal inventory along these lines: • Am I developing good human relations with my people, or am I content with casual daily contact? • Do I have some guiding principles in dealing with cadets, or am I going along from day to day, doing

the best I can according to how things look? • Do I always seek the positive in a problem or a situation, or is my negative attitude putting a wet blanket on morale? • Have I given thought to the fact that cadets have the human instincts and emotions that I have, perhaps differently

emphasized, or do I look upon them as ‘hands’ to help make the machinery run?

Whether or not you have a staff morale problem, you will gain something from this exercise.

Brain-storm the proposition: I can contribute something toward improving morale among my people.

Take an hour in solitude, a pen and a supply of paper. Write down as quickly as possible all the questions you can thinkof that you would like to have answered about your staff and cadets. Don't worry if the questions seem to be trivial orirrelevant.

Then imagine that you are a junior officer or a cadet, and write down all the questions you would like to have answeredabout the corps/squadron and about the commanding officer.

This is a great start toward solving the problem of building morale. Now you know what you need to learn about yourpeople to understand their wants, and what you have to tell them so they will become aware of the sort ofcorps/squadron they work for and the sort of person you are.

boast only an open door policy;rather, they go through that opendoor to reach their team.

The joy of leadership—and thrill ofbeing in charge of staff and cadets—is in spending the last ounce of yourmanagement talent to see that thepeople under you fulfil their greatestabilities in their roles.

Co-operationCo-operation—integral to goodmorale—is one of the misused wordsof our time. Some people ‘demand’co-operation. They say, "Your co-operation will be appreciated" whenthey really mean, "Do it, or else."

Don’t let this happen if you want tobuild good morale. Co-operationmust be practised by everyone—those who are supervising and thosewho are supervised. Co-operation isvoluntary, a two-way street, a way ofliving in which people work togetherto get something done. A fair indexof a person's efficiency in manage-ment is the degree of workingtogether that exists.

What are thefacts?Cadets is a social unit. When every-one is contributing what he or shehas to give, ‘going to Cadets’becomes a social activity, yieldingindividuals respect and approval, aswell as a feeling of fellowship in making a contribution to society.

Within this social unit there will besmaller groups. We should not con-demn cliques out-of-hand. Be angry,if you wish, about plotting cliques,rumour-mongering cliques, cattycliques, subversive cliques and thosesorts of cliques. At the same time, beaware that there are certain normalgroupings that arise in organizations.The foursome that always sits at thesame table is most likely therebecause it is made up of congenialspirits with similar interests.

Go on recordA significant part of morale-buildingis keeping team members informedof matters that directly or indirectly

concern them. The destructivegrapevine works hardest in organi-zations where management fails toprovide necessary information to thepeople involved. It is a childish andoften damaging characteristic of peo-ple in every supervisory rank tohold back information to feed theirego with the thought that "I knowsomething you don't know."

Once upon a time, management'smaxim was, "Don't tell employeesanything unless you have to."Enlightened management of todaysays, "Don't hold anything backunless there's a good reason."

Finally, dare to take the “Start build-ing morale” exercise in the sidebarbelow. It will blow away the cobwebsfrom your thinking about morale-building.

Maj MacKay is the Area CIC Officer forNew Brunswick and assists RegionalCadet Instructors School (Atlantic) as acourse commander. He has been a com-manding officer and has held several posi-tions within local corps and squadrons.He is also aide-de-camp to the lieutenantgovernor of New Brunswick. In his civil-ian life, he has filled several managementpositions with the Royal Bank and is cur-rently operations adviser for AtlanticCanada.

Start building morale

Your personal inventory

Officers who are most successful in buildingmorale are those who are considerate of their

people in minor matters.

This rare blend of humility with acan-do attitude will surely standLCdr Morin in good stead as a com-manding officer.

LCdr Morin finds the idea of com-mand daunting primarily becausehe’s a hands-on kind of guy. Thosehands-on abilities have earned himhigh praise both inside and outsidethe Cadet Program. In 1999, hereceived a commendation from theOttawa-Carleton Region for rescu-ing a mentally challenged personwho wandered from a group homein a snow storm. In 2002, hereceived the Navy LeagueMeritorious Service Award. In 2004,he received the Navy LeagueNational President’s Commendationand a Department of NationalDefence commendation for provid-ing life-saving care to an injuredcadet.

The new CO is also concerned thathe will no longer have as much timeto devote to his passion for scuba div-ing. Back in 1987, when scuba divingwas virtually unheard of as a localcadet activity, he initiated a scuba div-ing program at FALKLAND.

“I think I’ve learned to be much more

diplomatic and not as quick to judge.

I think I assess things more carefully now.”...LCdr Peter Morin

Humility and a can-do attitude

TRIBUTE

18

wearing only pyjamas and slippers—was wandering down the snow-cov-ered road ahead. The man could notspeak and about half an inch of icehad accumulated on his head. As atrained emergency medical careassistant, LCdr Morin knew exactlywhat to do, just as he did in 2004when he provided emergency firstaid on Cadet Sebastien Rioux dur-ing a scuba training weekend in aremote part of Quebec. Cadet Riouxsevered an artery in his right armwhen he accidentally put his armthrough a window. He lost a massiveamount of blood, but LCdr Morin’semergency care saved him. Mrs.Beth Jefferson, the cadet’s mother,later wrote, “Your medical trainingand professionalism got us throughwhat could have been a tragedywere you not there forhim.”

“When I was a cadet, I got turneddown for a scuba course at a cadetsummer training centre,” says LCdrMorin. “From that time, I wanted tobecome a certified diver and get div-ing going in Cadets. I wanted it somuch that I sold my motorcycle toget the $1000 to pay for my scubainstructor’s course.”

To date, he has certified more than200 cadets in scuba diving—20 ofthem currently with the corps. LastJune, he was training four cadets,with several more on a waiting list.He can train only four cadets at atime because he trains them mostlyin his swimming pool at home.

“Cadets love scuba diving,” he says.“It teaches them a skill they cancarry on with outside of Cadets. Itteaches them a bit of physics and it’sgood for physical fitness.” He saysone of his biggest thrills was comingout of a dive with several cadets andbeing greeted on shore by a “hugeguy saying ‘hello sir’”. “I had no cluewho he was, but I’d trained himyears before and he was still diving.”

LCdr Morin has also instructed oneCIC officer to the dive master levelso the officer can supervise diving.He has heard of only two otherCIC officers who are qualifiedscuba instructors.

On ‘civvie street’, LCdr Morinworks for the City of Ottawa.In the winter, he drives asnow plow. That’s whathe was doing when herescued the mental-ly challengedp e r s o n ,w h o —


LCdr Peter Morin says he’s “a little nervous”about finally stepping up to the “big plate”this year to take over command of 40 SeaCadet Corps FALKLAND in Ottawa. “I neverfelt that I was good with the ‘political’ side of things,” he says. “But hopefully, I’ll grow from it.”

amalgamated and he’d lost his job asroad inspector; however, he’s deter-mined to “get up there again.”

That same determination was evi-dent in 1976, when, as a youngcadet, he received the highest markin Ontario on his petty officer’sexam.

LCdr Morin has always lovedCadets. “I enjoy it as much as thecadets do. It’s been part of my lifesince I was 16 years old and I can’tsee myself not doing it,” he says.

Since becoming a CIC officer in1982, he admits he’s learned a thingor two. “I think I’ve learned to bemuch more diplomatic and not asquick to judge,” he says. “I think Iassess things more carefully now.”He’s also learned to always give staffchallenges. “I don’t want to see themstuck, but everyone likes to be chal-lenged,” he says. “When they learnsomething, the next step is to teach itto someone else.”

At FALKLAND, LCdr Morin hasbeen a supply officer, boats officer,training officer and executive officer.He’s taken courses in rappelling,winter indoctrination, range safety,small bore and air rifle, and basiccanoe instructor. Instructing seemsto come naturally to him. He alsotrains City of Ottawa employees onheavy equipment.

His civilian job has taught him to beflexible and optimistic. He used tohave a higher position with the city,but he came to work one morning tofind his desk cleared. The city had

If his history is any indicator, LCdrMorin will do just fine as CO of 40Sea Cadet Corps. If he needs anyhelp, he can always call on the assis-tance of his wife Connie, a Scoutleader, or his 17-year-old son (one oftwo), a cadet who seems determinedto follow in his dad’s footsteps. Thatis perhaps the biggest tribute of all.

Cadence would like to continue Tribute as a

regular feature. If you believesomeone is deserving of this tribute, please email

your nomination to marsha [email protected] or [email protected]. Or call 905-468-9371.

LCdr Morin, with his son in the background,prepares for a dive.

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Cadets love scubadiving. It teaches

them a skill they cancarry on with outside

of Cadets.


Cadet retentionThe power of competition to increase retention

Maj Guy PetersonSHARING IDEAS

Cpl Valérie Vachon, foreground, practises with other 2920 Corps band members in preparation for competition

According to statistics, however,only 1.9 percent of cadets say theyare leaving because what we offer istoo much like school. The mainreason, cadets say, is that the localexperience “is not challengingenough”.

It is that blunt and simple: they reg-ister and quickly fall into a routinethat fails to excite them.

Attracting teenagers is easy; keepingthem interested means putting your-self in their shoes and understandingthat they are not obligated to stickaround if you do not deliver on yourpromise to deliver excitement.

Is what you offer too much likeschool? If so, your problem is likelynot so much with the program itself,but rather with your delivery strate-gy. Here is one strategy you maywant to consider that has worked formany corps.

Involve yourcadets in broadcompetitionCompetition—in both drill andband—has proved to be a great reten-tion strategy in the army cadet corpsI work with.

Until a few years ago, we did nothave a drill team. Our band had dif-ficulty retaining 10 cadets per year.Our only two competitive teams were

biathlon and shooting teams.

We were very good at biathlon andshooting, but there was room foronly 15 cadets in these two activitiescombined. We had 57 cadets.

Then we made the conscious deci-sion to compete on a broader scale.Now we have 24 cadets on our com-petitive drill team, and our bandmay have to turn down musiciansnext year because we have instru-ments for only 40 people! Our bandhad eight members in 2003. Ourcurrent band has been the provincialconcert champion for the past twoyears. In addition, our corps isinvolved in volleyball, curling, bowl-ing, swimming, physical fitness, kin-ball, marksmanship and adventuretraining competition with othercorps in our zone. Overall, nearly 85different cadets from our corps par-ticipated in at least one competitionduring the last training year.

I have found that nothingbrings teenagers closer andgets them more excited thanthe prospect of showing whatthey are made of. Teenagers

thrive on competition.

What does competition do for our corps?

Membership hasnever been higher,with 115 cadets atour annual parade

last May.

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Every year around December, the CadetProgram parades nearly 70 000 cadets. On average, 15 000 of them will leavebefore June. Some explain this loss by saying that “The training programs are boring and cadets do not like the school-like environment.”

21

I have found that nothing bringsteenagers closer and gets them moreexcited than the prospect of showingwhat they are made of. Teenagersthrive on competition. They willendure the most gruelling trainingand frustration if they feel that theyare moving towards a significant goal.

Competitive versusparticipative eventThe kind of competition I am talkingabout is the kind that cadets train forover weeks and months. This allowsthem to develop friendships throughhard work and rely on each other.

A one-day participative event whereall cadets freely participate withouttraining does not have the same pow-erful effect on retention. Participativeevents have a short-term effect on thewinning teams and barely any effecton the others. The differencebetween participative events andcompetitive events is the level ofcommitment required from yourcadets to develop and hone skills.

Why do teenagers spend hoursevery week training as members of adrill team instead of doing somethingelse? Because it is fun for them, it ischallenging, they know that beingmembers of an élite team gives themspecial status and they know that the‘10-minute show’ they are preparingwill allow them to compete with

other teams and maybe, win. Whydo cadets participate in a band, theshooting team, the biathlon team,competitive sports teams and so on?For the same reasons.

Cadets who leave your corps/squadron because they are bored arerarely members of the élite teams.Teams that work hard together havefun together and within these teams,cadets develop ties and friendshipsthat go beyond the corps/squadron.

The pay-offWhat does competition do for ourcorps? Membership has never beenhigher, with 115 cadets at our annualparade last May. Weekly presencethroughout the year was more than90 percent. And our cadets havedeveloped enormous pride in theircorps.

Of course, competition alone doesnot explain this. The corps also hasa dynamic set of principles thatguide a highly energetic adult staff.But competition is definitely a factor.

Can other corps and squadrons dothe same? Why not? It is a matter ofcommitting to the idea and putting inplace the right strategies. Broad-scalecompetition may be one strategy for you.

Our job is not to blindly delivertraining programs, but rather todevelop in our cadets qualities thatwill make them better citizens. Thisincludes learning to work hard,learning to be a valuable team mem-ber, showing chivalry in success anddefeat and more.

Statistically, roughly one third of thecadets that leave your corps/squadron will leave for reasons thatare out of your control. The challengeyou face is to keep the others. Thisstarts with the strategies you chooseto deliver your local program.

Maj Peterson is a volunteer with 2920Army Cadet Corps in Gatineau, Que. He is the founder and director of theExcalibur Championship. The zone competition includes 12 events (volleyball,biathlon, decathlon and music, to name a few) and runs over the entire trainingyear. For more information, go towww.cadets.ca/est/detmtl/excalibur. Maj Peterson is also the founder and director of the Provincial Cadet MusicFestival in Eastern Region. He received a Command citation this year for his inno-vative ideas, huge involvement and volun-teer work in creating and implementingboth competitions. He is currently thenational army cadet co-ordinator atDirectorate Cadets.

The band from 2920 Army Cadet Corpsperforms during the Excalibur Championshipin 2006. The band has won the provincial championship three years in a row

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Statistically, roughly one thirdof the cadets that leave yourcorps/squadron will leave forreasons that are out of yourcontrol. The challenge youface is to keep the others.

This starts with the strategiesyou choose to deliver your

local program.

Marsha Scott

Competition — good or bad?

Over the years, human devel-opment experts have debat-ed the role of competition inyouth’s lives—whether it isgood or bad for their devel-opment. Convincing argu-ments have been presentedon both sides.

Dr. David Andrews, now Dean ofthe College of Education andHuman Ecology at The Ohio StateUniversity, points out in his onlinearticle “Competition: The good, thebad and the ugly”, that competitionis part of human nature and preva-lent to some degree in most cultures.Furthermore, an element of score-keeping is evident in the most inno-cent of children’s games. He addsthat the number of young peopleparticipating in competitive events inthe United States certainly demon-strates how competition engagesyouth.

SHARING IDEAS

He also states, however, that it ismuch less clear exactly how competi-tion motivates young people.

Good and badDr. Andrews acknowledges thatsocial comparison appears to helpyoung people find their niches andonce done, they can move on torefine and specialize their skills.However, he cautions that researchhas shown that repeatedly exposingchildren younger than the age of nineyears of age to highly competitive sit-uations may negatively affect thedevelopment of their self-worth andidentity. Fortunately, cadets are fur-ther along in their development.

The good and bad aspects of compe-tition are also discussed in anotheronline article in The Research File(Information from the CanadianFitness and Lifestyle ResearchInstitute) entitled, “Motivating chil-dren to be active”. This article statesthat children generally take part inphysical activity for reasons of chal-lenge, skill and competition. It also

claims that “competition generates agreat deal of excitement and manypeople thrive on it.”

At the same time, the article warnsof the danger of focussing on win-ning when competing. “From amotivational point of view, competi-tion can be quite controlling and hasbeen found to decrease intrinsicmotivation for sport, especiallyamong girls,” it says. “Failing to winis likely to be a highly negative expe-rience because it so easily conveysfeelings of incompetence.”

The main argument against compe-tition seems to be that it is linked toextrinsic (external) motivation(reward-driven, playing only to winand ego-oriented), as opposed to co-operation, which is linked to intrin-sic motivation (mastery-driven, self-determined and task-oriented).Many believe that intrinsic motiva-tion creates a stronger foundationfor young people who are still devel-oping their self-worth and identity.

The good news is that there can bea happy medium between competi-tion and co-operation, and we, asleaders, can promote it.

Good (healthy)competitionDr. Christopher Thurber, a clinicalpsychologist from Exeter, NewHampshire, who works with sum-mer camps across the United States,calls this happy medium “co-opera-tive competition”. In his online arti-cle “Healthy Competition — It’s notan oxymoron”, he concedes that thismay seem like a contradiction interms, but when competition createsjust a little anxiety, demands fairplay and emphasizes fun, children’sperformance can be enhanced andthey learn to make moral decisionsindependent of adults.

Competition—suchas this regional

orienteering competition in

Central Region last spring—can

engage youth and generate

excitement.

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He offers some advice for healthycompetition (see sidebar) and con-cludes, “It’s not whether you win orlose; it’s how adults frame the game.”

This seemingly simplistic philoso-phy is evident in other online discus-sions of competition.

Creating the right environmentDr. Andrews seems to agree with Dr.Thurber that adults can provide aframework for healthier competi-tion. “Create an environment inwhich our children can competehealthily,” he says. “A balance ofcompetitive and co-operative experi-ences may reduce the bad and theugly side of competition.” The“ugly” side, of course, is out-of-con-trol competition, when parents,adults and young people lose theirperspectives, and the stakes of com-petition are high.

In an online article called “Designingcompetitive programs that enhanceyouth development”, Dr. KathrynCox, another youth developmentspecialist with Ohio State, says,“When planned and conducted

“When planned and conducted appropriately, competitive experiences

can enhance positive youthdevelopment and prepareyoung people to become

successful adults.” ...Dr. Kathryn Cox

Healthy competitionDr. Christopher Thurber offers this advice on creating healthy competition: • Praise effort, not outcomes. Pointing out incremental accomplishments builds self-esteem. • Focus on strengths. Don’t compare an individual to his or her teammates.• Have fun, but not at the expense of others. The joy of any game should not be in the winning or losing, but in the playing

of the game and cultivation of relationships. Co-operative competition emphasizes cheers, not jeers, and handshakes.• Emphasize teamwork. Every individual’s behaviour affects others. Pointing this out as it happens builds strong teams and

communities.

Conducting a competitive eventHere’s some advice from Dr. Kathryn Cox to adults conducting competitive events: • Never play favourites.• Keep emotions under control and set a positive example of friendliness, maturity and professionalism.• Accept and support all program policies and procedures. (The time for making changes is before and after, not during). • Have a logical, sequential, matter-of-fact plan for handling infractions and behaviour problems.• Encourage youths to enjoy themselves. • Help the youths learn from their experiences. Discuss what they did well, areas they can improve on and ideas to try in the future. • Provide positive feedback.


appropriately, competitive experi-ences can enhance positive youthdevelopment and prepare youngpeople to become successful adults.”

She adds that competitive experi-ences should be appropriate for thecognitive, psychological-emotional,social-moral and physical develop-mental levels of the youth.

Dr. Cox also suggests that anyadvance publicity regarding compet-itive events should clearly outlineexpectations for conduct, fairness,honesty, the nature of the competi-tion (it will result in both winnersand losers), courtesy and acceptingresults gracefully. She also offersadvice for adults conducting compet-itive events. (See sidebar)

Be aware that young people responddifferently to competition. A cadetwho loses interest in an activity,reports high anxiety related to com-petition, or shows signs of dishon-esty when competing likely has trou-ble coping with competition’sdemands. Watch for these signs.

For cadets who thrive on competi-tion, stress sportsmanship, particu-larly in the heat of competition.Ensure they treat their teammates,officials and other competitors with

respect. Good competitors respect,play by the rules, take turns, shareand don’t blame others. If you areaware of the good and bad in compe-tition and heed the experts’ advice,your experience may be similar tothat of Maj Guy Peterson (the authorof the previous article), who says,“My job as a motivator has neverbeen easier than over the past fewyears when my cadets started com-peting. You get cadets hooked onmusic, drill, marksmanship, biathlon,flying, sports or whatever and pro-vide the path through which they canprogress and prove themselves overthe long run. Bingo! Motivating themis much easier and you have giventhem a reason to stick with the program for the long run.”


As leaders of the CanadianCadet Movement (CCM) weare faced every day with animportant challenge—bring-ing people closer together in pursuit of a common goal,while practising some degreeof separation.

How separate should we be? So faraway that we are out of touch withthe needs of our cadets and othersaround us? Or, so closely woven intotheir lives that we lose sight ofwhat’s really important and theexample we are here to provide?The key is balance. My experience isthat balance is achievable if we main-tain six degrees of separation (physi-cal, virtual, emotional, economical,personal and social) between ourselves and our cadets.

1st degree—physicalThe expression “it goes without say-ing” doesn’t apply here. It needs tobe said. Touching cadets in any way

is something that must be handledwith caution at all times. Two thingsto keep in mind are the situation youare in, as well as how well you knowthe cadet in question.

Tapping your regimental sergeantmajor on the shoulder to initiate adiscussion would not be an issue,but physically grabbing someone’sarm during a drill class—without per-mission—to correct a fault may createa situation you don’t want. Eitherway, erring on the side of caution isalways the best approach regardlessof circumstances.

Body language and the realm of per-sonal space is also a key considera-tion. I had an experience where afirst-year female cadet paid me aninappropriate compliment. I consid-ered letting it pass, but I counselledimmediately with a female officerpresent. Situations like this have tobe dealt with as they occur, becausesilence, in many cases, impliesacceptance.

2nd degree—virtualEach day, technology becomes a big-ger part of our lives. While techno-logical resources provided within theCadet Program (CadetNet for exam-ple) have rules of use attached tothem, others do not…yet!

Internet applications like WindowsLive Messenger and Facebook havebenefits, but they should be used aslittle as possible. If we do use them,we must set an example to everyoneby ensuring that everything is as pro-fessional as if it were a regularmemo, a face-to-face conversation,or an order given on ourcorps/squadron training night.

My personal policy has been this: afew senior cadets have my CadetNetemail address only. Even fewer havemy cell number. None of them arecontacts on my Windows Messengerand I will never add any of them asfriends to my Facebook profile. I’verejected one person five times. Why?For many, protocol does not reallyapply online. We must teach ourcadets that it should apply!

Email subject matter must also benoted. Ask yourself, “Would I hon-estly print that picture or joke andphysically show it to someone in theprogram at an event? Would I showit to a cadet, to a parent, or a spon-sor?” If you physically wouldn’t doit, why do it virtually?

3rd degree—emotionalEvery CCM stakeholder is connect-ed by the belief that we have thepower to fundamentally change thecourse of a young person’s life. Thatis a very emotional thing. However,we must remember to be consistentin separating our feelings from theobjective day-to-day decisions wemake with regard to cadets.

Six degrees of separation — between you and your cadets

Officers may frequenta specific social venueafter a night’s training

is completed. Theymay discuss various

topics, but they shouldnot discuss these

topics around cadets.

Capt Kevin VieneerOFFICER DEVELOPMENT

6th degree—socialSocial circles are exactly that: circles.What is said or done within thosecircles should remain within them.Officers may frequent a specificsocial venue after a night’s training is completed. They may discuss various topics, but they should notdiscuss these topics around cadets.

On the other side, it is inappropriatefor officers to attend a social func-tion where cadets are gathered,unless it is an approved activityrequiring adult supervision. We can-not control what cadets do outsideof approved training. Our presencewould imply that the cadets are ‘pro-tected’ by the Cadet Program duringthese occasions when, in reality, theyare not.

Capt Vieneer is the former human rightsadvisor and deputy commanding officerwith 876 Air Cadet Squadron inScarborough, Ont.


can become so deep that we make thewrong choice when a tough decisionpresents itself.

Personal relationships are inevitable,but the key is appropriate boundaries.(See chart below)

For example, deciding to promotesomeone who is not the best candi-date just because you think they willfeel bad and quit is a flawed point ofview. Not only do you possibly setthat person up to fail, but you alsosend the underlying message that itis better to be liked than respected. Isthat what we are here to do?

Am I am saying, “Stop beinghuman”? No. Acting with emotioncan be beneficial at times in exercis-ing effective leadership. Acting byemotion rarely is.

4th degree—economicalThe subject of money is always adelicate one. As a certified manage-ment accountant in civilian life, Ibelieve we must be doubly vigilantin this area.

CIC officers are entrusted with theuse of resources paid for by publicfunds (uniforms and training equip-ment from the Department ofNational Defence, for example), aswell as non-public funds (fundraisingproceeds from tagging, for example).These must remain separate.

This is different from using bothtypes of resources in support of anapproved cadet activity, as that is thenature of the partnership. The dan-ger here is when we, deliberately orotherwise, mix our personal financeswith corps/squadron finances. Thisis inappropriate and would set a badexample for our cadets.

An example of economical separa-tion from your cadets is avoiding—except under extreme circum-stances—lending money to or bor-rowing money from a cadet. In theend, it is just as much about trans-parency as it is about integrity.

5th degree—personal A great thing about the CadetProgram is that it gives us the abilityto make friends—sometimes life-longfriends. Unfortunately, friendships

We must remember to be consistent in

separating our feelings from the

objective day-to-daydecisions we make

with regard to cadets.

At the end of the day, the mostimportant thing to remember is thatthe professional relationship mustalways take precedence over the per-sonal relationship. To do otherwisecould create an atmosphere of mis-trust and send the dangerous mes-sage that the needs of thecorps/squadron come after the needsof cadets closest to you.

Relationship

Adult with cadet

Cadet with cadet

Examples

Officer is older brother of a flight sergeant

Former senior cadetreturns as a CivilianInstructor and is still dating one of the cadets

Senior cadet’s youngerbrother joins thesquadron/corps

Possible pitfalls

Perceived favouritism

Opportunity to fraternize duringcorps/squadron training

Discipline problems with younger cadet

Sudden change in behaviour in older cadet

With some help, Sgt MacPhersonfound her way to Freedom’s Wings—an international non-profit programthat provides glider flight training tostudents with disabilities.

She soon discovered that the list ofpilots with physical disabilities wassignificant and growing. Somefamous examples include amputeeLCol Andrew Lourake of the UnitedStates Air Force, currently flying C-20s, and double amputee WingLeader Douglas Bader, an ace Spitfirepilot with Royal Air Force FighterCommand during the Battle ofBritain.

A scholarship through Youth FlightEducation Canada is funding SgtMacPherson’s glider training. Nowshe and others are confronting theirdisabilities and the way we look atflying ability. Dedication, tenacity,

initiative and courage have helpedthem all persevere against the oddsand became a foundation on whichto make other major strides in theirpersonal lives. With examples likethese, hundreds of people with dis-abilities across North America aretaking up aviation.

“Because of her cerebral palsy, SgtMacPherson didn’t have quiteenough strength in her left foot to

work the rudders in the standardSchweitzer 2-33 trainer used atRegional Gliding School (Central) inTrenton, Ont.,” says Freedom’sWings Canada chairman, CharlesPetersen. “But, in our recentlyimported Twin Astir with a hand-con-trolled rudder system, she’s trainingright alongside many other cadets atYork Soaring [Canada’s largest glid-ing club located about 100 kilometresnorthwest of Toronto]. We may notbe able to solo or licence everyone,but we’ll let them fly to their fullestability.”

The Twin Astir is the current gliderfor the Freedom’s Wings programthat has licensed and soloed peoplewith a wide range of physical disabil-ities. Freedom’s Wings has also mint-ed Canada’s first paraplegic gliderinstructor and started a second chap-ter in Vancouver.

The program is open to all peoplewith physical disabilities, includingcadets who cannot be accommodatedby the Cadet Program’s gliding cen-tres. The costs are managed by cor-porate and private donors to givepeople with disabilities the chance tofly a glider.

More information is available atwww.freedomswings.ca, or [email protected]

Mr. Musters is the executive director of Youth Flight Education Canada.

Freedom’s WingsTeaching disabled cadets to fly!

Peter MustersCADET TRAINING


After flying with her squadron on an air cadet flight line, Sgt Melanie MacPhersonof 99 Air Cadet Squadron in Orillia, Ont., knew what she wanted. “I wanted thosegold wings that sat proudly on the uniforms of my friends,” she says. “Those weremy goal. I had tasted flight in its purest form and I wasn’t going back. Even with all the confidence that I had that I could indeed get my wings, one thought stayeddeep in the back of my head. I am disabled. I had never heard of any disabledpilots before, and I wondered just how hard it might be for me to convince theworld that I could in fact accomplish this feat.”

The [Freedom’s Wings] program is open to

all people with physical disabilities, including cadets who cannot

be accommodated by the Cadet Program’s

gliding centres.

A disabled student receivesgliding training throughFreedom’s Wings. The

program also trains disabledair cadets to fly gliders.

Capt Nancy Marshall SHARING IDEAS

Sample weekend menu

Advance planningWell before the exercise, cadets aretold to bring a letter from home ifthey require a special diet (vegetarian,allergies and so on) so we can makeprovisions for them. Otherwise, theyeat what is prepared.

MenusYou can’t make everyone happy allof the time, but I have tried my bestto design a menu that caters to alltastes. It seems to work well for oursquadron and I am confident that itwill work for other corps andsquadrons too.

I have developed a couple of differ-ent Saturday dinner menus, but forthe most part I keep the rest of themeals the same for simplicity

I try to cook food that I know thecadets will enjoy. But, I also remem-ber that they are busy all weekend.

They need not only lots of food, butalso lots of good food to keep themgoing. I always buy peanut butterand jam for picky eaters. We all haveat least one.

My biggest fear used to be runningout of food, but I’m proud to saythat no-one has ever gone hungry.

Grocery listMy ‘grocery list’ is actually dividedinto four categories: the menu, ageneral quantities list, the shoppinglist and the meal planner. The mealplanner actually breaks down por-tions for each meal (based on thenumber of people) and I find thisuseful during the actual weekend.

BudgetIt is challenging in this day and ageto feed a bunch of hungry teenagerson a limited budget, but if you takeyour time it can be easy. Watch fordeals. Non-perishable and frozenitems on sale can be purchased a fewweeks ahead.

Through trial and error over theyears, however, I have worked out asystem that has taken the guesswork(and stress) out of preparing food forexercises. Maybe it will work for you.

Meal planning for exercises


When you go to thestore, know your

budget. Have your list and a calculatorhandy to keep track

of what you arespending.

A cadet from 878Squadron warms

up with hot chocolate.

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Continued on page 28

FRIDAYEVENING

Mug UpHot chocolateHotdogs

SATURDAYBREAKFAST

Pancakes Bacon Hot chocolateMilkFruit

SATURDAYLUNCH

HamburgersVegetabletray and dipFruitJuice

SATURDAY DINNER

ChickenbreastsMashed potatoesVegetablesSaladPuddingMilk

SATURDAYEVENING

Mug Up Hot chocolateCookies

SUNDAYBREAKFAST

French toastCerealHot chocolateMilkFruit

SUNDAY LUNCH

SandwichesLeftover vegetabletray and dipLeftoversaladJuiceLeftover milk

When you are planning an exercise, what do youdread most? For me, it was planning what we were going to eat and how much food to buy!

SHARING IDEAS

When we finish our shopping, westore the food in the grocery store’scoolers until we pick it up the nextday. Our grocery store is kindenough to do this, and it is a greathelp. Perhaps, before your next exer-cise, you can make the same arrange-ment with your local grocery store.

Kitchen equipmentFortunately, over the years oursquadron has acquired what we feelis the proper kitchen equipment. Inaddition to utensils, a large griddle,two large gas stovetops (a three-burner and a two-burner), a steamtable and an assortment of pots,pans and stainless steel serving dish-es round out the kit. Especially niceis the fact that our squadron has a14-foot utility trailer to store theequipment year-round.

Don’t forget the coffee pot to helpget you through the weekend.

Hopefully, this will make food plan-ning for your next exercise a littleless stressful and give you more timeto have fun with your cadets!

Capt Marshall is the new commandingofficer of 878 Air Cadet Squadron inBanff/Canmore, Alta.

Grocery shoppingand storageOf course, you can only buy yourfresh food the night before the exer-cise. Luckily, our exercises almostalways take place on weekends, so Ishop for groceries on Thursdayevenings. I always try to take twoother people with me to make it gofaster.

When you go to the store, knowyour budget. Have your list and acalculator handy to keep track ofwhat you are spending. In all theyears of doing this I have never goneover my dollar allotment.

Lt(N) NeilTannyan, com-manding officer of 55 Sea CadetCorps IRONDUKE inBurlington, Ont.,and PO1 MelanieDittmer barbecueburgers for cadetsduring an OutdoorAdventureTraining weekend.

Lt Nancy Marshall(since promoted) hastaken the guessworkand stress out of preparing food for 878 Squadron weekend exercises.

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Watch for deals.Non-perishable andfrozen items on salecan be purchased afew weeks ahead.


>

Grocery Shopping List

Meat

72 hamburger patties10 dozen wieners 11 pounds of bacon56 chicken breasts4-6 pounds of assorted lunch-

meat (Purchase a wholeBlack Forest ham, salamiand pepperoni sticks andask the store to slice them for you)

Fruits and vegetables10 pounds of apples5 pounds of bananas5 pounds of oranges15 pounds of carrots 2 bunches of celery 3 heads of lettuce8-10 large tomatoes2 large onions5 cucumbers20 pounds of potatoes

Dairy1 large tub of margarine 7 dozen eggs 8 4-litre packages of milk

(2%) 2 packages of 64 cheese slices2 containers (500 ml) of sour

cream

Canned goods4 large cans of juice crystals 12 20-ounce cans of hot

chocolate (A&W) 12 cans of evaporated milk10 cans of kernel corn

Breads10 dozen hotdog buns 20 loaves of bread6 dozen hamburger buns

Miscellaneous3 bags of pancake mix 45 small boxes of cereal1 large jar of peanut butter1 large jar of jam3 bottles of pancake syrup3 bottles of ketchup2 large jars of mustard2 jars of relish1 large jar of Miracle Whip2 packages (double) Uncle

Dan's southern dip 3 bottles of salad dressing

(assorted)45 puddings (buy bulk boxes)4 large bags of cookies1 bag of gravy mix (Costco)

flour, assorted spices, oil,coffee, tea and sugar (keepthese staples for otherexercises)


Meal planner (for 45 people)

General quantities

MeatBacon ¼ pound/personHamburgers 1½ hamburgers/personHot dogs 2½ hotdogs/personLunch meat 1 ounce/sandwichChicken breasts 1¼ breasts/personSausages 2 ½ /person

(Sausages may be substituted for bacon)

MiscellaneousHot chocolate 1 20 ounce can = 20 peopleSmall milk 1/person/mealPancake mix 1 bag = 14 peopleFrench toast 2½ pieces/personEggs for French toast 1½ dozen for every

2 loaves of breadEggs for pancakes 4 eggs/bag of pancake mixScrambled eggs 2 eggs/person

(Scrambled eggs may be substituted for pancakes)

Sandwiches 2 sandwiches/person 4 slices of bread/person

Bread 18 slices/loaf

Cadets need lots of food to give them energy for strenuous activities during an exercise.Here, cadets from 55 Sea Cadet Corps recharge their batteries during an OutdoorAdventure Training weekend last May.

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1 onion, chopped for hamburgers2 cans juice crystals, mixed accord-ing to package directions 1 ketchup1 mustard1 relish1 Miracle Whip 1 sour cream Uncle Dan’s dip mix (made withsome of the Miracle Whip and sourcream above) Apples

Saturday dinner56 chicken breastsFlour, oil and spices (I use pepper,seasoning salt and chili powder) to coat chicken. Cook chicken in a bit of oil on a stovetop/grill.Gravy mix, made according to package directions 20 pounds of potatoes for mashedpotatoes with margarine and milk12 cans of kernel cornSalad items: 2 heads of lettuce, 3 tomatoes and 2 cucumbersSalad dressing45 puddingsMilk for cadets

Saturday evening Mug Up2-3 cans of hot chocolate2-3 cans of evaporated milkCookies

Friday evening Mug Up 2-3 cans of hot chocolate2-3 cans of evaporated milk10 dozen wieners10 dozen hotdog buns1 chopped onion1 relish1 mustard1 ketchup

Saturday breakfast 3 bags of pancake mix 1 dozen eggs (4 eggs per bag ofmix)11 pounds of bacon2-3 cans of hot chocolate2-3 cans of evaporated milkmilk for cadetsmilk for pancakes1 ketchup1½ bottles of syrupmargarine½ of oranges, cut up; ½ of bananas, cut up

Saturday lunch 72 hamburger patties6 dozen hamburger buns64 cheese slices10 pounds of carrots, cut into sticks2 bunches of celery, cut into sticks3 cucumbers, cut into sticks3 tomatoes, sliced for hamburgers

Sunday morning breakfast 8 loaves of bread for French toast6 dozen eggs for French toast45 small boxes of cereal2-3 cans hot chocolate2-3 cans of evaporated milkMilk for cadets Milk for cereal and eggs1 ketchup1½ bottles of syrupMargarineLeftover oranges, apples andbananas

Sunday lunch10 loaves of bread4-5 pounds of lunch meat64 cheese slices4 tomatoes1 head of lettuceLeftover salad and vegetablesLeftover vegetable dip and saladdressingLeftover juice crystals MargarineLeftover Miracle Whip Leftover mustardLeftover fruit

Peanut butter and jam on bread forcadets who won’t eat properly.

100th ANNIVERSARY

CIC to celebrate100th

anniversaryin 2009

May 1, 2009 will mark the 100th

anniversary of the founding of thegroup of officers who administer,supervise and train cadets in Canada.

The corps was authorized on May 1,1909 as a “Corps of School CadetInstructors (Militia).” It was composedof qualified male school teachers fromCanada’s public schools. On May 1,1921, the corps was disbanded and reorganized. On Jan. 1, 1924, thedesignation was changed to “TheCadet Services of Canada (Non-Permanent).” It was later changed tothe Cadet Services of Canada whichceased to exist in 1968 with unifica-tion. Sea and air officers then joinedwith army officers to form the CadetInstructors List. The name waschanged in 1994 to the CadetInstructors Cadre.

In co-operation with the DirectorateCadets and Junior Canadian Rangers,the CIC Branch Advisory Council(BAC) will organize 100th anniversarycelebrations for our 7500 branchmembers. The council will act as thesteering committee for national plan-ning, with each region forming andoperating its own committee. EachBAC regional adviser will chair theregional committee and report to thenational committee. Under the aus-pices of the regional committees,provincial and territorial committeeswill be struck to plan local events. Weare calling on CIC officers nation-

wide to volunteer to populate thesecommittees. Committee work is voluntary.

Below are some planned highlights.

Logo and commemorative pin. A100th anniversary logo is beingdesigned for use during the year. Weare also requesting authorization towear an anniversary pin on ourCanadian Forces uniform.

Issuance of a stamp. With supportfrom the three leagues and civiliansacross Canada, we are requesting thatCanada Post produce a stamp todepict our contribution to youthdevelopment in Canada over the last100 years.

100th anniversary challenge coin. Weare seeking corporate sponsorship forthe production of a coin to mark ouranniversary. Coins would be distrib-uted free of charge to members.

100th anniversary pictorial history.We are approaching a national spon-sor for the production of a nationalpictorial history capturing our 100-year history.

Premiere national event. We willhold a national event in 2009, likely inOttawa.

Proclamation signings. We anticipatethe signing of a national proclamationfor 2009, with a national figure declar-ing the year of celebration.

CIC motto. We have launched a com-petition to find a motto for ourbranch.

We want to encourage you to volun-teer to help with planning for yourregion by contacting your regionalBAC adviser below:

National chairman – LCol Tom McGrath at [email protected]

“Class B’ representative – LCdr Neil Martin [email protected]

Atlantic Region – Maj Paul Westcott [email protected]

Eastern Region – Maj Francois Dornier [email protected]

Central Region – Maj Harry McCabe [email protected]

Prairie Region – Maj James Barnes [email protected]

Pacific Region – LCol Terry Kopan [email protected]

Northern Region – Capt Jeff Barkley [email protected]

In co-operation with the Directorate Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers, the CIC Branch AdvisoryCouncil (BAC) will organize 100th anniversary celebrations for our 7500 branch members.

LCol Tom McGrath


Joining the new Reserve Force pension plan

The pension plan is a subject thatsolicits a number of questions, mostof which should be referred to theexperts at the Canadian ForcesPension Modernization Project(CFPMP). Visit the project websiteat www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dgcb/cfpmp/to see how the new pension plan willaffect you. Should you have furtherquestions once you have consultedthe online information, you areencouraged to call toll free 1-800-267-0325 and speak to an expertfrom CFPMP.

You can also reach CFPMP by emailat the following addresses:

• For questions regarding purchasing prior service, email [email protected]

• For Reserve Force questionsregarding eligibility and joiningthe pension plan, [email protected]

• For other policy questions, [email protected]

Maj Memess is the staff officer responsiblefor personnel policy at Directorate Cadets.

31

When you meet therequired minimums,you will receive a

letter...informing you thatyou are part of the

plan and what percentof your monthly

taxable income willbe deducted as your

contribution.


Since March 1, all members ofthe Reserve Force, includingthe Cadet Instructors Cadre,are eligible to join the newReserve Force pension plan.

If you are a CIC officer and haveearned 10 percent of what the pen-sion plan calls “the year’s maximumpensionable earnings (YMPE)” dur-ing two consecutive 12-month peri-ods of Reserve service, you automat-ically become a member of the plan.This applies to all CIC officers—full-time or part-time. Pensionable earn-ings since April 1999 count.

CIC officers on full-time service willmove from the Reserve Force pen-sion plan to the Regular Force pen-sion plan when they have served1674 days in a 60-month period.Those who had already done so byMarch, when the pension came intoforce, moved directly to the RegularForce pension plan. To give yousome idea of how many officers thataffects, records show that in 2005-2006, 290 CIC officers were on full-time Reserve service.

What does the new Reserve Forcepension plan mean to CIC officerson part-time Reserve service?

To figure out if you are close to join-ing the pension plan, you first haveto determine if you are close to 10percent of YMPE. For example theYMPE for 2006 is $42 100, whilethe amount for 2007 will be $43 200.If you perform enough Reserve serv-ice to make at least $4210 in 2006and $4320 in 2007, you will becomea member of the plan.

Your service may be Class ‘A’ or ‘B’.So long as it is paid service and youmeet the minimums, you qualify. Attoday’s pay rates, an officer cadetwould have to serve at least 46 days,while a lieutenant would have toserve only 33 days to reach YPME.

When you meet the required mini-mums, you will receive a letter fromthe Directorate Accounts Processing,Pay and Pensions informing you thatyou are part of the plan and whatpercent of your monthly taxableincome will be deducted as yourcontribution.

Will you be able to retire on yourReserve pension? Realistically,someone who works only short-termpart-time Reserve service cannotexpect to draw a pension that willensure a comfortable retirement. Aswith any plan, what you get out of itwill be proportional to what youcontribute. It is important to under-stand, however, that you cannot loseby contributing to the plan. Shouldyou leave the service before becom-ing eligible for a pension, your contributions will be returned withinterest.

POLICYMaj Al Memess

Pensionable earningssince April 1999

count.


Maj Al MemessPOLICY

Support to cadet activities, with or without pay

Main policy changes

• A paid Cadet Instructor or Civilian Instructor shall supervise all mandatory activities.

• Optional activities can be supervised by a paid Civilian Instructor or by a Cadet Instructor who can either bepaid or provide support without pay.

• The differences in coverage between paid Reserve Service and benefits allowed a Cadet Instructor providingsupport without pay are clearly set out in CATO 23-11.

• Cadet Instructors who agree to provide support without pay must acknowledge in writing that they areaware of the differences in coverage.

Since then, in consultation with ourlegal advisor, we have found a way toease the burden placed on corps andsquadrons—particularly those with aheavy activity schedule.

The Department of NationalDefence has been authorized to self-insure CF Reserve Force members(who provide support to cadet activi-ties without pay) for liability andlegal indemnification. The coveragewill be based on the TreasuryBoard’s policy on the indemnifica-tion of and legal assistance forCrown servants.

This recognizes that a CadetInstructor—an officer of the CadetInstructors Cadre or a member ofanother sub-component of theReserve Force while he or she isinstructing cadets—has received thetraining, is fully qualified to super-vise cadet activities and will performthe same duties whether being paidor not.

Amended CATO 13-12With this coverage, we were able toamend the policy that requires a paidCadet Instructor or CivilianInstructor to supervise each cadetactivity. CATO 13-12 has beenamended to allow Cadet Instructorsto supervise optional activities whenproviding support without pay.

Why only optional activities? Thereason is simple: paid days are allo-cated to cover the mandatory pro-gram, and we want to ensure thatthere are sufficient resources tocover it.

New CATO 23-11We have also clarified the differencesin coverage for Cadet Instructorswhen providing support without pay.These Cadet Instructors are not eligi-ble for the benefits associated withReserve Service. To be eligible forthose benefits, the member must be“on service” and to be “on service”,the member must be paid.

CATO 23-11 has been developed toexplain the differences in coverageand to ensure that Cadet Instructorsare making an informed choice whenthey agree to provide support with-out pay. In future all Cadet

Instructors who provide supportwithout pay must complete a formacknowledging that they are awareof the differences in coverage.

Benefits moreclearly definedSome Cadet Instructors may perceivea loss or reduction of benefits as aconsequence of the repeal of the“deemed on duty” provisions.However, you do have clearlydefined benefits and entitlements thatcan be relied upon when needed.

There is no change in the policy forCivilian Instructors. To superviseauthorized cadet activities, CivilianInstructors must be paid. When pro-viding support without pay, theybecome civilian volunteers with thesame status as other civilian volun-teers and must adhere to the policiesset out in CATO 23-07.

CATO 13-12 has beenamended to allow CadetInstructors to superviseoptional activities, when

providing support without pay.

A paid CadetInstructor orCivilianInstructor mustsupervise allmandatory cadetactivities

>

The changes made to the “deemed on duty”policy last April led to questions and discus-sions across the cadet world. One major concern was the requirement to have a paidCadet Instructor or Civilian Instructor at eachauthorized cadet activity.


More on the new CF Leadership Doctrine and you

LEADERSHIPLt(N) Darin McRae

Leadership characteristicsThere is neither a definitive list ofessential leadership qualities nor anyguarantee that the possession of allor most of the commonly identifiedattributes will result in effective lead-ership. Nevertheless, CIC officerscan improve their capacity to beeffective leaders by acquiring anddeveloping competencies in the fol-lowing areas.

• Knowledge and skills. A highlevel of proficiency in technicalskills is mandatory for officers indirect command and leadershippositions.

• Cognitive ability. Analyticalskills and creative thinking areessential abilities for all leaders.

• Social capacities. At all levels ofleadership, interpersonal skillssuch as communication, persua-sion and conflict management arecritical to working with others.

• Personality traits. Effective lead-ers exemplify personal integrity intheir decisions and actions. They

also demonstrate a number ofpersonal characteristics that relateto adaptability: openness to expe-rience, flexibility of thought andbehaviour, and self-assurance.

• Professional motivation andvalues. Professionalism reflects astrong commitment to the socialresponsibilities of the profession, ahigh valuation of professionalcompetence, and a personal iden-tification with the values of theCanadian military ethos.

A leader’s effectiveness will have amajor, everlasting impact on group,team and corps/squadron effective-ness. Trust provides the critical bondfor leadership to be effective.

Importance of trustTrust may be based on demonstrat-ed leadership competence (the careand consideration for others dis-played by a leader) or on perceptionsof a leader’s character (integrity,dependability, and fairness).

Regardless, an important part of theleader’s job is to build and maintainhealthy trust relationships with sub-ordinates, peers and superiors.Leaders build and maintain trustthrough their decisions, actions andinteractions. They must exercisegood judgment; show trust and con-fidence in their subordinates; ensuresubordinates are supported by theorganization; show consideration forothers; have honest and open com-munications; lead by example; keeptheir word; and be counted on tohonour their obligations. Trust isdeveloped and earned, and can beeasily lost.

Leading peopleSeveral principles cover importantaspects of leadership responsibilities.

Leader competence is critical to mis-sion accomplishment. Very early intheir CIC experience, junior leadersmust master the technical and tacti-cal skills of their military specialtyand improve proficiency throughself-study, experiential learning, for-mal training, and education. This is

At all levels ofleadership, inter-personal skillssuch as commu-nication are criti-cal. Here, CICofficers MajLouise Lagardeand Capt LynePrud’Hommechat withQuebec’sMinister ofEducation,Leisure andSport MichelleCourchêsne atthe EasternRegion GlidingSchool in St-Jean. Que

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In the last issue of Cadence, we discussed the new Canadian Forces Leadership doctrine andits impact on the Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC). Leadership is about leading people—cadetsand other CIC officers in our case. The new doctrine provides great insight into positive leadership characteristics, the importance of trust and leading people.

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Q: Is it true that sea cadets will nolonger participate in OutdoorAdventure Training (OAT)activities in the updated program?

Participating in OAT will be left tothe discretion of each corps com-manding officer, who may choose tooffer it as an optional activity sup-ported by local funding. It is truethat OAT will no longer be part ofphase or summer camp training.

reflected in the CIC MilitaryOccupation Structure ChangeManagement Project and in the newCIC training program, which willprovide enhanced training early inan officer’s career.

Leaders must communicate a clearpicture of the outcomes they wish toachieve.

Where time and circumstancesallow, leaders should involve otherswho possess relevant experience inthe decision-making process.

Leaders have to know when todirect and when to motivate.Training and other formative activi-ties that reinforce mutual depend-

ence and support will pay off inenhanced performance and greaterresistance to stress.

Leaders must train and develop sub-ordinates to master the unit’s opera-tional functions, provide depth andstrength to the unit through thenumber of qualified people belowthem and ensure a broadly distrib-uted leadership capability.

Leaders have moral and practicalobligations to know their subordi-nates’ needs, take care of them andtreat them fairly. Leaders must beon top of what is happening aroundthem. In both training and opera-tions, leaders must constantlyreview performance critically todetermine if there is a better way.

Learning from personal experienceand the experience of others is critical to ensuring high reliabilityperformance and maintaining acompetitive edge.

When all is said and done, leadersmust ensure that their personal con-duct and the conduct of their subor-dinates reflect the best of Canadianmilitary professionalism and theCanadian Cadet Movement at alltimes.

Further information about the newleadership doctrine may be found atwww.cda.forces.gc.ca/CFLI.

Lt(N) McRae is a CIC courseware development officer at Directorate Cadets.

Funding has been re-allocated to asecond on-water weekend activityinstead. This change is related to ashift towards providing sea cadetswith more on-water experiences andexpanding the scope of activitiesbeyond sail to include other smalland minor vessels.

Q: Will music training be supportedin the updated program?

Music training will continue as anoptional activity, supported muchthe same as it is now. Music coursesoffered at the cadet summer trainingcentres (CSTCs) will be updated toenhance and support music training.Regions will continue to have theoption to support music trainingthrough regionally directed andfunded activities, such as trainingseminars and music competitions.

Capt Catherine GriffinCADET TRAINING

For some time now, leaders at all levels of the CadetProgram have tried to keep CIC officers informed about the progress of the Cadet Program Update. Venues haveincluded cadet summer training centres, commanding offi-cers’ (COs) meetings and league events. If you have notheard any of these updates, you may be interested in theseanswers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

Cadet Program Update Answers to commonly asked questions

Regions will continue to have the option to support music training through regionally directed and funded training seminars such as this music workshop in Vernon, B.C. Here, OCdt Anders Udsen, from Kamloops, guides CPO Chris Charbonneau of Vernon through a finger exercise on his chanter. (Photo by Wayne Emde)

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Continued from page 33


Updated trainingfor sea cadets willaim to providesea cadets withmore on-waterexperiences.(Photo by Lt(N)Paul Simas)

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Although not directly related to theprogram update, there have beenchanges to the band grant allocation.Monies are still available to COs forband support within their corps andsquadrons; however, monies are nolonger specifically targeted to bandpurchases. As outlined on thenational cadet website atwww.cadets.forces.gc.ca/_docs/KeyMsgGrantsVetted_e.pdf, all grantfunding (scholarship, contingencyand band grants) has been reallocat-ed to one fund. COs will be reim-bursed from this fund for approvedexpenditures in support of cadetactivities (including band) up to theirbudget entitlement.

Q: Will cadet handbooks, as weknow them, be produced as partof the update?

When you receive updated first-yearcorps and squadron training docu-mentation this fall (for implementa-tion in the fall of 2008), you canexpect to receive two documents: anInstructional Guide (IG) and a

Participating in OATwill be left to the discretion of each[sea cadet] corps

commanding officer,who may choose to

offer it as an optionalactivity supported by

local funding.

Where can I direct CPU questions/feedback?

Questions and feedback may be emailed to [email protected]. A link to this address is also provided onCadetNet in the CPU folder located in each elemental forum. We will not be able to respond to individualqueries. However, your questions will be considered when we prepare future CPU-related information.

Qualification Standard and Plan(QSP). The IG includes specifictraining content as well as recom-mendations on how to deliver train-ing using a variety of instructionalmethods. Instructors should use theIG, in conjunction with lesson speci-fications found in the QSP, to helpwith lesson planning and prepara-tion. The QSP is a combination ofthe training standard and plan thatyou are familiar with. Althoughvarying in content, the QSPs willhave the same look and feel acrossthe three elemental programs and atthe CSTCs.

Cadet handbooks have not beendeveloped to date. We are continu-ing to research and examine possi-bilities for a cadet-friendly learningtool. We want to be sure that if anytool is developed, it is useful tocadets to support their learning.

Q: Where can I find current infor-mation on program updates?

Leaders at all levels will continue togive CPU updates whenever possi-ble. You can also turn to the follow-ing sources for program updateinformation:

• CadetNet – CPU folder locatedin each elemental forum

• www.cadets.ca

• Cadence (current and past issueson the national cadet website)

• Regional websites

Capt Griffin is the staff officer cadet program education development atDirectorate Cadets.

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There are no regulations out there that say that as a CO you should knowhow to do everything perfectly. It is a learning process.


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Capt Zweng practises what she preaches, getting out of her office onto the floor to talk to her cadets

I couldn’t help but think that it is toobad about the perception that beinga CO is too big a challenge or morepain than gain. I began my term asCO wondering what was so badabout the job and how long it wouldtake me to find out. Now that I havebeen a CO for two years, however,my message to everyone is thatbeing a CO is amazing!

CIC officers out there need to realizethat being a CO is the ultimate goalfor us. It is not as scary as it seems!

Yes there are challenges and situa-tions to work through on a regularbasis, but that is the part that is sorewarding. We would all be kiddingourselves to think that being a CICofficer in any job would not be diffi-cult. The same goes for being a CO.

As CO, I get to see things from awhole new perspective and really seewhat this program is about from allangles. Prior to being CO, I spentmost of my time in the trainingdepartment (which offered a certainview of how a squadron should be),but the bigger picture is so muchmore dynamic than that. Each per-son supporting the program, includ-ing officers, parents, sponsors, affili-ated units, volunteers, friends andfamily, has a unique and valuablerole to play. The CO’s primaryresponsibility is keeping the balanceamong them and recognizing thateven the smallest hands are helpinghands and need to fit in.

When I first took the job ascommanding officer (CO) of89 Air Cadet Squadron inVictoria, a number of people(including past COs, other CICofficers, volunteers, parents,and cadets) approached mesaying things like,

“Wow, you really want to do this?”

“Um, have fun,” in a sarcastic tone.

“Three years is going to feel like forever.”

“The first thing you do as a CO is start looking for your replacement.”

Capt Jacqueline ZwengVIEWPOINT

Being CO Not as scary as it seems

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Each time my squadron meets, I seesomeone smile and learn somethingnew! That is all most of us need tobe satisfied with what we are doing.At the end of the day I always leaveCadets with a sense of accomplish-ment and pride in my squadron.

Once you become a CO, you haveall the tools you need to take on allaspects of the program and mentorand guide the younger officers toachieve their goals.

There are no regulations out therethat say that as a CO you shouldknow how to do everything perfect-ly. It is a learning process. I oftenreceive emails from my regionalcadet support unit telling me I filledout a form incorrectly or that I filledout the wrong form. But each time Ilearn from it and smile that this isone less thing that I will do wrongnext time. By the time any of youbecome lieutenants or captains(depending on the size of yourcorps/squadron), you are ready—with the required courses—to be a CO.

At the same time, staff members ofevery corps/squadron need to besupportive of their CO. Running acorps/squadron is not a one-personshow. COs are ultimately responsi-ble, but that does not mean they areable to do it on their own. I havelearned that a CO does a lot of ‘hid-den’ tasks daily, so when you meetfor parade nights, work a little hard-er for him or her because the experi-ence of the staff combined—not justthe CO’s experience—is what makesit all work. You should also treat oneanother with the same respect thatyou treat your CO.

A member of another unit talked tome recently at an area competition

If you are a CO and feel removed from your cadets, then get out of the office onto

the floor and talk to them.

Running a corps/squadron is not a one-person show. COs are ultimatelyresponsible, but that does not mean they are able to do it on their own.


and said her CO was looking forward to stepping down and beingable to work closely with the cadetsagain. I was puzzled because as aCO, I am very close to my cadets. Idon’t feel that I have had to distancemyself because of my new title. Istrive to know each cadet’s name,their personality and interests. Whatis so difficult about that? If you are aCO and feel removed from yourcadets, then get out of the office ontothe floor and talk to them. You’re theCO: you can do whatever you want.

This is a wonderful time in my CICcareer. Being a CO is the best

experience I could have asked forand is worth every minute. I amlooking forward to one more yearand what will develop in that time.My message to you is that you are allcapable of this job.

Formed in 1942, 89 Air CadetSquadron has approximately 90 cadets, nine CIC officers, four civilian instructors and a number of volunteers. In 2005, Capt Zwengbecame the squadron’s first female—and its youngest—CO. She was 27 at the time.

Created by Regional Cadet Instructors School (Atlantic)

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE1

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CIC officers may be authorized to take other CanadianForces/civilian training in the following circumstances:

a) If there is a need within the Canadian Cadet Organization/Cadet Instructors Cadre;

b) If it is not available through the organization and is cost effective;

c) If the regional cadet support unit commanding officer authorizes the training; or

d) All of the above.

The training progression of an officer is the responsibility of:

a) the officer;

b) the officer’s commanding officer;

c) the regional cadet instructors school; or

d) Directorate Cadets

The following is a list of specialized courses offered regularly through regional cadet instructors schools for local headquarters:

a) Band Officer, Marksmanship Coach, Biathlon Coach, Unit Administration Officer, Unit Human Rights Advisor and Unit Supply Officer;

b) First Aid, Small Craft Operator Permit Modules, Abseil Instructor, Basic Canoe Instructor, Green Star Instructor and Tow Pilot Qualification;

c) Military Occupational courses, Lieutenant Qualification, Captain Qualification and the Commanding Officer Course; or

d) Cold Weather Instructor, Biathlon Coach, Unit Administration Officer, Unit Human Rights Advisor and Unit Supply Officer

Which of the following is true of Civilian Instructor training?

a) Civilian Instructors are not permitted to attend training as they are hired for their pre-existing skills and expertise.

b) Civilian Instructors may attend training and be paid in the same way as CIC officers.

c) Civilian Instructors may attend training but cannot be paid.

d) Civilian Instructors attend different courses than CIC officers and are paid to do so.

What was the first new CIC training course to be delivered as a trial?

a) Basic Officer Qualification Course

b) CIC Orientation Course

c) Basic Officer Training Course

d) Cadet Instructor Initial Training Course

March 9–15, 2008: National Cadet Biathlon

Championship in Quebec City

Co-ordinator is Capt Normand Gonthier at:[email protected].

Check with your region regardingteam applications.

May 4–10, 2008: National CadetMarksmanship

Championship in British Columbia

(Exact location to be determined).Co-ordinator is Capt Doug

Salmon [email protected].

Check with your region regardingteam applications.

May 1, 2009: 100th anniversary of the CIC

See more on this on page 30.

February 12–28, 2010:Olympic Winter Games in

Vancouver–Whistler.

For more information visitwww.vancouver2010.com.

Recruitment for Games-time volunteers will begin in 2008.

2010 Canadian NavalCentennial

Visit www.navy.forces.gc/ca/centennial

for the most up-to-date news.

EVENTSANSWERS1. (d). Reference CATO 24-01, paragraph 12 g

2. (b). Reference CATO 24-01 paragraph 7

3. (d). Reference CATO 24-01, Annex A

4. (c). Reference CATO 23-05, paragraph 12

5. (c). Reference DCdts 1085-16-5 Trial Directive


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