Issue 23 Fall 2007
IN THIS ISSUE
18
Humility and a can-do attitude
Cadence pays tribute to LCdr Peter Morin, the
new commanding officer of 40 Sea Cadet Corps
FALKLAND in Ottawa and invites future
nominations for Tribute.
16
Good morale starts with leaders
Time to take stock?
Do you stack up as a morale-builder in your
corps or squadron? High morale starts with
Cadet Program leaders and is reflected in happy
cadets who will win friends within the community
for your corps or squadron.
Maj Bob MacKay
2 CADENCE
13 Prevent volunteer burnout
14 Volunteer training — Army League, Navy League
and Air Cadet League
Terrence Whitty, Jerrod Riley and Sarah Putinski
20 Cadet retention
The power of competition to increase retention
Attracting teenagers is easy. Keeping them interested is not.
Young cadets are not obligated to stick around if you do not
deliver 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 healthy
competition.
24 Six degrees of separation
Between you and your cadets
As a leader, it’s good to keep some degree of separation
between you and your cadets.
Capt Kevin Vieneer
27 Meal planning for exercises
A 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 anniversary
Learn more about plans for 2009 and how to become
involved.
LCol Tom McGrath
31 Joining the new Reserve Force pension plan
Have you earned enough over the past two years to become
a member of the new Reserve Force Pension plan?
Maj Al Memess
32 Support to cadet activities, with or without pay
Policy 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 you
Lt(N) Darin McRae
34 Cadet Program Update
Answers to commonly asked questions
Capt Catherine Griffin
Issue 23, Fall 2007

10
FRONT COVER
Volunteers: Keep the lifeblood flowing
The Royal Canadian Sea Cadet National Regatta is just one of
thousands of events each year supported by volunteers. Here,
volunteer Gary Garnett (former DND/CF vice-chief of the
defence staff and a vice-president of the Navy League) chats
with the national champions at this year’s regatta in Kingston,
Ont.—PO2 James Bone, left, from 201 Sea Cadet Corps
GRILSE in Port Moody, B.C., and PO2 Nicholas Kiefer,
81 Sea Cadet Corps HAMPTON GRAY, VC, in Nelson, B.C.
(Photo by Jerrod Riley)
26
Freedom’s Wings
Teaching disabled cadets to fly
An 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
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
UPCOMING
Drug and alcohol use is a problem among youth
everywhere. Canadian youth are no exception. As a
cross-section of Canadian youth, some cadets will try
drugs and alcohol and some may use them on ‘cadet
time’.
What can we do about it? Can we spot cadets who
have a problem? How can we promote a drug-free
environment in our corps and squadrons? Are there
legal limitations? We will discuss the subject in our
Winter issue.
Other articles in our next issue will include one on
what New Zealand does to develop its New Zealand
Cadet Force officers and another on the new CIC
Learning Centre website, designed to make learning
easier for corps and squadron leaders. As well, a
civilian volunteer describes the anti-bullying and
mentoring program she has created that is receiving
rave 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 writing
for an upcoming issue, or have a story idea,
please contact the editor in advance at
marshascott@cogeco.ca, scott.mk@cadets.net or
905-468-9371.
IN EVERY ISSUE
4 Opening notes
5 Letters
6 News and Notes
36 Viewpoint
38 Test your knowledge
3
OPENING NOTES
Proud to join
the team
<
t gives me great pride to join the
Col Fletcher is
the new Director
I team of partners who devote
themselves heart and soul to such a
Cadets and Junior large, diverse and challenging pro-
Canadian Rangers
gram. Although I may be a newcom-
er to Directorate Cadets and Junior
Canadian Rangers, what is not new
to 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 Canada
Survey on Giving, Volunteering and
Participating (the most recent survey
of its kind) says that 11.8 million
Canadians (45 percent of the popu-
lation aged 15 and older) volunteer
their time to charities and other non-
profit organizations. Certainly, the
Cadet Program benefits greatly
from tens of thousands of these
volunteers.
4 CADENCE
Col Craig Fletcher
It is important to note, however, that
there is increasing competition
among organizations for a dwindling
number of volunteers. With this in
mind, we must value our volunteers
and ensure that the Cadet Program
supports and encourages communi-
ty participation and engagement. We
hope that the articles inside give you
some insight into nurturing and
retaining your volunteers.
Two other articles in this issue that
caught my eye are “idea-sharing”
articles—articles by your peers who
want to share practices that have
worked in their corps and
squadrons. Capt Nancy Marshall
shares her ‘secrets’ on meal planning
for exercises, and Maj Guy Peterson
shares his thoughts on the value of
broad-based competition to retain
cadets. Sharing ideas and best prac-
tices like this is fundamental to any
good organization’s evolution.
I was equally caught up in the enthu-
siasm of Capt Jacqueline Zweng,
who writes this issue’s Viewpoint on
being a commanding officer. “It’s
not as scary as it seems,” she says,
encouraging all CIC officers to take
the plunge.
These attitudes towards continuous
learning and growth, as well as
the enthusiasm I have encountered
to date, are reflective of a
Cadet Program that is healthy and
thriving.
It is fantastic to see so much of your
input in your professional develop-
ment magazine. You have really
taken Cadence under your wing
and made it your own. Continue to
send your feedback, articles and
comments!
Your dedication to deliver the Cadet
Program is an inspiration, and I look
forward to my tenure with you and
the best youth organization in the
country.
Issue 23 Fall 2007
Cadence is a professional development tool for
officers of the Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC)
and civilian instructors of the Cadet Program.
Secondary audiences include others involved
with 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 issues
of Cadence are available online at
http://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 information
Editor, Cadence
Directorate Cadets
and Junior Canadian Rangers
National Defence Headquarters
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON, K1A 0K2
Email:
marshascott@cogeco.ca
CadetNet at cadence@cadets.net or
scott.mk@cadets.net
Phone:
Tel: 1-800-627-0828
Fax: 613-996-1618
Distribution
Cadence is distributed by the Directorate Technical
Information 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 selected
league members.
Cadet corps and squadrons not receiving
Cadence or wanting to update their distribution
information should contact their Area Cadet
Officer/Cadet Adviser.
Translation:
Translation Bureau
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Art direction:
ADM(PA) Director Public Affairs
Products and Services CS07-0250
A-CR-007-000/JP-001
Issue 23, Fall 2007
 LETTERS
LEASING LOCAL HEADQUARTERS MORE SOLUTIONS TO ‘HOMELESSNESS’?

Your timely article on the possible
dangers 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 the
name of the corps/squadron might
very well result in liability to the
committee members who sign the
lease. To limit this personal liability,
FORMER CADET SAYS “THANKS”
any leases or rental agreements
should be in the name of the spon-
soring committee, which must be an
incorporated society.
Obtaining competent legal advice is
crucial in these circumstances: spon-
soring committees simply cannot
afford NOT to!
Geoffrey Johnston,
President, British Columbia
Provincial Committee
Air Cadet League of Canada
Richmond, BC
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 unfortunate
reality, but thankfully these corps/squadrons have
not given up. Through the hard work of the staff and
cadets they continue to deliver their program while
coping with uncertainty and hardship.
With the article focussing mainly on what types of
problems these corps/squadrons are having, I think
the next steps could be figuring out how to address
them. Rather than trying to print all the suggestions
that people probably have, perhaps this problem
could be addressed in a forum on CadetNet.
Capt Edison McLean
Program Delivery Officer
Junior Canadian Rangers
Ottawa

Today is my 19th birthday which
effectively ends my seven-year
cadet career. In this seven years I
achieved more then I had ever
thought possible.
Years of hard work and unrivaled
passion paid off in what has been
the most rewarding thing I have
ever done in my life. My experience
will continue to provide me with
fond memories and many more
rewards.
Everyone involved in the Cadet
Program is, in my mind, involved
in the production of Canada's
future leaders. In Canada, it seems
the youth are not taken as seriously
as they should be by politicians and
other influential adults. But the
Cadet Program takes youth seri-
ously and provides them with con-
structive activities and opportuni-
ties they would otherwise never
receive.
So thank you for doing what you
do, and keep up the good work!
Jeffrey Scott
534 Air Cadet Squadron
Peterborough, ON
SAME ‘HOME’ FOR 95 YEARS
After reading the article ‘Homeless’, I realize how fortunate
our cadet corps is. We have been in our local armory since
1912—one year after our formation. Although it is a small
armory compared to many, we have all we really need: a
parade square for drill and ranges, three classrooms, an
administration/training office and a supply room.
I have great respect and admiration for those CIC officers
that 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 and
resourcefulness of these officers.
Capt Diane Scott
318 Army Cadet Corps
Woodstock, NB

CORRECTION

I recently read the article enti-
tled “Cadet Selections and
awards: A year-long, transpar-
ent process” (Spring/Summer
2006). I believe there was some
misinterpretation when the
article was submitted. It indi-
cates the author as Lt(N) Tom
Edwards, when in fact it was
an article I wrote and submit-
ted to Lt(N) Edwards to for-
ward to you.
Further, the article states, “This
is a dilemma for many
corps/squadron officers and
staff faced with making these
choices every year. In 1996, as
commanding officer (CO) of
237 TRUXTON Sea Cadet
Corps in Lawn, N.L., I saw
that there had to be a better
system for selecting cadets for
awards and various positions.”
In 1996, I was commanding
officer and this evaluation
process was one I designed and
implemented to deal with cadet
selections.
Lt(N) Maurice Tarrant
Marksmanship program officer
237 Sea Cadet Corps
Lawn, NL

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

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 5

 NEWS AND NOTES
<
LCdr Marcotte
completes his 7115-
CF officer cycles across Canada
kilometre journey
on Parliament Hill
in Ottawa.
for military families
For some officers working with the The CDS Military Family Fund was
Cadet Program, cycling is a hobby. created last April to allow CF base
For LCdr Jean Marcotte, public commanders, partnered with
affairs co-ordinator for Chief Military Family Resource Centres
Reserves and Cadets, cycling is a across the country, to assist military
Gen Hillier
accepts a cheque passion. His passion helped him raise families in need.
more than $2000 this past summer
from LCdr Marcotte On June 2, LCdr Marcotte left
for the CDS Military for the CDS Military Family Fund.
Ottawa/Gatineau to cycle to
Family Fund. Using his annual military leave, Newfoundland, dip his bike into the
LCdr Marcotte cycled 7115 kilome- Atlantic and then fly to Victoria to
>
tres across Canada in 52 days. do the same in the Pacific Ocean.
From there, he cycled east to arrive
back home in Gatineau, Que.,
on July 24. The next day, he cycled
from his home to Parliament Hill,
where Chief of the Defence
Staff General Rick Hillier wel-
comed him home and accepted
his donation.
Suffering mosquito bites, a
succession of flat tires, severe
wear and tear on his bike
and the elements along the
way, LCdr Marcotte often
cycled alone on his jour-
ney. Intermittently, he was
6 CADENCE
joined by friends. He often camped
and occasionally stayed with friends
and family. Sometimes, he splurged
on a motel, but later admitted to
sleeping better in his tent.
As he passed through villages and
cities along the route, he was often
buoyed by the reception he received
from fellow Canadians. Some
allowed him to camp in their yards;
others offered meals. Certainly, in
sometimes gruelling circumstances,
meals were the high point of the day.
During his journey he enjoyed “the
best hamburger in the world”, a cou-
ple of five-pound lobsters and to his
delight, an omelette with maple
syrup, wrapped in a pancake.
To make a donation to the
Military Family Fund in LCdr
Marcotte’s name, call 1-877-445-
6444 or visit the website at
www.cfpsa.com/en/index.asp and
click on “donations”.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
Air Cadet League’s officer of the year

Maj David Kerr of Penticton, B.C., is acted as interim commanding officer

the Air Cadet League’s “officer of the
year” for 2006. He received his cita-
tion at the Albert Head Cadet
Summer Training Centre in Victoria
in June, where he was working as
wing training officer. He received
the citation for “making a significant
difference to the youth of Canada
and for exemplifying the virtues of
loyalty, integrity, leadership and men-
torship” in support of the air cadet
program.
As Area CIC Officer (ACICO) for
the Okanagan Region of British
Columbia, Maj Kerr has provided
administrative assistance to the
for 902 Air Cadet Squadron in
Summerland in 2004/2005 and for
243 Air Cadet Squadron in Kelowna
in 2005/2006. In that same training
year, he mentored a young designat-
ed commanding officer for 223
Squadron in Vernon, Capt Chris
Shewchuk. “Maj Kerr always made
time to answer questions and provide
guidance,” says Capt Shewchuk.
“He was instrumental in my rapid
and unexpected development as an
officer and has been a source of
inspiration since I was a cadet.”
Maj Kerr’s previous awards include a
provincial presidential citation in

region’s eight squadrons since 2003.
However, his service has gone far
beyond that since he first enrolled as
a CIC officer in 1988.
Under his leadership as commanding
officer, 259 Air Cadet Squadron in
Penticton became the top squadron in
British Columbia in 2002. In addition
to his duties as an ACICO, Maj Kerr
<
2003 and a certificate of honour in
2006, both from the B. C. Maj Kerr accepts his CIC Officer of the Year citation
Committee of the Air Cadet League. from Col (ret’d) Len Jenks, past national president of
the Air Cadet League. (DND/CF photo)
In civilian life, Maj Kerr is Penticton
area site supervisor for the B. C.
Corps of Commissionaires. In 2002,
he was recognized as Penticton’s
“Man of the Year”.

Long service recognized

Did you know that about half of the
third clasps to the Canadian Forces
Decoration (CD) are awarded to
members of the Cadet Instructors
Cadre? A total of 58 third clasps were
awarded in 2006. Although the
breakdown for CIC officers was not
yet available for 2006, 22 out of 42,
24 out of 51 and 14 of 25 went to
CIC members in 2005, 2004 and
Few people have achieved four
clasps, and only two people have
ever received five clasps—the Queen
Mother and Air Commodore
Leonard Birchall, Canada's longest-
serving air force officer with 62 years
of service.
Requests for CDs or CD clasps must
be made by a CIC member’s com-
manding officer (CO) directly to the
<

2003 respectively.
The CD is awarded after 12 years of
service. A clasp is awarded for every
subsequent 10 years of qualifying
service.
Directorate of Honours and
Recognition. The medal is then sent
directly to the CO for presentation.
Submitted by LCdr Gerry Pash,
regional public affairs officer (Pacific).
Maj Yvon Savoie, CO of Regional Cadet
Instructors School (Pacific) since 1991,
receives his third clasp to the CD in April
from Cdr Rick Mountford, commander,
Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific).
Maj Savoie’s service includes 22 years in
direct support of the Cadet Program.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 7

NEWS AND NOTES

One current CIC officer and one former CIC officer have been invested as
Prestigious award Members of the Order of Merit (MOM) of the Police Forces. They are LCol
Wayne Kopan of Abbotsford, B. C., currently regional advisor (Pacific) with

for CIC officers the CIC Branch Advisory Council and an RCMP inspector; and Capt (ret’d)
Joseph Browne, formerly commanding officer (CO) of 2515 Army Cadet
Corps in St. John’s, N. L., and the chief of police for The Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary.
The Order was created in October 2000 to recognize conspicuous merit and
exceptional service by members and employees of the Canadian police forces
whose contributions extend beyond community protection. The three levels of
membership—Commander, Officer and Member—reflect long-term, outstand-
ing service in varying degrees of responsibility. Governor General Michaelle
Jean also invested 40 other Canadians with their MOM insignia last May; one
Canadian as Commander of the Order and another 10 as officers.
LCol Kopan has served in several local corps in British Columbia since he was
commissioned as a CIC officer in 1981. He has also served as deputy CO and
CO of Vernon Cadet Summer Training Centre.
In 1996, he was appointed Area CIC Officer (Land) for the Lower
Mainland/Fraser Valley region of the province. In addition to assisting and
coaching COs of 15 army cadet corps in the region, he was CO of 72 Army
Cadet Corps in Vancouver in 1998/1999 and 2812 Army Cadet Corps in
Surrey in 1999/2000. He also served as liaison officer to the B.C. branch of the
Army Cadet League.
LCol Kopan was a catalyst for influencing national policy changes with the
RCMP and the CF, which resulted in RCMP members being permitted to
serve concurrently as CF Reserve officers in the CIC.
Further information on Capt (ret’d) Brown was not available at press time.

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

New Rank for Air Cadets

As of Sept. 1, air cadets added

the new rank of flight corporal
proficiency level two of the local
(FCpl) to their rank structure.
training program and preferably, a
FCpls Courtney Shields and Eric familiarization summer course.
Beauregard, both from 632 Air
To help squadron commanding
Cadet Squadron in Orleans, Ont.,
officers reach a proper ratio between
became the first cadets to be pro-
sergeants and flight sergeants during
moted to the new rank during a
the new rank’s introductory year,
rank introduction ceremony in
COs will have the discretion—for
Ottawa last June.
2007-2008 only—to waive the profi-
To be promoted to flight corporal, a ciency level four requirement for
cadet must have completed at least promotion to flight sergeant to help
six months of satisfactory service at fill their flight sergeant vacancies.
Michel Cataford, president of the Air Cadet League, and the substantive rank of corporal,
LCol Francois Gaboury, senior staff officer for air cadets at
Directorate Cadets, with FCpls Shields and Beauregard.
(Photo by Myriam Bower)
8 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007
CIC officer takes part
in CF Recognition Day
Capt Steve Stephenson, commanding
officer (CO) of 2918 Army Cadet
Corps in Kingsville, Ont., was among
12 CF members honoured during
this year’s CF Recognition Day in the
House of Commons in June.
Each year, the 12-member CF con-
tingent consists of deserving junior
and senior non-commissioned mem-
bers, as well as junior officers from
the Navy, Army, Air Force and
Reserve Forces.
“Nominations can come from any-
where—your corps/squadron, or
even your detachment, as was the
case with me,” says Capt
Stephenson. “About 1000 nomina-
tions were put forward for the day
and I was lucky enough to be cho-
sen. It was an inspiring and hum-
In keeping with this year’s theme of
“Supporting those who support us”,
Leslie received a Distinguished
Service Medallion for the personal
sacrifices she has made over the
years to help Capt Stephenson serve
the Cadet Program.
Capt Stephenson was still flying high
when he went this summer to super-
vise cadets on the power pilot schol-
arship in London, Ont.
CF Recognition Day in the House of
Commons is the centrepiece of the
CF Recognition Program. Regular
and Reserve Force personnel across
Canada can apply or be considered
for participation.
If you would like to nominate a CIC
member to take part in CF

<
bling experience.” Recognition Day 2008, June 1 to 3,
submit your nomination through for picking up event costs for their Capt Stephenson
In addition to appearing in the your chain of command to your candidates. and wife Leslie at
House of Commons, Capt Environmental Command, or to the Rideau Hall for the
Further information is available in
Stephenson and his wife, Leslie, took Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Chief of the Defence
CANFORGEN 132/07 CF
part in a number of events over five Resources-Military). Commands Staff Ball.
Recognition P{rogram 2007-08. The
days, including the Chief of Defence determine their own selection and
deadline for 2008 applications is
Staff Ball. scoring criteria and are responsible
April 15, 2008.

Marketing through You Tube

Today’s youths demand customization in very aspect of their lives, says a November 2006
article on Media Innovation Awards in Marketing magazine. The article says that when
seeking Alberta teens to work for the company, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
abandoned 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 drove
teens to the Web.
Directorate of Cadets is also using the Web to customize its marketing for teens. It has
placed videos, designed to draw teens to the Cadet Program, on YouTube.
YouTube is a popular video-sharing website—particularly among teens—where users can
upload, 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

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 9

FEATURE
Volunteers:
Retired MGen Lionel Bourgeois, a former national president with the Air Cadet League, is one of
many retired military personnel who volunteer with the Cadet Program. Here, he acts as reviewing
officer at the 2006 graduation of cadets from the cadet summer training centre in Trenton, Ont.
Keep the lifeblood flowing
Volunteers are the lifeblood
of the Cadet Program.
The above description is perhaps a
little closer to your heart than the
definition of “volunteer” in the
Memorandum of Understanding
between the Department of National
Defence and the leagues concerning
roles and responsibilities regarding
the delivery of the Cadet Program in
Canada. The MOU states that a
“volunteer” is:
“A person who provides services
directly to or on behalf of DND or
the CF, without compensation or
any other thing of value in lieu of
compensation in support of activities
defined as cadet duty, and who has
been screened and approved in
accordance with the common league
and DND process.”
10
This dry, legalistic definition is nec-
essary in a document like the MOU,
signed in December of 2005. But for
those of you who depend on volun-
teers to make the Cadet Program
work in your community, volunteers
are living, breathing entities with
skills, interests and talents that can
greatly benefit your local program.
How volunteer efforts can help meet
local program needs is obvious.
Perhaps less obvious, however, is
how you can meet the needs of your
volunteers. Believe it or not, achiev-
ing that ‘fit’ between the needs of
“...volunteers are
living, breathing entities
with skills, interests
and talents that can
greatly benefit your
local program.”
CADENCE
your local program and the needs of
your volunteers is crucial to the suc-
cess of retaining them.
Of course, volunteers have different
reasons for volunteering. According
to the Statistics Canada 2004 Canada
Survey on Giving, Volunteering and
Participating, the top three reasons for
volunteering were: to make a contri-
bution to the community, to use
one’s skills and experiences, and
being affected by the cause support-
ed by the organization.
The most common volunteers in the
Cadet Program are parents (family
members) of cadets participating in
the program. Other volunteers have a
multitude of reasons for helping out.
Knowing those reasons will help you
inspire—and keep—your volunteers.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
“Achieving that ‘fit’ between the needs of your local program
and the needs of your volunteers is crucial to the success of
retaining them.”

Former cadet Wade

Responsibility
for volunteers
Under the MOU, both local officers
and local league representatives are
responsible for ensuring the author-
ized use of volunteers in accordance
with national policies. Additional
responsibilities 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 are
responsible for:
• Identifying and screening poten-
tial volunteers
• Submitting screening results to
the Provincial League
• Providing corps/squadron com-
manding officers with lists of
approved volunteers
• Identifying and delivering league-
required training
Currently, there is no DND-required
training for volunteers.
Each league delivers its own league-
Hofman, right,
required training, which includes
helps OCdt Shaun
orientation. Workshops and semi-
nars—national, provincial/Division Simpson set up a
or local—are the preferred vehicles navigation course
for delivery. The Army Cadet last May for cadets
League in particular is placing new from 2512 Army
emphasis on creating a coherent Cadet Corps in
strategy to support its volunteer Cochrane, Alta. He
training. (See “Volunteer training” on volunteers for field
page 14.) exercises, special
events and an occa-
In co-operation with the leagues, sional parade night,
Directorate Cadets has developed
even though it is a
volunteer screening policies. It has
440-kilometre
also developed Cadet Administration
round trip from his
and Training Order (CATO) 23-07 to
give direction to commanding officers home to the corps.
(Photo by Kat
on how they can involve volunteers
in corps and squadron activities. Hofman)
According to this CATO, COs must
monitor the performance of all civil-
ian volunteers on an ongoing basis,
are authorized to suspend a volun- lifeblood flowing. Certainly, the goal
teer’s participation, or request that a of officers and the leagues should be
volunteer complete a new application a thriving list of satisfied, happy vol-
and reliability screening. unteers who clearly benefit the
Cadet Program.
Ultimately, CIC officers are respon-
sible for the day-to-day, hands-on To help, articles on the next few
supervision and direction of all vol- pages discuss a holistic approach to
unteers and can, perhaps, make the working with volunteers, preventing
greatest contribution to keeping the volunteer burnout and the impor-
tance of volunteer recognition.

Volunteering in Canada in 2004

• 11.8 million Canadians (45 percent of
the population aged 15 and older) vol-
unteered their time to charities and
other non-profit organizations.
• Volunteers contributed almost 2 billion
volunteer hours to organizations—the
equivalent of 1 million full-time jobs.
• Canadian volunteers contributed an
average of 168 hours in 2004.
• 11 percent of Canadians (the 25 per-
cent of volunteers who contributed
180 hours or more) accounted for 77
percent of volunteer hours.
• Canadians volunteered most often
with sports and recreation, social
services, education and research, and
religious organizations.
• Volunteer rates were highest among
youth, those with university degrees,
those with household incomes over
$100 000, and those who attended
religious services weekly.
• The average hours volunteered was
highest among seniors, those with
lower levels of household income, and
those who attended religious services
weekly.
• The rate of volunteering varied from a
high of 54 percent in Saskatchewan to
a low of 34 percent in Quebec.
• The average hours volunteered varied
from a high of 199 hours in British
Columbia to a low of 132 hours in
Nunavut.
• The top three reasons for volunteering
were: to make a contribution to the
community, to use one’s skills and expe-
riences, and being affected by the cause
supported by the organization.
• 83 percent of the population, aged 15
and older, helped others directly, with-
out going through a charitable or
other non-profit organization.
Source: Statistics Canada: 2004 Canada
Survey on Giving, Volunteering and
Participating

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 11

FEATURE

Volunteer recognition

includes planning, recruitment, orien-
tation and training, as well as super-
vision and evaluation.
Each year, Volunteer Canada launches
National Volunteer Week—scheduled
for 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 ideas
for organizing local events during
<
promotion of your event are all free.
They can help you promote volun-
teerism with your corps and
squadron, and celebrate.
Volunteer recognition events can be
creative and inexpensive, anything
from a cake and coffee night to creat-
ing a thank-you slide show featuring
photos from the past year of your
volunteers in action. A token might

that week. be as simple as a framed photo of

The sister of a A good resource for anyone your staff holding a sign that says
working with volunteers is The National Volunteer Week
cadet, Mielsa “thank you”. Or a framed group
Volunteer Canada’s website at website (http://new.volunteer.ca/en/
Hirsh-Pearson, photo of your current volunteers.
www.volunteer.ca. Volunteer Canada, volcan/nvw/sitemap) can help you
centre, volunteers
funded in part by the Department of kick-start your own corps/ squadron Remember that even though
on Friday nights
Canadian Heritage, offers informa- volunteer recognition campaign. National Volunteer Week is the
and during comp-
tion on promoting volunteerism, Take a look at what others have time in which most volunteers
etitions to coach the
volunteer management, volunteer done. You can also click on “cam- are formally recognized, informal
volleyball team of
recognition and more. paign in a kit” for event ideas, pro- recognition is just as important.
690 Air Cadet
motional tips and more. The material We encourage you to recognize your
Squadron in
Recognition is one important link in to support your event, including post- volunteers throughout the year.
Beaconsfield, Que.
the volunteer management cycle that cards, posters and templates for the
(Photo by Capt
Dave Wakely)

A holistic approach to working

with volunteers
The most effective volunteer programs
take a holistic approach to working
with volunteers as human beings and pro-
vide places that welcome, support and
encourage community participation and
engagement.
Answer these questions to assess whether
your corps/squadron has a human-centred
approach to volunteers.
• Are your volunteers involved in the
core purpose and roles of your local
program?
• Does your staff recognize the impor-
tance of your volunteers?
• Is volunteering at your corps/ squadron
a two-way process? Do you meet the
needs of your volunteers—give them
opportunities to contribute, to have
social 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 local
corps/squadron value and recognize
volunteer contributions?
• Do you provide your volunteers with
adequate resources to do their jobs?
• Do you recognize your volunteers
informally as well as formally?
• Do you support your volunteers; can
they access support when they need it?
• Do you provide a range of projects to
give your volunteers opportunities to
think and use their initiative?
• Are the boundaries between paid and
unpaid staff clear and defined, without
creating conflict? In effective programs,
volunteers recognize that they play dif-
ferent but equally important roles to the
paid staff.
Adapted from “Working with Volunteers: a
Human Centred Approach” by Mark Creyton,
Deb Olive and Stephen McGarrigle,
Volunteering Queensland Inc.

12 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

Prevent volunteer burnout
Manage volunteer time efficiently. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians cite
lack of time as the greatest barrier to volunteering.
Did you know that in the Statistics
Canada: 2004 Canada Survey on
Giving, Volunteering and Participating,
more than one-quarter of volunteers
said they did not volunteer more
because no one had asked them!
The other side of this coin, however,
is that some volunteers are asked too
much.
In 2004, the top one-quarter of vol-
unteers who contributed 180 hours
or more accounted for 77 percent of
total volunteer hours. The top 10 per-
cent contributed 52 percent of all
hours!
Active and committed volunteers are
key. Experienced volunteers are
especially valuable because they
already ‘know the ropes’. They are
familiar with the work to be done
and can inspire and lead new volun-
teers. However, with volunteers jug-
gling priorities and the many
demands on their time, volunteers
are susceptible to burnout.
It is normal to lose volunteers as they
move to new places or on to new
interests. However, if you are losing
key volunteers after they have con-
tributed a great deal of time and
effort, you may have a burnout
situation.
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
Can you recognize burnout? Do
your volunteers suffer from a per-
sistent lack of energy and satisfac-
tion? Are they short on enthusiasm
and motivation? Is their interest flag-
ging? Do they lack a sense of
humour and suffer from decreased
self-confidence?
The following tips may help you
keep your volunteers motivated:
• Ensure goals are realistic, relevant
and achievable. Don’t make your
volunteers reach for an impossible
target. Encourage your volunteers
to communicate concerns, so you
can deal with them as soon as pos-
sible.
• Keep the workload manageable.
Expand timelines and re-evaluate
the size of the job where possible.
Don’t overwork volunteers.
Spread the work around as much
as possible and if necessary, iden-
tify the need for more volunteers.
Don’t let one person take on too
much. Encourage volunteers to
delegate.
• Give volunteers the opportunity
to say no, or take a break. It’s bet-
ter to have a volunteer temporari-
ly step away or take a lesser role
than to lose them altogether.
Invite a hard-working volunteer
to take a break
to do something else, or rest.
They may appreciate the change
and return more energized and
inspired.
• Promote a sense of accomplish-
ment. Ask your volunteers to help
set priorities so the most impor-
tant tasks get done first.
• Manage volunteer time efficiently.
According to Statistics Canada,
Canadians cite lack of time as the
greatest barrier to volunteering.
Be prepared so that you don’t
waste people’s time. Plan well to
make efficient use of your volun-
teers. Ensure your volunteers
know exactly what is expected of Experienced
them. Tailor your volunteer jobs volunteers are
so that they can be accomplished especially valuable
in one, two or three hours at the because they
most. Most volunteers contribute already ‘know
less than five hours a week. the ropes’. Here,
Scheduling in advance allows Ron Cleminson,
volunteers to manage their time an Air Cadet
commitment. League volunteer
and a former air
Source: Adapted from Hands for Nature: cadet who partici-
A Volunteer Management Handbook, pated in the first
created for Evergreen—a national non- ever international
profit environmental organization with air cadet exchange,
a mandate to bring nature to our cities speaks to foreign
through naturalization projects. cadets visiting
Canada at the
(www.evergreen.ca/en/resources/resources/ Aviation Museum
hands/hands-04.html) in Ottawa
<
13
 VOLUNTEER TRAINING
Army Cadet League
Orientation and training are
crucial to good volunteer
management.
Only since the completion of the
Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) and the formalization of
league responsibilities have we in the
leagues found it necessary to come
to grips with training. Cadet
Program volunteers across Canada
are looking to us for more structured
leadership and guidance than in the
Although Doug
past. The Army Cadet League is
Smith’s children
moving in that direction, but we do
graduated from
not expect it to be easy.
Cadets years ago,
he stayed on as a In the past, training was delivered
volunteer with exclusively by provincial and territo-
2824 Army rial branches. A large or well-funded
Cadet Corps in branch could afford to deliver a wide
Mississauga, Ont. range of seminars to orient and train
Here, he supports volunteers. Other branches had a
the qualified abseil more difficult time, and with the
instructor by check- turnover in the volunteer pool, we
ing a cadet’s always seemed to be behind the
harness prior curve.
to abseiling.
The league is aware that the best
<
part of being a volunteer is being
14
free to do what you want, when you
want and if you want. If we deliver
training in a setting that is more like
work than fun, our volunteers are
going to exercise their prerogative
not to take part. Adequate funding
to the provincial/territorial branches
is necessary so that training can be
professionally 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 starting
to tap every resource it has to
develop a solid volunteer training
program. Only now—after one year
of formally identifying and organiz-
ing volunteers at corps—are we start-
ing to get a handle on what league
training entails.
Cadet Program
volunteers across
Canada are looking
to us for more structured
leadership and guidance
than in the past.
The larger provinces have been ori-
enting and training their sponsoring
committee volunteers for years.
British Columbia, for instance, suc-
cessfully orients everyone involved
in the army cadet program in that
province during a single “Pillars
Conference”, explaining in clear
terms the issues and opportunities
for DND/Army Cadet League part-
nership. Alberta, Ontario and
Quebec have delivered sponsoring
committee (support committee in
Ontario) training for years and have
led the way in developing seminar
materials for volunteers. Other
provinces are picking up this task
slowly, but smaller provinces (and
CADENCE
Terrence Whitty
especially Northern Canada) con-
duct little or no training, mostly due
to cost and travel issues.
We recognize that this lack of coher-
ent ongoing training, and its cousin
‘no communication’, create all sorts
of spin-off issues and inefficiencies.
How to attack this from the national
level has been a big question. The
Army Cadet League’s executive has
been discussing with some urgency
what scope or format of training sup-
port the national level can success-
fully deliver to provincial and terri-
torial branches. The subjects being
considered are:
• League orientation (The structure
and the parameters of work)
• The partnership (interaction with
DND)
• Fundraising (the law and the
opportunities)
• Standard first aid (a course for all
corps volunteers and instructors)
• Wilderness first aid (a specialist
course)
• Public relations (a hands-on prac-
tical seminar)
• Managing your volunteers (and
why it differs from the workplace)
Taking these seemingly serious sub-
jects and rendering them into fun
and formative conferences and semi-
nars that volunteers will enjoy and
remember is one way we can help
(and retain) our volunteers in an
increasingly professional and well-
run organization.
Terrence Whitty is the executive director of
the Army Cadet League.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
Navy League
Jerrod Riley
Each of the three leagues has similar
challenges when it comes to volun-
teer training. While many of our
training initiatives are developed
independently, our national offices do
collaborate on common issues (like
the MOU) and share best practices.
Volunteer training is one of eight
national strategic objectives for the
Navy League, and we have adapted
the experience we have gained from
training Navy League Cadet Officers
to training all our volunteers to
support our programs effectively.
While technology has made the
process easier with distance learning
packages, instructional guides and
improved communication, the work-
shop format has proven to be the
most popular and effective method
of developing our volunteer pool.
Interpersonal connections through
workshops allow us to collect
Air Cadet League
Sarah Putinski
The Air Cadet League attempts to
provide its volunteers with the basic
skills they need to work at the
provincial and local levels, as this
has proven most effective.
Information for volunteers is deliv-
ered through a series of seminars
and presentations aimed at develop-
ing knowledge of the league and
providing the tools essential to main-
taining a squadron sponsoring com-
mittee and effective volunteers.
The league has limited self-directed
learning tools available at the
moment. It has, however, developed
a compilation of handbooks (on sub-
jects such as public relations, volun-
teer screening, how to start an effec-
tive speaking competition and fill
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
VOLUNTEER TRAINING
information as well as provide it. However, workshops will remain
Feedback from workshops at our the key ingredient in our training
national and Division annual general mix.
meetings allows us to continually
Jerrod Riley is the national deputy
adapt our material—addressing the
needs of our volunteers as they see director of the Navy League.
them, not as we in Ottawa think
they might be.
At this year’s annual general meeting,
we provided workshops on strategic
planning, governance and financial
management. The financial manage-
ment workshop proved particularly
popular. Our treasurer, Peter Martin,
has also been crisscrossing the nation
to share his wisdom (and humour).
When he has not been available,
we have provided copies of his
presentation and support materials to
the Divisions.
<
LCdr Marie Bourinot, Regional Cadet Sea Training Officer
In the coming year, we will release a (Atlantic) with Navy League volunteer Gary Garnett at the
series of updated guides for our national Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Regatta in Kingston,
members, and expand distance Ont., in August. (Photo by Jerrod Riley)
learning material on our website.
out financial statements) and fre-
quently asked questions to assist
provincial and sponsoring commit-
tee chairpersons in performing
league duties. These are all available
on the league’s website.
With a more user-friendly policy
and procedures manual in produc-
tion (among other things), the goal is
to keep volunteers informed no mat-
ter what their level of technological
comprehension and to make them
feel that they are not alone and are
in fact backed by an efficient support
system.
Sarah Putinski is the administration officer,
communications and media, for the Air
<
Cadet League. Parent volunteers help staff and cadets from 52 Air Cadet
Squadron in Calgary, sort bottles following a fund-raising
bottle drive.
15
OFFICER DEVELOPMENT Maj Bob MacKay

Good morale starts with leaders

Time to take stock?

High morale starts

with Cadet
Program leaders
and is reflected in
happy cadets, who
will spread their
contentment
throughout the com-
munity and win
friends for the
corps/squadron.
(Photo by Lt(N)
Paul Simas) >

Morale is the “mental condition or attitude with regard to courage,

confidence, enthusiasm etc.”, says the Canadian Gage Dictionary. Officers’
Basically, morale applies to the attitude of a group of people who responsibility
share common goals. A group has good morale if it is willing Senior CIC officers get to the top
to plan enthusiastically and work efficiently and harmoniously because of their ability as leaders,
and building morale is first of all a
as a team to attain its purpose.
leadership problem and job.
In the Cadet Program, as elsewhere, High morale spreads outward from Successful leaders take pride in the
good morale starts with leaders. Is it corps/squadron leaders. Cadets who teams they are in charge of. Morale
time to take your personal morale- are happy in their roles, have confi- and team spirit are the products of
building inventory? (See sidebar) dence and have co-operative rela- consistently high character displayed
tions with their officers will spread over a period of years. Loyalty and
High or low their contentment throughout the efficiency are not created overnight
morale? community and win friends for the by some code, appeal, promise or
corps/squadron. What cadets say hand-out. They arise out of a
No one will deny the emotional ben-
about their corps/squadron is a leader’s personality.
efits of being in a group that has
potent force in public relations.
high morale, but there is more to it The character of leadership includes
than emotional pleasure. High Consider, now, the situation when forethought in the interest of cadets,
morale generates thinking and plan- morale is low. Cadets feel no great fairness and impartiality, willingness
ning, stimulates initiative and enter- responsibility for the success of their to listen to complaints and sugges-
prise and is the most important corps/squadron. There is significant tions, giving credit where due and
ingredient of efficiency. It is only in turnover and excessive absenteeism. being honest in living up to promis-
this atmosphere that people are The corps/squadron can be plagued es. But in addition to these necessary
inspired to seek the best. High by disobedience, slow-downs and an qualities, officers who are most suc-
morale pays off in recruitment, job unconcern about quality. There can cessful in building morale are those
satisfaction and the effective opera- be friction, abuse of privileges and who are considerate of their people
tion of corps/squadrons. an all-around tension that is bad for in minor matters.
the health of everyone.
Great leaders are careful in dealing
with people. They know that it is
High morale pays off in recruitment, job satisfaction only possible for them to progress
and the effective operation of corps/squadrons. through other people. They do not

16 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

 Officers who are most successful in building
morale are those who are considerate of their
people in minor matters.
boast only an open door policy;
rather, they go through that open
door to reach their team.
The joy of leadership—and thrill of
being in charge of staff and cadets—
is in spending the last ounce of your
management talent to see that the
people under you fulfil their greatest
abilities in their roles.
Co-operation
Co-operation—integral to good
morale—is one of the misused words
of our time. Some people ‘demand’
co-operation. They say, "Your co-
operation will be appreciated" when
they really mean, "Do it, or else."
Don’t let this happen if you want to
build good morale. Co-operation
must be practised by everyone—
those who are supervising and those
who are supervised. Co-operation is
voluntary, a two-way street, a way of
living in which people work together
to get something done. A fair index
of a person's efficiency in manage-
ment is the degree of working
together that exists.
What are the
facts?
Cadets is a social unit. When every-
one is contributing what he or she
has to give, ‘going to Cadets’
becomes a social activity, yielding
individuals respect and approval, as
well as a feeling of fellowship in
making a contribution to society.
Within this social unit there will be
smaller groups. We should not con-
demn cliques out-of-hand. Be angry,
if you wish, about plotting cliques,
rumour-mongering cliques, catty
cliques, subversive cliques and those
sorts of cliques. At the same time, be
aware that there are certain normal
groupings that arise in organizations.
The foursome that always sits at the
same table is most likely there
because it is made up of congenial
spirits with similar interests.
Go on record
A significant part of morale-building
is keeping team members informed
of matters that directly or indirectly
concern them. The destructive
grapevine works hardest in organi-
zations where management fails to
provide necessary information to the
people involved. It is a childish and
often damaging characteristic of peo-
ple in every supervisory rank to
hold back information to feed their
ego with the thought that "I know
something you don't know."
Once upon a time, management's
maxim was, "Don't tell employees
anything unless you have to."
Enlightened management of today
says, "Don't hold anything back
unless there's a good reason."
Finally, dare to take the “Start build-
ing morale” exercise in the sidebar
below. It will blow away the cobwebs
from your thinking about morale-
building.
Maj MacKay is the Area CIC Officer for
New Brunswick and assists Regional
Cadet Instructors School (Atlantic) as a
course 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 lieutenant
governor of New Brunswick. In his civil-
ian life, he has filled several management
positions with the Royal Bank and is cur-
rently operations adviser for Atlantic
Canada.

Your personal inventory

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?

Start building morale

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 think
of that you would like to have answered about your staff and cadets. Don't worry if the questions seem to be trivial or
irrelevant.
Then imagine that you are a junior officer or a cadet, and write down all the questions you would like to have answered
about 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 your
people to understand their wants, and what you have to tell them so they will become aware of the sort of
corps/squadron they work for and the sort of person you are.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 17

TRIBUTE
Humility
and a can-do attitude
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 Sea
Cadet Corps FALKLAND in Ottawa. “I never
felt that I was good with the ‘political’
side of things,” he says. “But hopefully,
I’ll grow from it.”
This rare blend of humility with a
can-do attitude will surely stand
LCdr Morin in good stead as a com-
manding officer.
“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
LCdr Morin finds the idea of com-
mand daunting primarily because
he’s a hands-on kind of guy. Those
hands-on abilities have earned him
high praise both inside and outside
the Cadet Program. In 1999, he
received a commendation from the
Ottawa-Carleton Region for rescu-
ing a mentally challenged person
who wandered from a group home
in a snow storm. In 2002, he
received the Navy League
Meritorious Service Award. In 2004,
he received the Navy League
National President’s Commendation
and a Department of National
Defence commendation for provid-
ing life-saving care to an injured
cadet.
The new CO is also concerned that
he will no longer have as much time
to devote to his passion for scuba div-
ing. Back in 1987, when scuba diving
was virtually unheard of as a local
cadet activity, he initiated a scuba div-
ing program at FALKLAND.
18
“When I was a cadet, I got turned wearing only pyjamas and slippers—
down for a scuba course at a cadet was wandering down the snow-cov-
summer training centre,” says LCdr ered road ahead. The man could not
Morin. “From that time, I wanted to speak and about half an inch of ice
become a certified diver and get div- had accumulated on his head. As a
ing going in Cadets. I wanted it so trained emergency medical care
much that I sold my motorcycle to assistant, LCdr Morin knew exactly
get the $1000 to pay for my scuba what to do, just as he did in 2004
instructor’s course.” when he provided emergency first
aid on Cadet Sebastien Rioux dur-
To date, he has certified more than ing a scuba training weekend in a
200 cadets in scuba diving—20 of remote part of Quebec. Cadet Rioux
them currently with the corps. Last severed an artery in his right arm
June, he was training four cadets, when he accidentally put his arm
with several more on a waiting list.
He can train only four cadets at a
through a window. He lost a massive
amount of blood, but LCdr Morin’s
time because he trains them mostly emergency care saved him. Mrs.
in his swimming pool at home. Beth Jefferson, the cadet’s mother,
“Cadets love scuba diving,” he says. later wrote, “Your medical training
“It teaches them a skill they can and professionalism got us through
carry on with outside of Cadets. It what could have been a tragedy
teaches them a bit of physics and it’s were you not there for
good for physical fitness.” He says him.”
one of his biggest thrills was coming
out of a dive with several cadets and
being greeted on shore by a “huge
guy saying ‘hello sir’”. “I had no clue
who he was, but I’d trained him
years before and he was still diving.”
LCdr Morin has also instructed one
CIC officer to the dive master level
so the officer can supervise diving.
He has heard of only two other
CIC officers who are qualified
scuba instructors.
On ‘civvie street’, LCdr Morin
works for the City of Ottawa.
In the winter, he drives a
snow plow. That’s what
he was doing when he
rescued the mental-
ly challenged
person,
who—
CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

Cadets love scuba
diving. It teaches
them a skill they can
carry on with outside
of Cadets.
At FALKLAND, LCdr Morin has
been 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 basic
canoe instructor. Instructing seems
to come naturally to him. He also
trains City of Ottawa employees on
heavy equipment.
His civilian job has taught him to be
flexible and optimistic. He used to
have a higher position with the city,
but he came to work one morning to
find his desk cleared. The city had
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
>
amalgamated and he’d lost his job as If his history is any indicator, LCdr LCdr Morin,
road inspector; however, he’s deter- Morin will do just fine as CO of 40 with his son in
mined to “get up there again.” the background,
Sea Cadet Corps. If he needs any
help, he can always call on the assis- prepares for
That same determination was evi- a dive.
dent in 1976, when, as a young
tance of his wife Connie, a Scout
leader, or his 17-year-old son (one of
cadet, he received the highest mark
two), a cadet who seems determined
in Ontario on his petty officer’s
exam.
to follow in his dad’s footsteps. That
is perhaps the biggest tribute of all.
LCdr Morin has always loved
Cadets. “I enjoy it as much as the
cadets do. It’s been part of my life
since I was 16 years old and I can’t Cadence would like
see myself not doing it,” he says.
to continue Tribute as a
Since becoming a CIC officer in
1982, he admits he’s learned a thing
regular feature. If you believe
or two. “I think I’ve learned to be someone is deserving of
much more diplomatic and not as
this tribute, please email
quick to judge,” he says. “I think I
assess things more carefully now.” your nomination to
He’s also learned to always give staff marshascott@cogeco.ca
challenges. “I don’t want to see them
stuck, but everyone likes to be chal-
or scott.mk@cadets.net.
lenged,” he says. “When they learn Or call 905-468-9371.
something, the next step is to teach it
to someone else.”
19
SHARING IDEAS
Cadet retention
The power of competition to increase retention
Every year around December, the Cadet
Program parades nearly 70 000 cadets.
On average, 15 000 of them will leave
before June. Some explain this loss by
saying that “The training programs
are boring and cadets do not like
the school-like environment.”
According to statistics, however,
only 1.9 percent of cadets say they
are leaving because what we offer is
too much like school. The main
reason, cadets say, is that the local
experience “is not challenging
enough”.
I have found that nothing
brings teenagers closer and
gets them more excited than
the prospect of showing what
they are made of. Teenagers
thrive on competition.
It is that blunt and simple: they reg-
ister and quickly fall into a routine
that fails to excite them.
Attracting teenagers is easy; keeping
them interested means putting your-
self in their shoes and understanding
that they are not obligated to stick
around if you do not deliver on your
promise to deliver excitement.
Is what you offer too much like
school? If so, your problem is likely
not so much with the program itself,
but rather with your delivery strate-
gy. Here is one strategy you may
want to consider that has worked for
many corps.
20
Maj Guy Peterson
>
Cpl Valérie Vachon, foreground, practises with other 2920
Corps band members in preparation for competition
We were very good at biathlon and
Involve your
cadets in broad shooting, but there was room for
only 15 cadets in these two activities
competition combined. We had 57 cadets.
Competition—in both drill and
Then we made the conscious deci-
band—has proved to be a great reten-
sion to compete on a broader scale.
tion strategy in the army cadet corps
I work with. Now we have 24 cadets on our com-
petitive drill team, and our band
Until a few years ago, we did not may have to turn down musicians
have a drill team. Our band had dif- next year because we have instru-
ficulty retaining 10 cadets per year. ments for only 40 people! Our band
Our only two competitive teams were had eight members in 2003. Our
biathlon and shooting teams. current band has been the provincial
concert champion for the past two
years. In addition, our corps is
What does involved in volleyball, curling, bowl-
competition do ing, swimming, physical fitness, kin-
ball, marksmanship and adventure
for our corps? training competition with other
Membership has corps in our zone. Overall, nearly 85
different cadets from our corps par-
never been higher,
ticipated in at least one competition
with 115 cadets at during the last training year.
our annual parade
last May.
CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007
I have found that nothing brings
teenagers closer and gets them more
excited than the prospect of showing
what they are made of. Teenagers
thrive on competition. They will
endure the most gruelling training
and frustration if they feel that they
are moving towards a significant goal.
Competitive versus
participative event
The kind of competition I am talking
about is the kind that cadets train for
over weeks and months. This allows
them to develop friendships through
hard work and rely on each other.
A one-day participative event where
all cadets freely participate without
training does not have the same pow-
erful effect on retention. Participative
events have a short-term effect on the
winning teams and barely any effect
on the others. The difference
between participative events and
competitive events is the level of
commitment required from your
cadets to develop and hone skills.
Why do teenagers spend hours
every week training as members of a
drill team instead of doing something
else? Because it is fun for them, it is
challenging, they know that being
members of an élite team gives them
special status and they know that the
‘10-minute show’ they are preparing
will allow them to compete with
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
other teams and maybe, win. Why
do cadets participate in a band, the
shooting team, the biathlon team,
competitive sports teams and so on?
For the same reasons.
Cadets who leave your corps/
squadron because they are bored are
rarely members of the élite teams.
Teams that work hard together have
fun together and within these teams,
cadets develop ties and friendships
that go beyond the corps/squadron.
The pay-off
What does competition do for our
corps? Membership has never been
higher, with 115 cadets at our annual
parade last May. Weekly presence
throughout the year was more than
90 percent. And our cadets have
developed enormous pride in their
corps.
Of course, competition alone does
not explain this. The corps also has
a dynamic set of principles that
guide a highly energetic adult staff.
But competition is definitely a factor.
Can other corps and squadrons do
the same? Why not? It is a matter of
committing to the idea and putting in
place the right strategies. Broad-scale
competition may be one strategy
for you.
>
Statistically, roughly one third
of the cadets that leave your
corps/squadron will leave for
reasons that are out of your
control. The challenge you
face is to keep the others.
This starts with the strategies
you choose to deliver your
local program.
Our job is not to blindly deliver
training programs, but rather to
develop in our cadets qualities that
will make them better citizens. This
includes learning to work hard,
learning to be a valuable team mem-
ber, showing chivalry in success and
defeat and more.
Statistically, roughly one third of the
cadets that leave your corps/
squadron will leave for reasons that
are out of your control. The challenge
you face is to keep the others. This
starts with the strategies you choose
to deliver your local program.
Maj Peterson is a volunteer with 2920
Army Cadet Corps in Gatineau, Que.
He is the founder and director of the
Excalibur Championship. The zone
competition includes 12 events (volleyball,
biathlon, decathlon and music, to name
a few) and runs over the entire training
year. For more information, go to
www.cadets.ca/est/detmtl/excalibur.
Maj Peterson is also the founder and
director of the Provincial Cadet Music
Festival in Eastern Region. He received
a Command citation this year for his inno-
vative ideas, huge involvement and volun-
teer work in creating and implementing
both competitions. He is currently the
national army cadet co-ordinator at
Directorate Cadets.
The band from 2920 Army Cadet Corps
performs during the Excalibur Championship
in 2006. The band has won the provincial
championship three years in a row
21
SHARING IDEAS
Competition — good or bad?
>
Over the years, human devel-
Competition—such opment experts have debat-
as this regional
ed the role of competition in
orienteering
youth’s lives—whether it is
competition in
Central Region good or bad for their devel-
last spring—can opment. Convincing argu-
engage youth ments have been presented
and generate on both sides.
excitement.
Dr. David Andrews, now Dean of
the College of Education and
Human Ecology at The Ohio State
University, points out in his online
article “Competition: The good, the
bad and the ugly”, that competition
is 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 adds
that the number of young people
participating in competitive events in
the United States certainly demon-
strates how competition engages
youth.
22
He also states, however, that it is
much less clear exactly how competi-
tion motivates young people.
Good and bad
Dr. Andrews acknowledges that
social comparison appears to help
young people find their niches and
once done, they can move on to
refine and specialize their skills.
However, he cautions that research
has shown that repeatedly exposing
children younger than the age of nine
years of age to highly competitive sit-
uations may negatively affect the
development of their self-worth and
identity. Fortunately, cadets are fur-
ther along in their development.
The good and bad aspects of compe-
tition are also discussed in another
online article in The Research File
(Information from the Canadian
Fitness and Lifestyle Research
Institute) entitled, “Motivating chil-
dren to be active”. This article states
that children generally take part in
physical activity for reasons of chal-
lenge, skill and competition. It also
CADENCE
Marsha Scott
claims that “competition generates a
great deal of excitement and many
people thrive on it.”
At the same time, the article warns
of the danger of focussing on win-
ning when competing. “From a
motivational point of view, competi-
tion can be quite controlling and has
been found to decrease intrinsic
motivation for sport, especially
among girls,” it says. “Failing to win
is likely to be a highly negative expe-
rience because it so easily conveys
feelings of incompetence.”
The main argument against compe-
tition seems to be that it is linked to
extrinsic (external) motivation
(reward-driven, playing only to win
and 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 foundation
for young people who are still devel-
oping their self-worth and identity.
The good news is that there can be
a happy medium between competi-
tion and co-operation, and we, as
leaders, can promote it.
Good (healthy)
competition
Dr. Christopher Thurber, a clinical
psychologist from Exeter, New
Hampshire, 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 not
an oxymoron”, he concedes that this
may seem like a contradiction in
terms, but when competition creates
just a little anxiety, demands fair
play and emphasizes fun, children’s
performance can be enhanced and
they learn to make moral decisions
independent of adults.
Issue 23, Fall 2007

He offers some advice for healthy
competition (see sidebar) and con-
cludes, “It’s not whether you win or
lose; it’s how adults frame the game.”
This seemingly simplistic philoso-
phy is evident in other online discus-
sions of competition.
Creating
the right
environment
Dr. Andrews seems to agree with Dr.
Thurber that adults can provide a
framework for healthier competi-
tion. “Create an environment in
which our children can compete
healthily,” he says. “A balance of
competitive and co-operative experi-
ences may reduce the bad and the
ugly side of competition.” The
“ugly” side, of course, is out-of-con-
trol competition, when parents,
adults and young people lose their
perspectives, and the stakes of com-
petition are high.
In an online article called “Designing
competitive programs that enhance
youth development”, Dr. Kathryn
Cox, another youth development
specialist with Ohio State, says,
“When planned and conducted
appropriately, competitive experi-
ences can enhance positive youth
development and prepare young
people to become successful adults.”
She adds that competitive experi-
ences should be appropriate for the
cognitive, psychological-emotional,
social-moral and physical develop-
mental levels of the youth.
Dr. Cox also suggests that any
advance publicity regarding compet-
itive events should clearly outline
expectations for conduct, fairness,
honesty, the nature of the competi-
tion (it will result in both winners
and losers), courtesy and accepting
results gracefully. She also offers
advice for adults conducting compet-
itive events. (See sidebar)
Be aware that young people respond
differently to competition. A cadet
who 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’s
demands. 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
“When planned and
conducted appropriately,
competitive experiences
can enhance positive youth
development and prepare
young people to become
successful adults.”
...Dr. Kathryn Cox
respect. Good competitors respect,
play by the rules, take turns, share
and don’t blame others. If you are
aware of the good and bad in compe-
tition and heed the experts’ advice,
your experience may be similar to
that of Maj Guy Peterson (the author
of the previous article), who says,
“My job as a motivator has never
been easier than over the past few
years when my cadets started com-
peting. You get cadets hooked on
music, drill, marksmanship, biathlon,
flying, sports or whatever and pro-
vide the path through which they can
progress and prove themselves over
the long run. Bingo! Motivating them
is much easier and you have given
them a reason to stick with the
program for the long run.”

Healthy competition
Dr. 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 event

Here’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.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 23

OFFICER DEVELOPMENT
Six degrees of separation —
between you and your cadets
As leaders of the Canadian
Cadet Movement (CCM) we
are faced every day with an
important challenge—bring-
ing people closer together
in pursuit of a common goal,
while practising some degree
of separation.
How separate should we be? So far
away that we are out of touch with
the needs of our cadets and others
around us? Or, so closely woven into
their lives that we lose sight of
what’s really important and the
example we are here to provide?
The key is balance. My experience is
that 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—
physical
The expression “it goes without say-
ing” doesn’t apply here. It needs to
be said. Touching cadets in any way
24
is something that must be handled
with caution at all times. Two things
to keep in mind are the situation you
are in, as well as how well you know
the cadet in question.
Tapping your regimental sergeant
major on the shoulder to initiate a
discussion would not be an issue,
but physically grabbing someone’s
arm during a drill class—without per-
mission—to correct a fault may create
a situation you don’t want. Either
way, erring on the side of caution is
always the best approach regardless
of circumstances.
Body language and the realm of per-
sonal space is also a key considera-
tion. I had an experience where a
first-year female cadet paid me an
inappropriate compliment. I consid-
ered letting it pass, but I counselled
immediately with a female officer
present. Situations like this have to
be dealt with as they occur, because
silence, in many cases, implies
acceptance.
2nd degree—
virtual
Each day, technology becomes a big-
ger part of our lives. While techno-
logical resources provided within the
Cadet Program (CadetNet for exam-
ple) have rules of use attached to
them, others do not…yet!
Internet applications like Windows
Live Messenger and Facebook have
benefits, but they should be used as
little as possible. If we do use them,
we must set an example to everyone
by ensuring that everything is as pro-
fessional as if it were a regular
memo, a face-to-face conversation,
or an order given on our
corps/squadron training night.
CADENCE
Capt Kevin Vieneer
My personal policy has been this: a
few senior cadets have my CadetNet
email address only. Even fewer have
my cell number. None of them are
contacts on my Windows Messenger
and I will never add any of them as
friends to my Facebook profile. I’ve
rejected one person five times. Why?
For many, protocol does not really
apply online. We must teach our
cadets that it should apply!
Email subject matter must also be
noted. Ask yourself, “Would I hon-
estly print that picture or joke and
physically show it to someone in the
program at an event? Would I show
it to a cadet, to a parent, or a spon-
sor?” If you physically wouldn’t do
it, why do it virtually?
3rd degree—
emotional
Every CCM stakeholder is connect-
ed by the belief that we have the
power to fundamentally change the
course of a young person’s life. That
is a very emotional thing. However,
we must remember to be consistent
in separating our feelings from the
objective day-to-day decisions we
make with regard to cadets.
Officers may frequent
a specific social venue
after a night’s training
is completed. They
may discuss various
topics, but they should
not discuss these
topics around cadets.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
For example, deciding to promote can become so deep that we make the
someone who is not the best candi- wrong choice when a tough decision
date just because you think they will presents itself.
feel bad and quit is a flawed point of
view. Not only do you possibly set Personal relationships are inevitable,
that person up to fail, but you also but the key is appropriate boundaries.
send the underlying message that it (See chart below)
is better to be liked than respected. Is
that what we are here to do?
Am I am saying, “Stop being
human”? No. Acting with emotion
can be beneficial at times in exercis-
ing effective leadership. Acting by Relationship Examples Possible pitfalls
emotion rarely is.
Adult with cadet Officer is older Perceived favouritism
th brother of a flight
4 degree— sergeant
economical
Former senior cadet Opportunity to
The subject of money is always a
returns as a Civilian fraternize during
delicate one. As a certified manage-
Instructor and is still corps/squadron
ment accountant in civilian life, I dating one of the training
believe we must be doubly vigilant cadets
in this area.
Cadet with cadet Senior cadet’s younger Discipline problems
CIC officers are entrusted with the
brother joins the with younger cadet
use of resources paid for by public squadron/corps
funds (uniforms and training equip-
Sudden change in
ment from the Department of
behaviour in older
National Defence, for example), as
cadet
well as non-public funds (fundraising
proceeds from tagging, for example).
These must remain separate.
This is different from using both At the end of the day, the most 6th degree—social
types of resources in support of an important thing to remember is that
the professional relationship must Social circles are exactly that: circles.
approved cadet activity, as that is the
always take precedence over the per- What is said or done within those
nature of the partnership. The dan-
sonal relationship. To do otherwise circles should remain within them.
ger here is when we, deliberately or
could create an atmosphere of mis- Officers may frequent a specific
otherwise, mix our personal finances
trust and send the dangerous mes- social venue after a night’s training
with corps/squadron finances. This
sage that the needs of the is completed. They may discuss
is inappropriate and would set a bad
corps/squadron come after the needs various topics, but they should not
example for our cadets.
of cadets closest to you. discuss these topics around cadets.
An example of economical separa-
On the other side, it is inappropriate
tion from your cadets is avoiding—
for officers to attend a social func-
except under extreme circum-
We must remember tion where cadets are gathered,
stances—lending money to or bor-
unless it is an approved activity
rowing money from a cadet. In the to be consistent in requiring adult supervision. We can-
end, it is just as much about trans-
parency as it is about integrity. separating our not control what cadets do outside
of approved training. Our presence
feelings from the would imply that the cadets are ‘pro-
5th degree—
objective day-to-day tected’ by the Cadet Program during
personal these occasions when, in reality, they
decisions we make
A great thing about the Cadet are not.
Program is that it gives us the ability with regard to cadets.
Capt Vieneer is the former human rights
to make friends—sometimes life-long
advisor and deputy commanding officer
friends. Unfortunately, friendships
with 876 Air Cadet Squadron in
Scarborough, Ont.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 25

CADET TRAINING Peter Musters

A disabled student receives

gliding training through
Freedom’s Wings. The
program also trains disabled
air cadets to fly gliders.

work the rudders in the standard

Freedom’s Wings Schweitzer 2-33 trainer used at
Regional Gliding School (Central) in
Teaching disabled cadets to fly! Trenton, Ont.,” says Freedom’s
Wings Canada chairman, Charles
Petersen. “But, in our recently
After flying with her squadron on an air cadet flight line, Sgt Melanie MacPherson imported Twin Astir with a hand-con-
of 99 Air Cadet Squadron in Orillia, Ont., knew what she wanted. “I wanted those trolled rudder system, she’s training
gold wings that sat proudly on the uniforms of my friends,” she says. “Those were right alongside many other cadets at
my goal. I had tasted flight in its purest form and I wasn’t going back. Even with York Soaring [Canada’s largest glid-
all the confidence that I had that I could indeed get my wings, one thought stayed ing club located about 100 kilometres
deep in the back of my head. I am disabled. I had never heard of any disabled northwest of Toronto]. We may not
be able to solo or licence everyone,
pilots before, and I wondered just how hard it might be for me to convince the
but we’ll let them fly to their fullest
world that I could in fact accomplish this feat.” ability.”

With some help, Sgt MacPherson
found her way to Freedom’s Wings—
an international non-profit program
that provides glider flight training to
students with disabilities.
She soon discovered that the list of
pilots with physical disabilities was
significant and growing. Some
famous examples include amputee
LCol Andrew Lourake of the United
States Air Force, currently flying
C-20s, and double amputee Wing
Leader Douglas Bader, an ace Spitfire
pilot with Royal Air Force Fighter
Command during the Battle of
Britain.
A scholarship through Youth Flight
Education Canada is funding Sgt
MacPherson’s glider training. Now
she and others are confronting their
disabilities and the way we look at
flying ability. Dedication, tenacity,
initiative and courage have helped
them all persevere against the odds
and became a foundation on which
to make other major strides in their
personal lives. With examples like
these, hundreds of people with dis-
abilities across North America are
taking up aviation.
“Because of her cerebral palsy, Sgt
MacPherson didn’t have quite
enough strength in her left foot to
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.
The Twin Astir is the current glider
for the Freedom’s Wings program
that has licensed and soloed people
with a wide range of physical disabil-
ities. Freedom’s Wings has also mint-
ed Canada’s first paraplegic glider
instructor and started a second chap-
ter in Vancouver.
The program is open to all people
with physical disabilities, including
cadets who cannot be accommodated
by the Cadet Program’s gliding cen-
tres. The costs are managed by cor-
porate and private donors to give
people with disabilities the chance to
fly a glider.
More information is available at
www.freedomswings.ca, or contact
petermusters@gmail.com
Mr. Musters is the executive director
of Youth Flight Education Canada.

26 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

Capt Nancy Marshall SHARING IDEAS

<
A cadet from 878
Squadron warms
up with hot
chocolate.

Meal planning for exercises

Advance planning
When you are planning
an exercise, what do you Well before the exercise, cadets are
dread most? For me, it told to bring a letter from home if
they require a special diet (vegetarian,
was planning what we
allergies and so on) so we can make
were going to eat and provisions for them. Otherwise, they
how much food to buy! eat what is prepared.
Through trial and error over the Menus
years, however, I have worked out a
You can’t make everyone happy all
system that has taken the guesswork of the time, but I have tried my best
(and stress) out of preparing food for to design a menu that caters to all
exercises. Maybe it will work for you. tastes. It seems to work well for our
squadron and I am confident that it
will work for other corps and
When you go to the squadrons too.
store, know your
I have developed a couple of differ-
budget. Have your ent Saturday dinner menus, but for
list and a calculator the most part I keep the rest of the
handy to keep track meals the same for simplicity
of what you are I try to cook food that I know the
spending. cadets will enjoy. But, I also remem-
ber that they are busy all weekend.
Sample weekend menu
They need not only lots of food, but
also lots of good food to keep them
going. I always buy peanut butter
and jam for picky eaters. We all have
at least one.
My biggest fear used to be running
out of food, but I’m proud to say
that no-one has ever gone hungry.
Grocery list
My ‘grocery list’ is actually divided
into four categories: the menu, a
general quantities list, the shopping
list and the meal planner. The meal
planner actually breaks down por-
tions for each meal (based on the
number of people) and I find this
useful during the actual weekend.
Budget
It is challenging in this day and age
to feed a bunch of hungry teenagers
on a limited budget, but if you take
your time it can be easy. Watch for
deals. Non-perishable and frozen
items on sale can be purchased a few
weeks ahead.

FRIDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

EVENING BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER EVENING BREAKFAST LUNCH

Mug Up Pancakes Hamburgers Chicken Mug Up French toast Sandwiches

Hot chocolate Bacon Vegetable breasts Hot chocolate Cereal Leftover
Hotdogs Hot chocolate tray and dip Mashed Cookies Hot chocolate vegetable
Milk Fruit potatoes Milk tray and dip
Fruit Juice Vegetables Fruit Leftover
Salad salad
Pudding Juice
Milk Leftover milk

Continued on page 28
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 27
SHARING IDEAS Grocery Shopping List
Meat
72 hamburger patties
10 dozen wieners
11 pounds of bacon
56 chicken breasts
4-6 pounds of assorted lunch-
meat (Purchase a whole
Black Forest ham, salami
and pepperoni sticks and
ask the store to slice
them for you)

Fruits and vegetables

10 pounds of apples
5 pounds of bananas
5 pounds of oranges
15 pounds of carrots
2 bunches of celery
3 heads of lettuce
8-10 large tomatoes
2 large onions
5 cucumbers
20 pounds of potatoes

Dairy
1 large tub of margarine
>

Grocery shopping When we finish our shopping, we 7 dozen eggs

store the food in the grocery store’s 8 4-litre packages of milk
Lt(N) Neil and storage (2%)
Tannyan, com- coolers until we pick it up the next
Of course, you can only buy your 2 packages of 64 cheese slices
manding officer day. Our grocery store is kind 2 containers (500 ml) of sour
fresh food the night before the exer- enough to do this, and it is a great
of 55 Sea Cadet cream
cise. Luckily, our exercises almost help. Perhaps, before your next exer-
Corps IRON
always take place on weekends, so I cise, you can make the same arrange- Canned goods
DUKE in
shop for groceries on Thursday ment with your local grocery store. 4 large cans of juice crystals
Burlington, Ont.,
evenings. I always try to take two 12 20-ounce cans of hot
and PO1 Melanie chocolate (A&W)
other people with me to make it go Kitchen equipment
Dittmer barbecue 12 cans of evaporated milk
faster.
burgers for cadets Fortunately, over the years our 10 cans of kernel corn
during an Outdoor When you go to the store, know squadron has acquired what we feel
Adventure Breads
your budget. Have your list and a is the proper kitchen equipment. In 10 dozen hotdog buns
Training weekend. calculator handy to keep track of addition to utensils, a large griddle, 20 loaves of bread
what you are spending. In all the two large gas stovetops (a three- 6 dozen hamburger buns
years of doing this I have never gone burner and a two-burner), a steam
over my dollar allotment. table and an assortment of pots, Miscellaneous
3 bags of pancake mix
pans and stainless steel serving dish-
45 small boxes of cereal
es round out the kit. Especially nice
Watch for deals. is the fact that our squadron has a
1 large jar of peanut butter
1 large jar of jam
Non-perishable and 14-foot utility trailer to store the 3 bottles of pancake syrup
frozen items on sale equipment year-round. 3 bottles of ketchup
2 large jars of mustard
can be purchased a Don’t forget the coffee pot to help 2 jars of relish
few weeks ahead. get you through the weekend. 1 large jar of Miracle Whip
2 packages (double) Uncle
Hopefully, this will make food plan- Dan's southern dip
> ning for your next exercise a little 3 bottles of salad dressing
Lt Nancy Marshall (assorted)
less stressful and give you more time
(since promoted) has 45 puddings (buy bulk boxes)
to have fun with your cadets!
taken the guesswork 4 large bags of cookies
and stress out of Capt Marshall is the new commanding 1 bag of gravy mix (Costco)
preparing food for officer of 878 Air Cadet Squadron in flour, assorted spices, oil,
878 Squadron Banff/Canmore, Alta. coffee, tea and sugar (keep
these staples for other
weekend
exercises)
exercises.

28 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

 >
Cadets need lots of food to give them energy for strenuous activities during an exercise.
Meal planner Here, cadets from 55 Sea Cadet Corps recharge their batteries during an Outdoor
(for 45 people) Adventure Training weekend last May.

Friday evening Mug Up 1 onion, chopped for hamburgers Sunday morning breakfast
2-3 cans of hot chocolate 2 cans juice crystals, mixed accord- 8 loaves of bread for French toast
2-3 cans of evaporated milk ing to package directions 6 dozen eggs for French toast
10 dozen wieners 1 ketchup 45 small boxes of cereal
10 dozen hotdog buns 1 mustard 2-3 cans hot chocolate
1 chopped onion 1 relish 2-3 cans of evaporated milk
1 relish 1 Miracle Whip Milk for cadets
1 mustard 1 sour cream Milk for cereal and eggs
1 ketchup Uncle Dan’s dip mix (made with 1 ketchup
some of the Miracle Whip and sour 1½ bottles of syrup
Saturday breakfast cream above) Margarine
3 bags of pancake mix Apples Leftover oranges, apples and
1 dozen eggs (4 eggs per bag of bananas
mix) Saturday dinner
11 pounds of bacon 56 chicken breasts Sunday lunch
2-3 cans of hot chocolate Flour, oil and spices (I use pepper, 10 loaves of bread
2-3 cans of evaporated milk seasoning salt and chili powder) 4-5 pounds of lunch meat
milk for cadets to coat chicken. Cook chicken in 64 cheese slices
milk for pancakes a bit of oil on a stovetop/grill. 4 tomatoes
1 ketchup Gravy mix, made according to 1 head of lettuce
1½ bottles of syrup package directions Leftover salad and vegetables
margarine 20 pounds of potatoes for mashed Leftover vegetable dip and salad
½ of oranges, cut up; potatoes with margarine and milk dressing
½ of bananas, cut up 12 cans of kernel corn Leftover juice crystals
Salad items: 2 heads of lettuce, Margarine
Saturday lunch 3 tomatoes and 2 cucumbers Leftover Miracle Whip
72 hamburger patties Salad dressing Leftover mustard
6 dozen hamburger buns 45 puddings Leftover fruit
64 cheese slices Milk for cadets
10 pounds of carrots, cut into sticks Peanut butter and jam on bread for
2 bunches of celery, cut into sticks Saturday evening Mug Up cadets who won’t eat properly.
3 cucumbers, cut into sticks 2-3 cans of hot chocolate
3 tomatoes, sliced for hamburgers 2-3 cans of evaporated milk
Cookies

General quantities
Meat Miscellaneous
Bacon ¼ pound/person Hot chocolate 1 20 ounce can = 20 people
Hamburgers 1½ hamburgers/person Small milk 1/person/meal
Hot dogs 2½ hotdogs/person Pancake mix 1 bag = 14 people
Lunch meat 1 ounce/sandwich French toast 2½ pieces/person
Chicken breasts 1¼ breasts/person Eggs for French toast 1½ dozen for every
Sausages 2 ½ /person 2 loaves of bread
(Sausages may be Eggs for pancakes 4 eggs/bag of pancake mix
substituted for bacon) Scrambled eggs 2 eggs/person
(Scrambled eggs may be
substituted for pancakes)

Sandwiches 2 sandwiches/person
4 slices of bread/person
Bread 18 slices/loaf

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 29

100th ANNIVERSARY
CIC to
celebrate
100th
anniversary
in 2009
In co-operation with the Directorate Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers, the CIC Branch Advisory
Council (BAC) will organize 100th anniversary celebrations for our 7500 branch members.
May 1, 2009 will mark the 100th
anniversary of the founding of the
group of officers who administer,
supervise and train cadets in Canada.
The corps was authorized on May 1,
1909 as a “Corps of School Cadet
Instructors (Militia).” It was composed
of qualified male school teachers from
Canada’s public schools. On May 1,
1921, the corps was disbanded
and reorganized. On Jan. 1, 1924, the
designation was changed to “The
Cadet Services of Canada (Non-
Permanent).” It was later changed to
the Cadet Services of Canada which
ceased to exist in 1968 with unifica-
tion. Sea and air officers then joined
with army officers to form the Cadet
Instructors List. The name was
changed in 1994 to the Cadet
Instructors Cadre.
In co-operation with the Directorate
Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers,
the CIC Branch Advisory Council
(BAC) will organize 100th anniversary
celebrations for our 7500 branch
members. The council will act as the
steering committee for national plan-
ning, with each region forming and
operating its own committee. Each
BAC regional adviser will chair the
regional committee and report to the
national committee. Under the aus-
pices of the regional committees,
provincial and territorial committees
will be struck to plan local events. We
are calling on CIC officers nation-
30
LCol Tom McGrath
wide to volunteer to populate these CIC motto. We have launched a com-
committees. Committee work is petition to find a motto for our
voluntary. branch.
Below are some planned highlights. We want to encourage you to volun-
teer to help with planning for your
Logo and commemorative pin. A
region by contacting your regional
100th anniversary logo is being BAC adviser below:
designed for use during the year. We
are also requesting authorization to National chairman –
wear an anniversary pin on our LCol Tom McGrath at
Canadian Forces uniform. tommcgrath@nl.rogers.com
Issuance of a stamp. With support “Class B’ representative –
from the three leagues and civilians LCdr Neil Martin at
across Canada, we are requesting that martin.jn@forces.gc.ca
Canada Post produce a stamp to
depict our contribution to youth Atlantic Region –
development in Canada over the last Maj Paul Westcott at
100 years. pwestcott@cadets.net
Eastern Region –
100th anniversary challenge coin. We
are seeking corporate sponsorship for Maj Francois Dornier at
fdornier@cegepth.qc.ca
the production of a coin to mark our
anniversary. Coins would be distrib- Central Region –
uted free of charge to members. Maj Harry McCabe at
harry.mccabe@sympatico.ca
100th anniversary pictorial history.
We are approaching a national spon- Prairie Region –
sor for the production of a national Maj James Barnes at
pictorial history capturing our 100- jbarnes64@shaw.ca
year history.
Pacific Region –
Premiere national event. We will LCol Terry Kopan at
hold a national event in 2009, likely in
kopan.tw@cadets.net
Ottawa.
Northern Region –
Proclamation signings. We anticipate Capt Jeff Barkley at
the signing of a national proclamation jbarkley@gov.nu.ca
for 2009, with a national figure declar-
ing the year of celebration.
CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007
Maj Al Memess
Joining the new Reserve Force pension plan
Since March 1, all members of
the Reserve Force, including
the Cadet Instructors Cadre,
are eligible to join the new
Reserve Force pension plan.
If you are a CIC officer and have
earned 10 percent of what the pen-
sion plan calls “the year’s maximum
pensionable 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 will
move from the Reserve Force pen-
sion plan to the Regular Force pen-
sion plan when they have served
1674 days in a 60-month period.
Those who had already done so by
March, when the pension came into
force, moved directly to the Regular
Force pension plan. To give you
some idea of how many officers that
affects, records show that in 2005-
2006, 290 CIC officers were on full-
time Reserve service.
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
What does the new Reserve Force
pension plan mean to CIC officers
on part-time Reserve service?
To figure out if you are close to join-
ing the pension plan, you first have
to determine if you are close to 10
percent of YMPE. For example the
YMPE for 2006 is $42 100, while
the amount for 2007 will be $43 200.
If you perform enough Reserve serv-
ice to make at least $4210 in 2006
and $4320 in 2007, you will become
a member of the plan.
Your service may be Class ‘A’ or ‘B’.
So long as it is paid service and you
meet the minimums, you qualify. At
today’s pay rates, an officer cadet
would have to serve at least 46 days,
while a lieutenant would have to
serve only 33 days to reach YPME.
When you meet the required mini-
mums, you will receive a letter from
the Directorate Accounts Processing,
Pay and Pensions informing you that
you are part of the plan and what
percent of your monthly taxable
income will be deducted as your
contribution.
Pensionable earnings
since April 1999
count.
Will you be able to retire on your
Reserve pension? Realistically,
someone who works only short-term
part-time Reserve service cannot
expect to draw a pension that will
ensure a comfortable retirement. As
with any plan, what you get out of it
will be proportional to what you
contribute. It is important to under-
stand, however, that you cannot lose
by contributing to the plan. Should
you leave the service before becom-
ing eligible for a pension, your
contributions will be returned with
interest.
POLICY
When you meet the
required minimums,
you will receive a
letter...
informing you that
you are part of the
plan and what percent
of your monthly
taxable income will
be deducted as your
contribution.
The pension plan is a subject that
solicits a number of questions, most
of which should be referred to the
experts at the Canadian Forces
Pension Modernization Project
(CFPMP). Visit the project website
at www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dgcb/cfpmp/
to see how the new pension plan will
affect you. Should you have further
questions once you have consulted
the online information, you are
encouraged to call toll free 1-800-
267-0325 and speak to an expert
from CFPMP.
You can also reach CFPMP by email
at the following addresses:
• For questions regarding
purchasing prior service, email
PriorPensionableServiceArrears@
forces.gc.ca
• For Reserve Force questions
regarding eligibility and joining
the pension plan, email
EligibilityCC@forces.gc.ca
• For other policy questions, email
cfpmp@forces.gc.ca
Maj Memess is the staff officer responsible
for personnel policy at Directorate Cadets.
31
POLICY
Support to cadet
activities,
with or
without pay
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 paid
Cadet Instructor or Civilian Instructor at each
authorized cadet activity.
Since then, in consultation with our
legal advisor, we have found a way to
>
ease the burden placed on corps and
A paid Cadet squadrons—particularly those with a
Instructor or heavy activity schedule.
Civilian The Department of National
Instructor must Defence has been authorized to self-
supervise all
insure CF Reserve Force members
mandatory cadet (who provide support to cadet activi-
activities ties without pay) for liability and
legal indemnification. The coverage
will be based on the Treasury
Board’s policy on the indemnifica-
tion of and legal assistance for
Crown servants.
This recognizes that a Cadet
Instructor—an officer of the Cadet
Instructors Cadre or a member of
another sub-component of the
Reserve Force while he or she is
instructing cadets—has received the
training, is fully qualified to super-
vise cadet activities and will perform
the same duties whether being paid
or not.
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 be
paid or provide support without pay.
• The differences in coverage between paid Reserve Service and benefits allowed a Cadet Instructor providing
support 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 are
aware of the differences in coverage.
32
Amended CATO 13-12
With this coverage, we were able to
amend the policy that requires a paid
Cadet Instructor or Civilian
Instructor to supervise each cadet
activity. CATO 13-12 has been
amended to allow Cadet Instructors
to supervise optional activities when
providing support without pay.
Why only optional activities? The
reason is simple: paid days are allo-
cated to cover the mandatory pro-
gram, and we want to ensure that
there are sufficient resources to
cover it.
New CATO 23-11
We have also clarified the differences
in coverage for Cadet Instructors
when providing support without pay.
These Cadet Instructors are not eligi-
ble for the benefits associated with
Reserve Service. To be eligible for
those benefits, the member must be
“on service” and to be “on service”,
the member must be paid.
CATO 23-11 has been developed to
explain the differences in coverage
and to ensure that Cadet Instructors
are making an informed choice when
they agree to provide support with-
out pay. In future all Cadet
CADENCE
Maj Al Memess
Instructors who provide support
without pay must complete a form
acknowledging that they are aware
of the differences in coverage.
Benefits more
clearly defined
Some Cadet Instructors may perceive
a loss or reduction of benefits as a
consequence of the repeal of the
“deemed on duty” provisions.
However, you do have clearly
defined benefits and entitlements that
can be relied upon when needed.
There is no change in the policy for
Civilian Instructors. To supervise
authorized cadet activities, Civilian
Instructors must be paid. When pro-
viding support without pay, they
become civilian volunteers with the
same status as other civilian volun-
teers and must adhere to the policies
set out in CATO 23-07.
CATO 13-12 has been
amended to allow Cadet
Instructors to supervise
optional activities, when
providing support
without pay.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
Lt(N) Darin McRae LEADERSHIP

More on the new CF Leadership

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

Leadership
characteristics
There is neither a definitive list of
essential leadership qualities nor any
guarantee that the possession of all
or most of the commonly identified
attributes will result in effective lead-
ership. Nevertheless, CIC officers
can improve their capacity to be
effective leaders by acquiring and
developing competencies in the fol-
lowing areas.
• Knowledge and skills. A high
level of proficiency in technical
skills is mandatory for officers in
direct command and leadership
positions.
• Cognitive ability. Analytical
skills and creative thinking are
essential abilities for all leaders.
• Social capacities. At all levels of
leadership, interpersonal skills
such as communication, persua-
sion and conflict management are
critical to working with others.
• Personality traits. Effective lead-
ers exemplify personal integrity in
their decisions and actions. They
also demonstrate a number of
personal characteristics that relate
to adaptability: openness to expe-
rience, flexibility of thought and
behaviour, and self-assurance.
• Professional motivation and
values. Professionalism reflects a
strong commitment to the social
responsibilities of the profession, a
high valuation of professional
competence, and a personal iden-
tification with the values of the
Canadian military ethos.
A leader’s effectiveness will have a
major, everlasting impact on group,
team and corps/squadron effective-
ness. Trust provides the critical bond
for leadership to be effective.
Importance
of trust
Trust may be based on demonstrat-
ed leadership competence (the care
and consideration for others dis-
played by a leader) or on perceptions
of a leader’s character (integrity,
dependability, and fairness).
>
Regardless, an important part of the
leader’s job is to build and maintain At all levels of
healthy trust relationships with sub- leadership, inter-
ordinates, peers and superiors. personal skills
Leaders build and maintain trust such as commu-
through their decisions, actions and
nication are criti-
interactions. They must exercise
cal. Here, CIC
good judgment; show trust and con-
officers Maj
fidence in their subordinates; ensure
Louise Lagarde
subordinates are supported by the
and Capt Lyne
organization; show consideration for
Prud’Homme
others; have honest and open com-
chat with
munications; lead by example; keep
Quebec’s
their word; and be counted on to Minister of
honour their obligations. Trust is Education,
developed and earned, and can be Leisure and
easily lost. Sport Michelle
Courchêsne at
Leading people the Eastern
Several principles cover important Region Gliding
aspects of leadership responsibilities. School in St-
Jean. Que
Leader competence is critical to mis-
sion accomplishment. Very early in
their CIC experience, junior leaders
must master the technical and tacti-
cal skills of their military specialty
and improve proficiency through
self-study, experiential learning, for-
mal training, and education. This is

Continued on page 34
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 33
 Continued from page 33
reflected in the CIC Military
Occupation Structure Change
Management Project and in the new
CIC training program, which will
provide enhanced training early in
an officer’s career.
Leaders must communicate a clear
picture of the outcomes they wish to
achieve.
Where time and circumstances
allow, leaders should involve others
who possess relevant experience in
the decision-making process.
Leaders have to know when to
direct and when to motivate.
Training and other formative activi-
ties that reinforce mutual depend-
ence and support will pay off in
enhanced performance and greater
resistance to stress.
Leaders must train and develop sub-
ordinates to master the unit’s opera-
tional functions, provide depth and
strength to the unit through the
number of qualified people below
them and ensure a broadly distrib-
uted leadership capability.
Leaders have moral and practical
obligations to know their subordi-
nates’ needs, take care of them and
treat them fairly. Leaders must be
on top of what is happening around
them. In both training and opera-
tions, leaders must constantly
review performance critically to
determine if there is a better way.
Learning from personal experience
and the experience of others is
critical to ensuring high reliability
performance and maintaining a
competitive edge.
When all is said and done, leaders
must ensure that their personal con-
duct and the conduct of their subor-
dinates reflect the best of Canadian
military professionalism and the
Canadian Cadet Movement at all
times.
Further information about the new
leadership doctrine may be found at
www.cda.forces.gc.ca/CFLI.
Lt(N) McRae is a CIC courseware
development officer at Directorate Cadets.

CADET TRAINING Capt Catherine Griffin

Cadet Program Update

Answers to commonly asked questions

For some time now, leaders at all levels of the Cadet
Program have tried to keep CIC officers informed about
the progress of the Cadet Program Update. Venues have
included cadet summer training centres, commanding offi-
cers’ (COs) meetings and league events. If you have not
heard any of these updates, you may be interested in these
answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.
Q: Is it true that sea cadets will no
longer participate in Outdoor
Adventure Training (OAT)
activities in the updated
program?
Participating in OAT will be left to
the discretion of each corps com-
manding officer, who may choose to
offer it as an optional activity sup-
ported by local funding. It is true
that OAT will no longer be part of
phase or summer camp training.
Funding has been re-allocated to a
second on-water weekend activity
instead. This change is related to a
shift towards providing sea cadets
with more on-water experiences and
expanding the scope of activities
beyond sail to include other small
and minor vessels.
Q: Will music training be supported
in the updated program?
Music training will continue as an
optional activity, supported much
the same as it is now. Music courses
offered at the cadet summer training
centres (CSTCs) will be updated to
enhance and support music training.
Regions will continue to have the
option to support music training
through regionally directed and
funded activities, such as training
seminars and music competitions.

< 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)

34 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007

Although not directly related to the
program update, there have been
changes to the band grant allocation.
Monies are still available to COs for
band support within their corps and
squadrons; however, monies are no
longer specifically targeted to band
purchases. As outlined on the
national cadet website at
www.cadets.forces.gc.ca/_docs/Key
MsgGrantsVetted_e.pdf, all grant
funding (scholarship, contingency
and band grants) has been reallocat-
ed to one fund. COs will be reim-
bursed from this fund for approved
expenditures in support of cadet
activities (including band) up to their
budget entitlement.
Q: Will cadet handbooks, as we
know them, be produced as part
of the update?
When you receive updated first-year
corps and squadron training docu-
mentation this fall (for implementa-
tion in the fall of 2008), you can
expect to receive two documents: an
Instructional Guide (IG) and a
Participating in OAT
will be left to the
discretion of each
[sea cadet] corps
commanding officer,
who may choose to
offer it as an optional
activity supported by
local funding.
Where can I direct CPU questions/feedback?
Questions and feedback may be emailed to cpu.questions@cadets.net. A link to this address is also provided on
CadetNet in the CPU folder located in each elemental forum. We will not be able to respond to individual
queries. However, your questions will be considered when we prepare future CPU-related information.
Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program
Qualification Standard and Plan
(QSP). The IG includes specific
training content as well as recom-
mendations on how to deliver train-
ing using a variety of instructional
methods. Instructors should use the
IG, in conjunction with lesson speci-
fications found in the QSP, to help
with lesson planning and prepara-
tion. The QSP is a combination of
the training standard and plan that
you are familiar with. Although
varying in content, the QSPs will
have the same look and feel across
the three elemental programs and at
the CSTCs.
Cadet handbooks have not been
developed to date. We are continu-
ing to research and examine possi-
bilities for a cadet-friendly learning
tool. We want to be sure that if any
tool is developed, it is useful to
cadets to support their learning.
Q: Where can I find current infor-
mation on program updates?
Leaders at all levels will continue to
give CPU updates whenever possi-
ble. You can also turn to the follow-
ing sources for program update
information:
• CadetNet – CPU folder located
in each elemental forum
• www.cadets.ca
• Cadence (current and past issues
on the national cadet website)
• Regional websites
Capt Griffin is the staff officer cadet
program education development at
Directorate Cadets.
<
Updated training
for sea cadets will
aim to provide
sea cadets with
more on-water
experiences.
(Photo by Lt(N)
Paul Simas)
35
VIEWPOINT
Being CO
Not as scary as it seems
<
Capt Zweng When I first took the job as
practises what commanding officer (CO) of
she preaches, 89 Air Cadet Squadron in
getting out of Victoria, a number of people
her office onto (including past COs, other CIC
the floor to
officers, volunteers, parents,
talk to her
cadets
and cadets) approached me
saying 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.”
There are no regulations out there that say that as a CO you should know
how to do everything perfectly. It is a learning process.
36
I couldn’t help but think that it is too
bad about the perception that being
a CO is too big a challenge or more
pain than gain. I began my term as
CO wondering what was so bad
about the job and how long it would
take me to find out. Now that I have
been a CO for two years, however,
my message to everyone is that
being a CO is amazing!
CIC officers out there need to realize
that being a CO is the ultimate goal
for us. It is not as scary as it seems!
Yes there are challenges and situa-
tions to work through on a regular
basis, but that is the part that is so
rewarding. We would all be kidding
ourselves to think that being a CIC
officer in any job would not be diffi-
cult. The same goes for being a CO.
CADENCE
Capt Jacqueline Zweng
As CO, I get to see things from a
whole new perspective and really see
what this program is about from all
angles. Prior to being CO, I spent
most of my time in the training
department (which offered a certain
view of how a squadron should be),
but the bigger picture is so much
more dynamic than that. Each per-
son supporting the program, includ-
ing officers, parents, sponsors, affili-
ated units, volunteers, friends and
family, has a unique and valuable
role to play. The CO’s primary
responsibility is keeping the balance
among them and recognizing that
even the smallest hands are helping
hands and need to fit in.
Issue 23, Fall 2007
Each time my squadron meets, I see
someone smile and learn something If you are a CO and feel removed from
new! That is all most of us need to
be satisfied with what we are doing. your cadets, then get out of the office onto
At the end of the day I always leave the floor and talk to them.
Cadets with a sense of accomplish-
ment and pride in my squadron.
Once you become a CO, you have and said her CO was looking experience I could have asked for
all the tools you need to take on all forward to stepping down and being and is worth every minute. I am
aspects of the program and mentor able to work closely with the cadets looking forward to one more year
and guide the younger officers to again. I was puzzled because as a and what will develop in that time.
achieve their goals. CO, I am very close to my cadets. I My message to you is that you are all
don’t feel that I have had to distance capable of this job.
There are no regulations out there
myself because of my new title. I
that say that as a CO you should Formed in 1942, 89 Air Cadet
strive to know each cadet’s name,
know how to do everything perfect- Squadron has approximately 90
their personality and interests. What
ly. It is a learning process. I often cadets, nine CIC officers, four
is so difficult about that? If you are a
receive emails from my regional civilian instructors and a number
CO and feel removed from your
cadet support unit telling me I filled of volunteers. In 2005, Capt Zweng
cadets, then get out of the office onto
out a form incorrectly or that I filled became the squadron’s first female—
the floor and talk to them. You’re the
out the wrong form. But each time I and its youngest—CO. She was
CO: you can do whatever you want.
learn from it and smile that this is 27 at the time.
one less thing that I will do wrong This is a wonderful time in my CIC
next time. By the time any of you career. Being a CO is the best
become lieutenants or captains
(depending on the size of your
corps/squadron), you are ready—
with the required courses—to be
a CO.
At the same time, staff members of
every corps/squadron need to be
supportive of their CO. Running a
corps/squadron is not a one-person
show. COs are ultimately responsi-
ble, but that does not mean they are
able to do it on their own. I have
learned that a CO does a lot of ‘hid-
den’ tasks daily, so when you meet
for parade nights, work a little hard-
er for him or her because the experi-
ence of the staff combined—not just
the CO’s experience—is what makes
it all work. You should also treat one
another with the same respect that
you treat your CO.
A member of another unit talked to
me recently at an area competition

Running a corps/squadron is not a one-person show. COs are ultimately

responsible, but that does not mean they are able to do it on their own.

Professional Development for Leaders of the Cadet Program 37

 Created by Regional Cadet Instructors School (Atlantic)

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

CIC officers may be authorized to take other Canadian

1 Forces/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

2 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

3 offered regularly through regional cadet

instructors schools for local headquarters:
a) Band Officer, Marksmanship Coach,
Biathlon Coach, Unit Administration
5. (c). Reference DCdts 1085-16-5 Trial Directive
4. (c). Reference CATO 23-05, paragraph 12
Officer, Unit Human Rights Advisor 3. (d). Reference CATO 24-01, Annex A
and Unit Supply Officer; 2. (b). Reference CATO 24-01 paragraph 7
b) First Aid, Small Craft Operator Permit 1. (d). Reference CATO 24-01, paragraph 12 g
Modules, Abseil Instructor, Basic Canoe ANSWERS
Instructor, Green Star Instructor and
Tow Pilot Qualification;
c) Military Occupational courses,

EVENTS
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
March 9–15, 2008: May 1, 2009:
National Cadet Biathlon 100th anniversary of the CIC
Which of the following is true of Civilian
Championship in

4 Instructor training?
a) Civilian Instructors are not permitted to
attend training as they are hired for
their pre-existing skills and expertise.
Quebec City
Co-ordinator is
Capt Normand Gonthier at:
See more on this on page 30.

February 12–28, 2010:

Olympic Winter Games in
b) Civilian Instructors may attend training captNGonthier@forces.gc.ca. Vancouver–Whistler.
and be paid in the same way as CIC Check with your region regarding
For more information visit
officers. team applications.
www.vancouver2010.com.
c) Civilian Instructors may attend training Recruitment for Games-time
but cannot be paid. May 4–10, 2008:
National Cadet volunteers will begin in 2008.
d) Civilian Instructors attend different
courses than CIC officers and are paid Marksmanship
Championship in 2010 Canadian Naval
to do so.
British Columbia Centennial
What was the first new CIC training course (Exact location to be determined). Visit

5 to be delivered as a trial?
a) Basic Officer Qualification Course
b) CIC Orientation Course
Co-ordinator is Capt Doug
Salmon at
salmon.DAB@forces.gc.ca.
www.navy.forces.gc/ca/centennial
for the most up-to-date news.

c) Basic Officer Training Course Check with your region regarding

d) Cadet Instructor Initial Training Course
team applications.

38 CADENCE Issue 23, Fall 2007