Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Coming To The Foothills

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For almost two years there has been a Navy League Cadets Corps in the MD of Foothills, Navy League Cadets is for youth 9 to 13 years old. The Foothills Branch Navy League of Canada sponsor of the Navy League Cadets is now looking to start up a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps for youth 12 to 18 years old. Sea Cadets, like Navy League Cadets is a naval themed program, they learn life skills such as leadership, citizenship, respect, discipline and teamwork, but the program offers so much more.
Some of the unique opportunities for the Cadets are summer camps, International Cadet Exchanges and the opportunity to go on deployment on several types of ships. Cadets apply to go to summer camps, depending on your age you go for 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 6 weeks or go back to the camp as a Staff Cadet. 2 week camps are for General Training, you get to experience a little bit of all that is offered at camps such as sailing, music, boatswain, drill and leadership. By the time a Cadet applies for a 3 week camp they will have chosen one of the above courses to take and 6 weeks courses are a continuation of the training to different levels. For older Cadets they also have other courses offered such as Marine Engineer and Shipwright. Staff Cadets are Cadets that help with the training of the younger Cadets at camp. Another good thing about summer camp is that it is free to the Cadets and they get paid to go.
When Cadets turn 16 they can apply to go on International Exchanges to places like the UK, Bermuda, Australia, South Korea, Singapore or the US, they can also apply for deployment of a variety of different ships. This past summer it was offered to the Cadets to apply to go on a Canadian Coast Guard ship up through the north for six weeks. Some Cadets have gone on deployment with some of our Naval ships like the H.M.C.S Calgary and learned firsthand what happens on a ship when they go to sea.
I have had two older children go through Navy League and Sea Cadets and still have two children in the Sea Cadet program in Calgary, they all loved camp (one did music, one did boatswain one is doing drill and leadership and the other is doing sailing). They like the program and things they do but most of all, at the camps and other Cadet functions they made lots of lifelong friends.
The Navy League of Canada in partnership with the Department of National Defense provides a program full of unique experiences and opportunities for our community's youth. The Navy League of Canada provides the local Branches, which support the local Corps, with the structure, experience and support to the volunteers who run the Branch, who in turn make sure the Corps have what they need to experience the Cadet program to its fullest. The Dept of National Defense while providing support and some unique opportunities for the Cadets also supply their uniforms, training program and training for the Officers of the Corps.
So if you think this program is for you or you just want more information check out the National Website www.cadets.ca and click on Sea Cadets or call Rena at 403-652-3819 or email
rgkientz@gmail.com .
If you are 18 years or older and would like to work with youth in a unique program with either Sea Cadets or Navy League Cadets please call the number above to get more information.