Those activities that breath life into your cadet program...

[jimmydeanno]

I love momentum.  That forward progress you get in your squadron, the energy, the excitement, the feeling that things are going really well.  I love it.

Every now and again, you have an activity that is largely more successful than you could have ever hoped.  That activity becomes this huge breath of fresh air that reinvigorates your cadets, gets them all excited about being a cadet again.  You can see the gleam in their eyes as you see them re-engage their commitment to what they do and why they are there.

The good thing about these activities is that they don't necessarily need to be the largest activities or the most detailed, but something that just brings that refreshing change to the unit because it is something the cadets truly enjoyed.

Over the last few weeks, my squadron has had a few of these events.  Last weekend we had a bivouac, the first one I've held since taking over DCC in February and the first one our squadron has held in nearly half a decade.

We had about 3/4s of our cadets attend.  For many (about 10) it was their first CAP activity.  The cadet staff did all the planning and teaching.  They bonded, truly bonded, with the experience.  They learned how to work with each other as they were wading through waist deep swamp water, pulling each other out of mud holes, etc.  But they were engaged and they loved it!  You could feel the buzz and excitement of just "being in CAP."

Over the last week I've received numerous e-mails from the cadet's parents telling me that their cadet is STILL talking about how awesome the event was and that they can't wait for the next one.  One even downright told me that, "CAP has become the most significant part of his son's life."

What a momentum builder.

I think that momentum picked up even more last night.  It was a 5th week for us, so I try to plan something a bit out of the ordinary.  Since we call the local ANG Base home, there is usually something neat to do.  We had a tour of the base fire station.  They had gone in the past (a few of them), but it was just that - a tour.  "Here's a fire truck, here's the pole." Nothing interactive.  So, when I arranged this one I asked if there was anything they could do that would be hands on. 

Last night the cadets marched over the the station, thinking it was going to be another "tour."  When they got in, they all put on fire gear, including the SCBAs (in a few groups). 

They filled a bunch of H20 extinguishers and they showed them how to put fires out with them (which turned into an impromptu water fight ) 

From there, they had them fill a few fire extinguishers, showed them how to service them, etc.  Then the really fun stuff started. 

They pulled the pumpers out of the bay, the cadets climbed all over them, in them, etc.  Then they drove the trucks around on the flight line (the firemen drove) while shooting water all over the place.

They even got a ride on the fire pole.

They had so much fun and the firefighters were really engaging.  It was a huge refresher from the routine meeting.

So now the cadets have all this new found energy...where do I want to direct it...

Anyway, do you guys have similar experiences?  When I get a chance, I'll put some of the pictures on the web or  something...

[Chief2009]

Last time we worked the local fly-in, there were some senior members from a different wing who came in their Lancairs and offered to take the cadets up when they weren't working. The parents were on hand (volunteering) and gave permission.

This was the first time the cadets had been in any other aircraft than a Cessna. Turns out the high performance was enough to get them talking. The next meeting just happened to be the night when we work on a module, so we discussed why the Lancairs were more responsive.

DN