The #723 Moose Mountain Air Cadets are gearing up for another year with their first meeting of the year to be held at the Carlyle Elementary School on Monday, Sept. 8.
Commanding Officer, 2Lt Derek Huenison, spoke with The Observer about the opportunities the program creates and why it is beneficial for youth to participate in.
Air Cadets, though affiliated with the Canadian Forces, are not members of the Forces and are not expected to join following completion of the Cadet program. Huenison says this is a common misconception.
The program provides youth with avenues to develop citizenship, leadership, and self-discipline, all important parts of becoming an adult at no charge.
"It provides opportunities to learn about different things and costs them next to nothing," Huenison explained. "We provide the uniforms and when we travel the only money they need is if they want to buy a souvenir."
Huenison explains that between 1989 and 1995 he in fact was a cadet and attributes much of his success today to the program.
"I work for an oil production company, NAL Resources," Huenison stated. "I manage the Saskatchewan oil well servicing operations and I've been doing this for 12 years. I'm held accountable, I have to meet deadlines, create schedules, and deal with budgets."
"I wouldn't be half the person I am today without Air Cadets. It gives you the skills you need for success and because of that I have been fortunate to have built success in my civilian career. I'm prepared to give speeches, I'm comfortable managing schedules, and the leadership program has helped as I manage between four and 10 individuals at a time. It's helped me become decisive in decision making."
Though these are the outcomes of an Air Cadet as an adult, when the youth are in the program they aren't always looking at how it will benefit them in the future.
"It gives them opportunities to do a variety of things," Huenison stated. "They don't realize when they're 16 or 17-years-old that what you learn in Air Cadets carries over into the real world."
From participating in athletic nights to training activities such as orienteering and survival training, youth are challenged in a fun atmosphere which fosters growth.
"We had two outdoor campouts last year which included survival and orienteering, then we gave them a curve ball and had them use a compass at night," Huenison explained. "It's a situation where the kids learn to rely on themselves and allows them to train how to handle situations on their own."
In addition to this youth are given the chance to pursue becoming pilots or glider plane pilots, but it can also give youth experience in air traffic control and the happenings on the ground.
Last year the Moose Mountain Air Cadets spent time touring the Regina Airport, the RCMP Depot, and visiting the MLA for a tour of the legislative buildings.
"For youth considering the RCMP it's a good way to let them see how they're trained," Huenison said. "At the airport we focused on what goes on behind the scenes, while the legislative buildings were great because the cadets all came away with how our governing process works, how the political process in Saskatchewan is carried out."
Other activities also include target shooting with an air rifle, forming an annual curling team, and participating in a citizenship tour. Last year this tour took youth to Calgary where they attended museums, went up the Calgary Tower, and visited the Science Centre.
"We were joined by the Oxbow squadron and we took a total of 37 cadets by bus to Calgary for six days," Huenison stated. "On the tour we clothed, fed, and bussed them there at no cost to the kids. Some youth don't have the ability to do certain things, but this is something that provides opportunities to everyone."
In order to ensure a positive experience for the youth there is a parent committee which focuses on helping fundraise for the program, which includes running the concession at the Red Market Barn during the summers.
"In the next two years I hope to see us in Ottawa for a five day stint," Huenison said.
Being able to take the youth to the capital city of Canada would be an extremely interesting and educational activity, but would also allow youth to experience more of their country.
Overall Huenison says the program fosters self-confidence in youth, while teaching them about leadership, aviation, survival and self reliance, athletics, and becoming an effective communicator. All traits which will later set them apart in job interviews and in the workforce.
Huenison has returned to Air Cadets, now as an instructor, because his son inquired about the program and showed interest.
"The reason I'm so passionate about the program, as a person who participated, is because of the opportunities it gave me, which were unbelievable," Huenison stated. "I spent time in Goose Bay, NFLD, during Cadets where I cleared planes for takeoff and worked in air traffic control. My dad was a teacher and my mom stayed at home with me and my three brothers, but I saw Canada before I was 18 which would have otherwise never happened."
"They put a roof over your head and feed you, all on their own budget. It's a program designed to be not for profit."
Huenison has recently taken over command of the Moose Mountain Squadron and is looking forward to fostering growth in the program.
"We're in the growth stage right now and I'm hoping we begin participating in more things," he explained. "We have our Monday night parades and meetings, but I hope to try more than just that such as more range shooting, physical fitness, sports weekends, and anything to really engage the youth more because they all have different interests."
At their Monday night parades youth do learn military drills and participate in an inspection, but that is essentially the extent of the Canadian Forces influence which Huenison stresses is simply an affiliation, "at no time are the youth members of the Canadian Forces nor are they ever expected to join."
Based out of Carlyle the Moose Mountain Air Cadets draw from surrounding communities such as Redvers, Manor, Arcola, and more because the nearest other programs are found in Oxbow and Estevan.
Overall Huenison says it is a program that provides opportunities to all youth and opens doors they may have otherwise been unaware of.
"It's nice that this program develops citizenship and teaches leadership skills," Huenison said. "It helps youth today become better poised to become the leaders of our future."
"It's interesting to see the development, take a 12-year-old who is afraid to talk to anybody and at 14 or 15-years-old are able to stand up with confidence in front of a group of 10 and lead them in a task. It's cool to see first years who come in shy and afraid to talk, but to watch them develop and grow the confidence they need."
The first meeting this year for the Cadets will be held on Monday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Carlyle Elementary School gymnasium. Huenison encourages youth between the ages of 12 and 18 to stop by and see if it is something they may be interested in, while the parents committee will also be meeting to begin discussing the organization of the year.
