Richmond’s army cadet program, whose official name is 2947 39 Service Battalion Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, was recently awarded the Roy Rigby Jones Cup for the best army cadet corps in B.C.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada, the free program offers military-structured training to boys and girls aged 12 to 18.
“We are quite happy and proud of the achievement. It (the award) means a lot because we have put a lot of work into the program,” said Capt. Jeff Ng, commanding officer of the Corps.
“(Judges) factored the fact that we had a total population growth of 15 per cent this year, and the achievements our cadets made during the training.”
One of the Richmond cadets was named top cadet in B.C. and another, who just graduated, was named the top electrical mechanical cadet.
“The intent of the program 40 to 50 years ago was to prepare young people to go into the army, but it has changed in the last 20 years,” said Ng.
“There is less emphasis on promoting the military, but more on promoting life skills and effective behaviours and lifestyles that just make you a good citizen.”
Apart from learning how to march or participate in ceremonies, young people in the program also learn a series of outdoor skills, according to Ng.
“Part of our program is expeditions, such as mountain biking, canoeing and horseback riding – really cool stuff,” he said, adding that this year some cadets were sent to Chile to do mountaineering.
According to Ng, a lot of the training is about developing skills and building confidence, by overcoming challenges and adversity.
“A lot of the leadership they developed here can be applied to regular life and any job, such as how to lead a group, how to be a good team member and how to give public presentations – a lot of that is evenly distributed across our entire program," he said.
There are currently 105 registered cadets at the Richmond base. They receive training once a week and occasionally on weekends.
Ng said the program “has absolutely no charge” and welcomes any residents – including foreign nationals living here – who are between 12 to 18 years old, to participate.
Interested parents and students can drop by their training, which runs every Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 5500 No.4 Road to get more information about the program and how to enroll. There will be a four-week orientation period for all new cadets to see if it’s a good fit.
“It requires a significant amount of commitment. You’ve got to be persistent,” said Ng.
For more information, check http://www.2947armycadets.ca/ or email to [email protected].
