Cadet Programs

Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Program is a program made to develop youth into the aerospace leaders of tomorrow by developing young adults into strong leaders and educating them on aerospace fields. The cadet program has four core values: integrity, volunteer service, excellence, and respect. In addition to these values, the cadet program teaches followership, teamwork, leadership, and much more. As cadets progress through the program, they can promote through a rank structure modeled after the Air Force. Cadets fulfill requirements in leadership, character development, aerospace, and fitness in order to promote. As cadets promote, they are also given more responsibilities and opportunities. The cadet program is split into 4 phases: learning, leading, command, and executive. Cadets start by working as part of a team, then lead small groups, and eventually become in charge of large groups of cadets and organize projects.

The cadets meet once a week on Tuesday at 1745 (5:45 pm) to practice drill, do pt, learn lessons on aerospace and leadership, and more. The activities that occur each week depend on the week of the month. Below is a general schedule that we normally follow. In addition to normal activities, special activities generally occur on weekends.

Below is more information on the activities that take place at our squadron:

Aerospace Lessons:

Aerospace lessons occur during some cadet meetings, where a different aerospace topic is covered. These topics range between many topics such as aviation history, flight concepts, space, aircraft, and experiences of senior members in our squadron.

Leadership Lessons:

Leadership lessons are taught at various cadet meetings, where different aspects of leadership are discussed. These topics are taken out of the Learn To Lead modules and allow the cadets to learn and discuss the topics in more depth.

Character Development:

The second meeting of the month is when character development lessons are taught. These monthly lessons focus on developing yourself into a better leader and person by exploring various character-building topics.

PT:

PT, also known a physical training occurs on the first meeting of the month. During this cadets either take the physical fitness test required for most promotions or participate in a fitness-related game or activity.

Drill:

Every other meeting starts with drill, which is another word for marching. Cadets learn to work together and improve on the maneuvers they are taught while more experienced cadets develop their leadership skills. Drill is also tested as part of the promotion requirements.

Special Activities:

In addition to weekly meetings, the squadron holds special activities and events. These events include encampment, marksmanship, emergency services, STEM projects, field trips, national cadet special activities, orientation flights, CyberPatriot, cadet advisory council, and much more. To find out more about each of these activities, visit the "Activities" page.