Young people encouraged to join Cadet Corps
(From right) Cayman Islands Cadet Corps Committee chairman Andre Mon Désir, deputy chairman Annita Cornish, Youth Minister Osbourne Bodden, Cadet Corps Lieutenant Colonel Bobeth O’Garro, Ministry of Youth chief officer Dorine Whittaker, Cadet Corps Second Lieutenant Teresita Ebanks and ministry senior policy advisor Joel Francis
(CNS): The Cadet Corps is looking for students to join its ranks for 2015/16. Recruitment is now open at all government schools, including those on Cayman Brac. Students at Triple C can again enrol at their school.
Chairman of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps Committee (CICCC), former High Court Judge Andre Mon Désir, who came through the cadets, spoke of the many advantages of the corps. “I consider it a great honour to serve as chairman of the CICCC. As a former cadet and senior military officer myself, I know firsthand the value of being in an organisation such as this.”
He said that among the many benefits to young people that the corps has to offer are a wide range of life skills, such as the ability to plan, command and organise tasks; to make decisions under pressure; and to work as effective team players – as well as independently.
Mon Désir added, “Wearing the uniform becomes a tremendous honour; and the responsibility that goes along with it, a great source of humility.”
Youth Minister Osbourne Bodden recently met with the CICCC, and encouraged them to exceed the high standards which have been set over the years. “Perhaps at no time in our history is such an organisation more needed, to provide our young men and women with positive guidance and modelling in important developmental areas such as personal responsibility, civics, discipline and national pride,” Bodden said.
The main roles of the CICCC are to advise the minister on policy matters relating to the Cadet Corps; and on any other areas matters referred by the minister or by the commandant. The committee also makes recommendations with respect to promotions and the appointment to, and withdrawal of, commissions.
Mon Désir added that the corps produces young people with a strong sense of self-confidence, self-discipline, duty to country and a commitment to academic and personal excellence. “We have a great team and I believe there are many, many exciting weeks, months and years ahead of us.
“I therefore look forward to working with my colleagues to help make the Cayman Island Cadet Corps an organisation that truly fulfils its mandate to our young people and, by extension, to the Cayman Islands as a whole,” he said.
Anticipating new developments, Bodden added, “My vision is for the cadets to grow in size with support of the ministry responsible for education, through the schools; and for it to develop marine and aerial units, and become a body of disciplined youths that we can reliably use to recruit for our uniformed services. To this end, we will be working towards them having their own compound and training centre in 2016/17.”
Other members of the CICCC are deputy chair Annita Cornish, Cadet Corps Lieutenant Colonel Bobeth O’Garro, Training Officer Lieutenant Commander Robert Sutherland, Second Lieutenant Teresita Ebanks and Ministry of Youth senior policy advisor Joel Francis.
Category: Youth
