Have you ever wondered what the Army Cadets are all about?
Do you want to know how to get involved?
You may be surprised to learn that Cadets are NOT about recruiting into the military. They are a uniformed youth group run to military standards in dress, performance, team work, leadership and skills. A recent report – the Denny report – found that young people in Cadets became more resilient, had enhanced communication and leadership skills, and developed high levels of confidence. They also gained a wide range of SVQ qualifications along the way. Oh, and they have tons of fun too!
Your local battalion is the 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force – or 1 Highlanders as they are known. The Battalion covers Inverness and the surrounding area with detachments from Elgin to Stornoway, and Aviemore to Shetland; an area near to Austria in size! Although, the Battalion covers a largely rural area, the individual detachments are based near population centres, and as such there is a concentration of detachments in and around Inverness itself.
1 Highlanders has a total of 356 cadets supported and supervised by 141 adult instructors across 21 detachments. Cadets turn up for for training one night per week and are generally able to attend 1 weekend a month. The highlight of the cadet year is the annual summer camp. Cadets take part in weekend attendances with often 1 or 2 nights sleeping away from home beforehand to help build confidence and independence before attending Annual Camp itself. This year’s Annual Camp took place in July at Warcop Training Camp in Cumbria. Camp involved “military like” aspects of cadet activities (i.e. fieldcraft, shooting and drill) but the cadets also undertook wider adventure activities –such as navigation and expedition exercises, climbing, mountain biking, and Tag Archery.
Another important part of cadet training is community engagement. As such, cadets have been involved assisting at various community events i.e. Elgin Food & Drink Festival, Nairn Highland games, Mey Highland games, Voe and Cunningsburgh Shows Shetland, and even a charity Triathlon at Staffin on Skye.
With such a wide range of skills and experiences under their belts, it is no wonder that our Cadets are considered to be model citizens and much sought after employees of the future.
So, if you are interested in finding out more, either as a parent/guardian or as a potential Adult Volunteer, why not get in touch your local Army Cadet Detachment? You can find contact details on our interactive map or contact Michelle on hi-headeng@rfca.mod.uk