Poole Sea Cadets is a large Sea Cadet unit of 60 cadets and each year they aim to get as much of the unit away for a weekend of adventurous training, team building and enjoying what Dorset has to offer. A real highlight of the year and one that helps develop lifelong skills.
“enjoyed the challenge of fire lighting, having to be patient and using new skills”
They applied to the Alpkit Foundation for a small contribution to the costs of delivering the weekend and it was wonderful to hear back on how £200 made such an impact on enabling some of their cadets to attend. Reece is their Commanding Officer and let us know how they got on.
“Cadets pay a small contribution which we reduce or wave where possible or finances don't allow. The remainder comes from grants and unit funds. This year thanks to this grant we were able to take 41 of our cadets. The unit doesn’t get to do many courses as a whole collective as spaces are often too limited. This is one of the few opportunities we have to group together as one big team and enjoy an experience together.”
The cadets got taken to a site with sparse facilities where they needed to create a ''base'' camp from where they then completed a range of activities such as kayaking, rock climbing, hill walking and bush craft. This year they were also supported by some of the senior cadets, which was a great opportunity for them to get involved with the adult volunteers and enjoy more responsibility.
“climbing was a fantastic opportunity”
“The Friday evening saw the cadets arrive and issued with kit for the weekend. They then set about pitching their tents for the weekend and manage their kit in a small space. For many this was the first time and a steep learning curve, but as whole unit support was easy to find with a real team effort. Over the following days they were introduced to new kit and skills such as rock climbing, navigation, fire lighting and camp cooking skills. Whilst sea kayaking and paddle boarding saw some cadets take to the water for the first time. “
Although the camp was still fairly local to the cadets base in Poole, it demonstrates how much impact these kinds of camps can have. Whilst challenging with the massive movement of equipment, it has huge benefits for the cadets in building confidence.
“For some this was their first exposure to camping and the outdoors, but we often see this drive participation in things such as DofE. This is one of the few courses attended by most of the unit offering a real team building opportunity. It also helps the cadets stretch themselves and enjoy learning new skills and techniques many of which wouldn’t be experienced if they didn’t attend cadets. From this we certainly see an improvement in the cadets ability to take on new challenges or complete complex tasks.”