Learning to Take Initiative

North American students are roughly a month into the new school year, right about now. Fall begins this week, and many extra-curricular programs are set to begin now too. The cadet corps my oldest belongs to has its first training for new recruits this coming weekend.

I was looking through some of the online videos that give young people an idea of what they can get out of cadets, so I can share them and hopefully inspire a few young men & women to join cadets. I've included one below, and for more information about the Cadet Movement in Canada you can read my article on how it provides valuable learning opportunities at no cost to families. There are links for those who would like to find a cadet corps or squadron in their community, or in the Montreal area please check out the Black Watch (RHR) of Canada Cadet Corps 2497.

What I wanted to talk about in this post, though, is the importance of learning to take initiative. This is a lesson so many adults could stand to learn, but my hope is that our young people will be given the opportunity to step into leadership roles whether at school or home, or in the community. Getting involved with a project of some kind and seeing it through to the end is a skill that can be learned. It is an exercise in character building, and of course it takes encouragement for anyone regardless of age to follow through when they face an obstacle. But if that support is consistently provided, it becomes easier with time.

I was looking at some of the feedback received by a number of the cadet videos on YouTube. There were the usual grumblings one expects to see, no matter the type of video. But on one video in particular I saw an awful lot of comments that claimed the video was not accurate, as it portrayed a large number of activities that were not available to the average cadet. Now, in my daughter's case she participated in about 85% to 90% of the activities shown in the video in just her first year of cadets. But assuming these cadets were speaking the truth, my question to them would be what are they doing to change the situation?

Leadership is a major component of the cadet program, and you'll find it in other youth organizations too. You'll also see it stressed in schools that really stand out - whether public or private. Part of leadership is learning how to identify a problem and taking steps to solve it. But it's also about identifying a desire, and taking the initiative to turn that desire into reality.

So your school doesn't hold enough dances. Your cadet corps doesn't let you paint your face with camo or go hiking on the really "cool" trails. So you don't get to go winter camping with guides or scouts. You want it? Make it happen! Take the initiative to go speak to a teacher, an officer, a guider or scout master. Ask if you can. Ask what it will take to make it happen. Then work for it.