It’s been a wild summer for Keira Vanderveen, or at least a summer in the wild.
A member of the 756 Wild Goose Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets in Georgetown, Vanderveen is participating in the survival instructor course at Blackdown Cadet Training Centre at CFB Borden.
The four-week program teaches cadets many skills, including how to find and prepare food in the wild as well as methods to collect water. It also educates cadets on building shelters and signal fires with limited supplies.
“The survival instructor course has been an amazing experience for me,” Vanderveen said.
This week, participants completed a field exercise that had cadets working in pairs in a survival situation. Vanderveen said the exercises teach valuable skills.
“I feel really confident now that if I ever were to get lost in the woods, or any other situation where I may need these skills,” she said.
But the benefits also go beyond the specific skills.
“I feel like I’ve grown so much,” she said.
Approximately 100 Air Cadets from across Canada are participating in the course. The summer training provides rewarding experiences for the cadets, offering the opportunity to meet new people while participating in safe and challenging activities that encourage personal growth.
Vanderveen is now in her second year as a cadet.
“The cadet program has been really good for me,” she said. “I appreciate developing leadership skills through the program.”
