The air cadets program states that the purpose of their program is to teach necessary skills to the youth without any obligation to pursue military service or a military career. However, this purpose has changed throughout the years. In an article in September 1978, the origin of Canadian Air Cadets was described as a boys military training program. However, that purpose changed over the years and at the time of the creation of the Abbotsford Air Cadets program it had transformed into something else. The purpose of the Air Cadets League of Canada at that time was not entirely military based but changed to become a “citizenship training organization.”
Although the Cadets program in Abbotsford states that there is no obligation to continue a career in aviation, there is an underlying motivation for those who join to continue in aviation beyond their teenage years. There are many stories of youth from the Cadet program showing how the years they spent in the Cadet program benefitted them to continue their careers in aviation. Youth in cadet programs have earned scholarships that have helped them advance their careers in aviation.
Those in the program have reached high ranks at a young age such as being solo glider pilots to getting licensed so they can carry passengers on their flights. Due to the fact that the news constantly highlighted people in the Air Cadets program who pursued careers in the military and/or aviation, there is a chance that the program made people more inclined to pursue future careers in that same field. The change of purpose over the years brings up a few unanswered questions that are important to reflect on.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Although the requirement to pursue a career in the military or aviation isn’t the purpose of the program, is this indirectly encouraged by those in charge of programming?
- What caused the transition from a boys military training program to a citizenship training program?
- What purpose do these programs serve for people who may never pursue careers in similar fields?