Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Whitehorse, Yukon (Aug 24/05) - A number of cadets from the Kivalliq region took part in both a basic camp and a leadership instructor course at the Yukon's Whitehorse Cadet Summer Training Centre during the past seven weeks.

Repulse Bay cadets have attended the Yukon camp for the past nine years.

This year, the community sent four cadets to the six-week leadership camp and nine cadets to the two-week basic camp.

This year also marked the second time a pair of Repulse cadets were selected as camp staff members, with Trevor James Kringayark and Darrick Kaunak spending their summer working with cadets from across the Northern region.

Leonie Aissaoui was a founding member of the Repulse cadet movement in the early 1990s.

Aissaoui says as popular as the summer camp is with most cadets, some have been struggling of late.

She says the Repulse corps has been having a problem the past few years with younger cadets coming home early.

"We've never really had that problem in the past and it's quite frustrating because they say all year they're really looking forward to going, then, when they get there, they're homesick and want to come back," says Aissaoui.

"They say they're homesick, but it's more of a problem with discipline.

Roam the streets

"At home in the summer, they roam the streets all hours of the night and come and go as they please.

"At camp, they have a schedule, have to be in bed at a certain hour and have to get up early in the morning.

"Some of them would rather do what they want here than put up with the camp's discipline."

Majority benefit

While it's disappointing for local leaders to see some cadets return early, the vast majority stay at camp.

Aissaoui says the cadets who remain benefit greatly from the experience and it shows when they return home.

"The two-week camp is fairly basic, but the leadership camp teaches them how to take more responsibility with the younger cadets.

"When they come home, you can see how much their leadership and communication skills have improved, as well as their self-confidence.

"We always look forward to what the leadership cadets will contribute when we begin our program in September."