CFB BORDEN - Hundreds of teenagers braved the sweltering heat inside a large domed building Thursday afternoon at Canadian Forces Base Borden, nervously waiting for their name to be called.
Around 200 sea, air and army cadets have gathered at the Blackdown Cadet Training Centre at CFB Borden, located west of Barrie, to run through a myriad of challenging training opportunities in the coming weeks. Blackdown is one of 24 cadet summer camps across the country.
Thursday's staff cadet appointment parade saw senior cadets, who will be working in leadership positions at the training centre, given their appointments for the summer.
More teenagers from all over Ontario will pour into the base this weekend, including approximately 1,000 on Saturday morning followed by a similarly sized group on Sunday.
“Really, it’s cadets leading other cadets under the supervision of the Canadian Forces,” said Lt. (Navy) Stephen Lasalle.
“This is really Canada’s best-kept secret,” he added. “Youth can come out and develop leadership skills which they can then use at home, at school, in their communities and in their cadet units.”
The national youth program, which is free to participate in, is sponsored by Canadian Forces, the Navy League, the Army Cadet League and the Air Cadet League. It is designed to stimulate an interest in the Canadian military while also working on leadership skills and promoting physical fitness.
Stefan Van Dalen, an 18-year-old Burlington native, was the first to hear his name called on Thursday, as he achieved the vaunted position of Blackdown’s cadet regimental sergeant major. He is the most senior cadet at the training centre, is responsible for all other the cadets at the training centre and is a role model to the younger cadets.
Van Dalen will be overseeing almost 250 senior and junior cadets who were given a variety of roles on Thursday.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Van Dalen told BarrieToday in an air-conditioned building nearby following the afternoon’s formalities. “I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished.
“I’m a little nervous, but not too much,” he said, finally cracking a small grin.
Van Dalen said he was surprised to get the post and didn’t know until his name was called.
“When I heard I got the position, it was immediate joy,” he said.
Van Dalen, who arrived at CFB Borden on Canada Day and is in his sixth year with the Blackdown program, went through a gruelling process where he was assessed on his skills. It turns out it was everything his superiors wanted to see.
“A lot of my life has revolved around cadets,” he said. “It’s a wonderful program. It’s all about community.”
Van Dalen says he wants to enlist with the Queen’s Own Rifles reserve unit in Toronto in September and then plans to study chemical engineering at Ryerson University the following year.
Van Dalen said cadets has particularly helped him hone his people skills. Prior to becoming a cadet, he said he was a different person.
“If I saw a stranger, I was definitely gone into hiding,” he said.
Van Dalen was not the only person who has seen positive change through cadets.
Blaise Harrington, who will oversee the music unit, received a raucous cheer from her peers when her name was called. She has been participating in Blackdown for five years.
“It’s amazing, I love it,” said the 18-year-old Bowmanville native. “Six years ago, I was the shyest person ever.”
Gradually, that shyness has faded away.
“I was put into a leadership position and broke out of my shell,” said Harrington, whose next step will include attending Durham College en route to hopefully achieving her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner.
“I want to help people," she said. "This will definitely help me, because now I’m more assertive. You also learn to accept everyone by working with different types of people.”
Harrington had to go through training, including physical and mental testing, before receiving her new position on Thursday, a process she said was difficult but worthwhile.
“It was stressful for a while, but it all worked out well in the end,” she said with a big smile. “It was definitely worth it.”
For Horseshoe Valley resident Kara Stephan, the Blackdown program is new to her, but not the military.
The Eastview Secondary School graduate will be entering her fourth year in the fall at the prestigious Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston to study computer engineering.
Stephan, who’s in her first year with Blackdown, is one of 15 RMC cadets in the leadership program. She is a platoon commander, meaning she will oversee 35 people between the ages of 14 and 17.
After high school, Stephan went through basic training and a year-long process to get into Royal Military College. During orientation there, it was back to basics.
“It’s like boot camp all over again,” said the 20-year-old officer cadet with the Air Force, who was also a standout with the Eastview Wildcats and Barrie Elites volleyball team, a passion she has continued to pursue at college.
At the Kingston school, Stephan said the smaller class sizes and the focus independence really drew her in.
On Friday night, there will also be a change-of-command ceremony at the training centre. The incoming commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Allan Boileau, will assume command of the training centre from the outgoing commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Jack Kelly.
Boileau, who hails from Moncton, N.B., and has spent more than 30 years working with the cadet program in Atlantic Canada.
