Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 10, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom)– The St. Kitts Nevis Defence Force Cadet Corp held its Annual Easter Weekend Training over the weekend at Bayfords.
Speaking with ZIZ News, Warrant Officer Class 2 Nigel Caines said the cadets were taught the Basic principles of paramilitary training “coupled with discipline and integrity”.
He explained the objective of the annual Easter event.
“The cadet corps is based on the whole concept of a school boy or girl who undergoes a paramilitary training and what we seek to do is enhance their learning abilities in a sense,” he said.
“We also want to engage them in activities where they find it more meaningful and get away from the ordinary sitting down behind a computer at home and coming out and doing something active where they can be with their peers and create bonds. Additionally, what we are doing here right now is basically a survival training course where we are teaching them land navigation, basic survival skills where they would have to prepare their own meals, set their own shelters as well as we teach them some basic field craft and weapon handling: discipline, to be more specific.”
Section Commander Ozan Huggins explained how the cadet corps has had a positive impact.
“The cadet corps impacted my life in a significant way because I like the military stuff. So the cadet corps helps to strengthen me in that mindset of military operations, military codes and so forth. It also teaches you survival skills and so forth. We launched medic training and so forth a couple of weeks ago. So in my personal life, I could use that training to help any casualty that I meet along the road.”
The St. Kitts Nevis Defence Force Cadet Corps Easter Retreat ran from Friday to Monday.
The SKNDF Cadet Corps is made up children between the ages of 12 to 18 years old.