The Morris Royal Canadian Army Cadet program will be starting up alongside the upcoming school year.

The youth program focuses on leadership and citizenship skills and has grown in Morris from three cadets in 2011, to 45 participants last year.

Participants ages twelve to nineteen train weekly from September until June at the Morris Legion Hall every Thursday. Youth from beyond the Morris region are also welcome to join.

Roxanne Maynard, Commanding Officer of the Morris Army Cadets, explained the program is a 'youth led' leadership program, meaning they teach youth to become leaders in the program and eventually within the community. She adds that participants can expect a variety of activities this year.

"Things that they can do through the program is... physical fitness, marksmanship, citizenship, we've got outdoor survival because that's what Army Cadets do. We have sports, we do drills, community service, and we learn about our Canadian Forces," she said.

She also mentions there are opportunities to go on expeditions such as hiking trips and exchange trips to different countries, depending on what level the cadet is at. She added that the youth in the program from Morris, and the 70-mile surrounding radius, become good friends and are excited to see each other every week.

For Maynard, the best part of the program is watching participants grow and become leaders.

"My favourite part of the program, having two kids that have gone through the program, is seeing them show up when they're twelve and seeing them, you know, every year develop into these amazing leaders that go off into their communities and do amazing work. So for me, the biggest highlight is seeing them grow personally and become confident, young people ready to take on the world," she said.

Over the last two years, the cadets had fundraised for a special trip. In April, nineteen cadets went to France to visit Vimy Ridge as part of the program. Maynard said it was an emotional experience for everyone.  

"It put many things into perspective for the young people, especially that most of the ages that we could see on the tombs out there were between the ages of fourteen and nineteen, so these kids really saw what, you know, a hundred year ago, how many young people actually did sacrifice. They could envision what it would have been like," she said. "I don't even have the words to explain how touching it was because everybody came back changed."

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