RCAC Report

By OCdt. J.T. Lewis 2968 RCACC – Recently Gold Star cadets of 2968 RCACC tested their teamwork skills as they had to complete a challenge that had them build and use improvised stretchers.

“Though it was a physical activity it was really about learning to work together,” said Warrant Officer Cameron Hewitt Hunt.

The cadets were only provided with a knife to cut rope and rope to make their stretcher. They needed to find material that they could use for the construction of the stretch­er. Then, ultimately, they had to carry a “casualty” about 1 km dis­tance to see if their stretcher would work.

“Our group used a pallet and some longer pieces of wood we found in the forest for handles,” Hewitt Hunt said.

While they tested their teamwork skills, the challenge also gave the cadets an opportunity to practice some leadership skills.

“It’s really important for people to learn how to follow and lead,” Hewitt Hunt said. “If you don’t learn about this you really aren’t going to get anywhere in life.”

“In any job, business or even at university, eventually you are going to be in a senior position where you are going to have to lead other people,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you really are, there is always some sort of hierarchy.”

“If you learn about teamwork and leadership now, the better off you will be for later,” he said.

Part of teamwork is learning about how to respect each other.

Cadet Duncan Larmer noted that in his group, they didn’t exactly have a leader, but, all three coop­erated with each other to complete the assignment.

“None of us was really in charge,” he said. “I said ‘let’s look around us and gather our resources,’ the others thought it was a really good idea.”

But, ultimately what he talked about is a good leadership/team­work skill, listening to the sugges­tions of all the team members and coming up with a plan as a group that will lead to success in the chal­lenge.

“We found we liked this method to complete the task rather than just one guy telling us what to do,” Larmer said. “People may come to resent that person telling them what to do.”

He noted that resentment could develop in the group especially if they haven’t developed that sense of a common goal, everyone being on the “same page.”

Larmer also said that the skill development in cadets is important to the future, it’s about learning respect for people. “You learn to respect the people over you and the people under you,” he said. “Without respect both ways, it makes for a hostile work environment.”

“If you have a team where people don’t get along you won’t get things done properly or in a timely man­ner,” he said.

Warrant Officer Mykola Toews stresses the importance of team­work.

“Teamwork is really the most important aspect to any situation,” Toews said. “Most situations (either in a work environment or while pursuing post-secondary oppor­tunities) you encounter include yourself and others, you are going to need use teamwork skills to com­plete any tasks successfully.”