Brindee Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 We have some friends whose kids go to Civil Air Patrol. Now my youngest really wants to join. I am wondering if anyone can tell me more info. about it. What does it do for the kids/what do they get out of it? Jean (Quiver of 10), I noticed you have it listed in your curriculum. How is it counted as curriculum, I mean, what part of curric. is it? I know nothing about it, so any info. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) We have some friends whose kids go to Civil Air Patrol. Now my youngest really wants to join. I am wondering if anyone can tell me more info. about it. What does it do for the kids/what do they get out of it? Jean (Quiver of 10), I noticed you have it listed in your curriculum. How is it counted as curriculum, I mean, what part of curric. is it? I know nothing about it, so any info. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! I dont count it as curiculum except as a PE credit for the drill they end up doing, but I listed it as an activity. My 16 and 14 yo are in the color guard with CAP and they are at CAP T and Th 6-9 and Sat 8-4, so it's a big part of their week. This is a reply of mine to a post on another board: My family has been invovled in CAP for a few years and we have had nothing but good experiences. CAP teaches them discipline, self-confidence, independence, moral values, working with a team, the basics of survival, search and rescue, how to fly; not just book work, they get to fly a plane. ( Talk about mommy panic lol) The kids need to keep up good grades, they learn to iron and maintain their uniform. They learn how to shine shoes LOL. They learn respect for themselves and others. Oh, edited to add the physical training. They do weekly drill and excersizes as well as running etc. I don't have any problem with assigning PE credit for over the year. Some of the things my kids have done: Gone to Scotland for 2 weeks and trained with the Scottish = of CAP Gone to Washington DC and laid wreaths on the graves of soldiers Worked assorted air shows Toured assorted air craft and helicopters Been on a plane that fuels air crafts ( my boys would know the name lol) and got to be below as they fueled the jets. My son thought this was way cool LOL Winter survival( weekend) Airman academy ( 4-5 days?) Encampment( 2 weeks)-my oldest went one year as a cadet and the next as a staff member (leadership skills) Partook in different search and resuce missions( In Arkansas CAP helps with tornado clean up and search/rescue) My 16 and 14 year( 14 yo is a girl) olds are in the color guard and are in the middle of competition. They won the local and are heading to a 4 day regional in OKC in May and then onto a week long one in Oregon. We are extra blessed here in AR because our group is made up of mostly homeschoolers Edited April 28, 2009 by Quiver0f10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 My two oldest boys have been/are involved in Civil Air Patrol since 2000. It has been a wonderful experience for them. There are three main phases of the program: Aerospace Education, Emergency Services and the Cadet Program. One or both of my boys have: Attended or been a part of leadership of the annual summer encampment. Visited Canada for an Air Cadet exchange program. Obtained many Red Cross certificates. Laid wreaths at Quantico National Cemetery Attended PJOC (Pararescue Orientation Course) in New Mexico Attended Blue Beret in Oshkosh, WI (learned to direct aircraft at the largest Air Show in America) Participated in/Led many Search and Rescue missions My oldest son is now a certified Red Cross Instructor and teaches the classes at his CAP squadron. He also was awarded their highest rank, the Carl A. Spaatz Award, last year. They have both become strong leaders and very responsible young adults. I attribute much of that to their CAP experiences. Here is a 4-minute video to watch about the organization: This video is a tad longer but is more informative: There are many more videos at youtube on CAP. My boys are particularly involved in the Emergency Services aspect of the program. They are not only CAP certified for ground search and rescue, they are also certified by the State of Virginia as field team leaders which means they can lead missions to find missing persons. They are also trained and certified to set up a disaster shelter in case of a natural disaster and have been certified to set up a shelter in case of a nuclear reactor disaster (we live near a reactor). Here's a link to an article about my son (sorry - I'm a proud mom): http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/032008/03252008/364556 There is a downloadable pdf of the Parent's Guide at this link: http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/cadet_programs/parents/ HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Can I ask about the kind of kids in CAP? I am interested in this for my son (he's 11 now), but he has a few LDs and is really about 2 years younger than his chronological age. I have a feeling he may not be able to handle CAP - is it best for bright kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Can I ask about the kind of kids in CAP? I am interested in this for my son (he's 11 now), but he has a few LDs and is really about 2 years younger than his chronological age. I have a feeling he may not be able to handle CAP - is it best for bright kids? I spoke to ds20 and he said that, although the superior officers would not have any problem with someone with learning disabilities, the other cadets may not be so kind. It is really impossible to tell, but there are similar dynamics at work in any organization that is made up primarily of young people who are learning and growing themselves (think public school). Of course, there is a lot of supervision and I don't think any squadron would allow bullying or that sort of thing. It is a much more controlled environment than school and there is a low tolerance for bad behavior. Only that there are many activities that require teamwork and if someone is particularly slow the other cadets may not have enough grace to speak kindly to them or have the necessary patience to handle the situation with care. If your son is really interested he could always join up when he is a little older and has matured a bit more. From my viewpoint as a parent I see CAP as an activity that encourages the cadets to push themselves past comfortable and to reach for high goals. That could be a very good thing for someone who struggles if handled well. The cadets are encouraged to study and pass tests in order to get promoted. There is a lot of emphasis on continually reaching for the next level of achievement. Except for the highest rank, you are allowed to take the tests as many times as you need to in order to pass. I suppose that would have the potential to be frustrating or encouraging depending on how many times it took your son to pass a test. They are all multiple choice and the material is in the Aerospace textbook and other CAP manuals. I think, too, each squadron is different, so you may want to discuss your concerns with the DCC (Deputy Commander of Cadets) to help you determine if the squadron near you is a good fit for your son. I hope that answers your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Wow, thanks for all the info.! You guys are great! I have one more question: We go to church on Saturday, and keep from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as our Sabbath---meaning, we wouldn't be able to do the weekend stuff. I am wondering if there are major tests or things they'd HAVE to do for advancement on Friday nights and Saturdays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Thanks, Kathleen; that's very helpful. I've looked at the CAP website, and we have several squadrons in the Phoenix area. Membership starts at 12, but we would probably wait until my son was 13 or 14 to join. I'm going to keep the website handy and check back in a couple of years. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Wow, thanks for all the info.! You guys are great! I have one more question: We go to church on Saturday, and keep from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as our Sabbath---meaning, we wouldn't be able to do the weekend stuff. I am wondering if there are major tests or things they'd HAVE to do for advancement on Friday nights and Saturdays? The majority of things are Tuesday evenings for us normally ( color guard is a newish thing for my kids). Ocassionally there will be an air show, or some kind of community service thing on a Saturday they work at, but it doesn't happen too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Wow, thanks for all the info.! You guys are great! I have one more question: We go to church on Saturday, and keep from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset as our Sabbath---meaning, we wouldn't be able to do the weekend stuff. I am wondering if there are major tests or things they'd HAVE to do for advancement on Friday nights and Saturdays? The meetings are required and are usually on a weeknight - every squadron gets to pick their own meeting night. Ours meets on Thursday nights. If your son gets involved in Search and Rescue he may be called out on a mission any time of the day and any day of the week. Because most people have Saturdays off there are often optional extra activities (field trip type things like trips to museums) planned for Saturdays. There are non-commissioned officer ranks (airman through chief master sargeant) which you can climb through fairly easily. In order to be commissioned as a cadet officer you have to have attended one summer encampment which will most likely conflict with your schedule (it's 10 days long). There are Sunday morning worship services, but I'm fairly certain they do not accommodate Saturday worship. There are also National Activities which only officers can participate in. (Hawk Mountain Ranger School, Cadet Leadership Academy, Pararescue Training, International Air Cadet Exchange, etc.) which probably do not accommodate Saturday worship either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Thankyou Jean and Kathleen! I appreciate your willingness to share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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