£2,000 Grant Helps Poole Sea Cadets Take on New Challenges at Summer Camp
Poole Sea Cadets have enjoyed two full days of adventurous activities during their summer camp, supported by a £2,000 grant from The Connaught Trust.
The funding helped 40 cadets aged between 10 and 17 take part in activities including climbing, giant paddleboarding, high ropes, tag archery and rifle shooting. Many of these are experiences the unit would not normally be able to offer as part of its regular programme.
The annual camp is an important part of the Poole Sea Cadets calendar, giving young people the chance to spend time away from the unit, work together and build independence alongside their usual cadet training.
In its grant application, the unit explained that adventurous training plays an important part in helping cadets develop confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience. The funding was requested specifically to help cover the cost of professionally delivered activities and keep the camp affordable and accessible to as many cadets as possible.
Trying something new
For some of the cadets, the activities were completely new experiences.
Poole Sea Cadets said the funding was particularly valuable in encouraging young people who might not normally put themselves forward for adventurous activities to get involved, step outside their comfort zone and discover what they were capable of.
One cadet commented:
“I wouldn’t normally have done something like that, but I’m glad I tried it.”
Others highlighted the opportunity to take part in activities that would not normally be available at the unit and to try things they had never experienced before.
Confidence, teamwork and resilience
Across the two activity days, cadets developed a wide range of skills, from teamwork, communication and leadership to resilience, problem-solving and independence.
The activities also helped cadets build confidence and self-belief as they overcame nerves and tackled unfamiliar challenges, while working together and encouraging one another along the way.
The benefits are expected to continue well beyond the camp itself, supporting cadets in their ongoing training, at school and in other areas of their lives.
Poole Sea Cadets thanked The Connaught Trust for its support, saying the grant made a genuine difference to what the unit was able to offer and helped provide 40 young people with new experiences, valuable life skills and lasting memories.
The Connaught Trust is pleased to support projects that give Reserve and Cadet units the opportunity to broaden their training programmes and provide experiences that may otherwise be out of reach.
If your Reserve or Cadet unit has a project that could benefit from funding, find out more about applying for a grant from The Connaught Trust.
APPLY FOR A GRANT FOR YOUR UNIT
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