Senior Cadet Leadership.

[Bergeron 971]

Hey everyone,
I'm looking for leaderhip training scenario's in the bush, in local facilities, etc.. Tasking, something that would last for approximately one hour.
Lets have the mission, what is needed for equipment etc. We can make a good data base of ideas.

 

[Jerkass]

TABLOID SPORTS MEET in your cadet reference book. 413.04

 

[Rocketryan]

Haha.

You need to come up with a level 4 or 5 activity for an upcoming bush weekend???
Guess were in the same boat.
Previous activities in my squadron have been boring stuff like a web of ropes which are "electricity"

I am thinking of something which is like Camoflage...so say...half the group goes hide in a nearby area...and the other half have to try and spot them from ONE spot. And after like 10 minutes...the searching group is allowed to start looking into the forest.

Or you know in those movies where they crawl under barbed wire while a machine gun fires over them?

Replace the barbed wire with rope and throw pinecombs over them??

Some ideas I might use for my Level 4 activity.

Hope these helped.

 

[rmacqueen]

One thing we have done is make up a sign with a word on it, hang it up someplace then one group "guards" it while the other group tries to sneak close enough to read it then escape without being caught.

 

[Klc]

My personal favorite was a night navigation/recce scenario. We would put a vehicle in a obscured area, use reservist sentries (Thanks to our affiliated unit) and send a few sections of cadets with officers trailing and strategically placed to observe from a distance. The sections were given a 6 figure grid reference to locate, and a bearing was written at each respective checkpoint towards the vehicle.  We were told to expect the unexpected, and practice sound and light discipline.

Objectives:

1. Locate vehicle, and grid location
2. Identify type of vehicle
3. Determine Licence plate number
4. Avoid Contact.
5. Radio in for further instruction. If comms fail, return to bivvy site.

The kicker (not always possible, but we had cool officers and an awesome affiliated unit) was that there was a section strength group of infantry reservists out there that we didn't know about. Their job was to guard the vehicle, and capture any opposing forces. The three sections of cadets were competing to see who could complete the mission first.

The most amazing part to us, was that although there was observers, the sections were basically on their own. We were given a 77 set, and sent on our merry way. Shows who the real leaders are...

This was the most fun I had as a cadet. I was 2IC of our section, and I remember getting within 200m of our objective and stopping. Our IC insisted he and a scout were the only ones to go ahead. We waited 10 minutes before realising they weren't coming back. We radioed the other section we were in range of and found that they had somehow lost half their strength.

Turns out they were plucking stray cadets, and tackling and Sr. NCO's they got the chance to. One section was wiped out by a trip flare "claymore".(TINY little flare, with a reservist hiding in the bush nearby to yell out "Your all dead."). I identified it as an LSVW, but never had the balls to get the plate number. They had the 'prisoners' on orders to be silent, and stand behind the LS. I thought they had nearly a platoon, so we pulled out and buggered back to the bivvy.

I've gotta say, the training that always brought out the best in our NCO's was always some kind of map and compass. I was disguested by the number of cadets that failed Map and Compass at my NSCE... They all could do it in the classroom, but some had only once shot a bearing outside. (Which boggles my mind, as they were all about the map and compass at my CL and CLI...)

P.S. It's late, If some of this doesn't make sense, I'll fix it in the morning.

 

[Bergeron 971]

KLC, I like that idea. Our affiliated unit is a Armoured Recce unit. and the recon would be cool for the older cdts.

The goal i'm trying to achive is a database of leadership challenages for future and present staff cadets.
They need to be able to adapt. and complete taskings. We want them to think, plan and act.
Map and compass and other things could be invalved, however, it is the leadership we are working on developing.

 

[Rocketryan]

You could try an "Attack" and "Defend" scenario with laser tag guns(If you have the money) if no laser tag guns..use flashlights
And make sure its dark out...
If its light out...
Ask your CO first,and see if its ok with the cadets participating...If you can use paintballs...not paintball guns just paintballs...then the cadets can throw them at eachother

Or if its a winter weekend--->Snowballs!

Equipment Needed:Flashlights(or paintballs),Flag,Cadets(20 or More)
Equipment which will make it cooler:Radios for attackers,Camo paint,Glow sticks(For distraction),anything else which YOU think will make it cool

Rules:Attackers
->No flashlight"gun"
->(If using paintballs)Limited ammo of paintballs..so like 5 a person
->Must capture a flag which is placed at the peak of a hill(if no hills available pick a spot which seems hard to attack) which is guarded by opposing forces
->Must stay withing boundarys
->Usual rules you would have

Advice:Attackers
->Split your group off into smaller sections of 3 people and have one person become leader in each section
->Have a "Supreme" leader who will come up with a plan with the section leaders
->Try and get younger cadets into leader positions


Rulesefenders
->allowed flashlight "Guns"
->Given more paintballs(if allowed) then the attackers
->Must defend flag for -Set- amount of time(15 minutes,etc)
->Usual rules you would have

Adviceefenders
->Split your group off into smaller sections of 3 people and have one person become leader in each section
->Have a "Supreme" leader who will come up with a plan with the section leaders
->Try and get younger cadets into leader positions


(I am so using these for MY activities)

 

[Krisz]

Not sure if you lot still need anything...

But I had quite a lot of fun on a Senior Bush Exercise Night Exercise, (I'm presuming that most of these "Leadership Activities" will be held during the night as days will be filled with classes, etc,) a while back with my Sqn, despite the fact that we have no attached Reserves unit.

The idea was this:

After the first night our group had been split into two Syndicates. During the day, these syndicates spent the day mapping out two seperate areas, and then each syndicate got the other's map and had to take down their tents/hoochies in the common area and bring them to their new 'syndicate sleeping area.' Then, the second night, prior to supper, (which was brilliant, we actually got steak on a Bush Ex, tells you what happens when you have a LOT of spare funds in the Sqn,) we were given plenty, (about 6,) of mouse traps and some string/cord-type material. We were told to set them up in fairly unobvious defensive posistions around our tents, so that they would be set off if someone came towards the tents. Then, we were called back to HQ, and the rules and objectives of the game were explained to us.



The objectives were:

Two officers were placed in each syndicate's sleep site, roughly in the center. (Later on, as it got closer towards the end of the night, officers were substituted for glowsticks.)
Your syndicate's objective is to capture the other officer and bring him back to your officer without being tagged/tripping a mouse trap.
You also, however, have to defend your own officer from capture.


The rules were:

You can tag anyone, anywhere. Once you're tagged, you're out. (As in, even if you're in their territory, you can sneak up on them and still tag them and they're out of the game.)
If you set off a mouse trap, you're out. Even if it's your own. (If anyone wants to hear a story 'bout me setting off one of my team's own mousetraps, do let me know.)
You're allowed to have two sentries at your base. (CLARIFY THIS ONE: I was a sentry for my team on the first round, and the ENTIRE opposing team decided to be sentries, so none of them came after our Officer and I nearly froze while waiting for them.)
Boundaries are to be set according to where you are, nothing too extreme, but give them a fair amount of manuevering room.
If you hear, (insert some noise here,) you must return to HQ.


I believe these were all the rules, though it was over a year ago and I may not be remembering all of them. Feel free to add modifactions to this as you wish. It's nice, as the only materials you need are:

12-14 mousetraps, (don't give them too many- force them to be creative and strategic with what they have, that's some of the fun of it.)
Glowsticks/officers willing to stand in the same place for a good 30-60 minutes. (A round, in my experience, was approximately that long. If you're using glowsticks, have 2 or more, but if using officers, only have one, it's difficult enough for one person to sneak in, twice as difficult to sneak out with an officer.)


Well, that's about it. I hope it helps. I certainly intend to organize something like this on our next Bush Ex/Senior Bush Ex.

Cheers,
Krisz

P.S. Brilliant sounding Activity, Klc, only trouble is you need an attached reserves unit. Poor ol' 754 doesn't have one.