Junior Rangers, Army Cadets learn from each other

A weekend spent on a joint training exercise by Junior Canadian Rangers from Constance Lake and army cadets from Hearst was rated a success in bringing youth from two cultures together in a positive learning experience for both of them.
“It was a good experience,” said Capt. Kevin Grenon, commanding officer of 2826 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in Hearst, a mostly French-speaking community about 40 kilometres east of Constance Lake. “There was a lot of exchanges of different skills.”
“The Junior Rangers camp differently. They are so used to the cold and when it was time to light a fire they had it going in no time. They knew what to do outdoors.”
Another feature of the weekend was the two groups learning to speak to each other in three languages. The Junior Rangers could speak both Oji-Cree and English while the cadets were mostly French-speaking.
“The Junior Rangers helped the French-speaking cadets with English and taught them some Oji-Cree,” said Master Corp. Savannah Neotapin, who leads the Junior Ranger patrol at Constance Lake. “They had a lot of fun doing it.”
The overnight camp was held in the bush near Hearst. The 16 Junior Rangers and 12 cadets were split up and slept together in military 10-person Arctic tents, a new experience for both groups. Many had never slept in a tent before.
Temperatures dipped to –28 C and the Junior Rangers, more used to being outdoors in the cold, helped the cadets cope with the cold. Training included building improvised shelters and snowshoeing in the bush.
“The Junior Rangers learned the cadets are more disciplined and structured than they are,” Neotapin said. “They had never seen drill done before. It was new to them but some of them were interested and want to learn how to do drill. It was a good learning experience for both sides because they learned different skills from each other.”
A highlight of the weekend for the cadets was their first experience eating bannock. Neotapin’s mother, Charlotte, who is also a Canadian Ranger, made bannock for everyone.
“It’s the first time we’ve done anything together,” Grenon said.