Instructors praise growth and confidence of young soldiers
Media Release:
Ten Royal Bermuda Regiment Junior Leaders made lifelong memories and friends as they developed confidence and character on an overseas camp this summer.
Members of the RBR’s youth programme travelled to St Lucia for the two-week training package that not only increased their infantry knowledge but also tested their social skills and resilience.
Their trip came after a locally based camp for a wider group of Junior Leaders as the regiment continues to offer hands-on experiences – such as outdoor survival and public service activities – for Bermuda’s young people, so that they may be prepared for both military and civilian success.
The group of ten joined the Saint Lucia Cadet Corps Annual National Summer Camp last month when the programme covered drill, first aid, adventure training, fieldcraft and map reading.
Various group-level contests were scheduled, including an orienteering and navigation exercise, a public speaking and debate challenge, and a tactical leadership challenge.
It was the first time in nine years that the RBR Junior Leaders travelled to an overseas camp and the teenage troops hailed the benefits of the experience.
Private Amirah Trott, a 15-year-old BHS pupil from Hamilton Parish, said: “It was really fun because we got to experience some new terrain and we made a lot of good friends.
“It was a little challenging getting used to an unfamiliar environment and structure – the schedule of the day – it was a different rhythm for us.
“Since there were a lot of people that we didn’t know, we had to really step out of our comfort zones and take on leadership positions at times.”
Pte Trott, who has been in the youth programme for two years, said that she particularly enjoyed hiking Gros Piton – one of two volcanic peaks that together with their surrounding management area are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For Sergeant D’Angelo Williams, 17, the trip offered an opportunity to expand his understanding of how to operate different training camps.
He said: “The Saint Lucia Cadet Corps has more cadets than us so it was very eye opening to see how they run their camp. It allowed me to gain more knowledge and experience.
“It helped me to grow to be a better sergeant.”
Sgt Williams, who has been in the RBR’s Junior Leaders for five years, reflected on the group’s ten-mile walk from where the camp was based to Moule à Chique lighthouse – the second highest in the world.
“That was a really enjoyable moment to experience together with all the other cadets and the new friends I made,” he added.
The Pembroke resident, who graduated this year from Mount Saint Agnes Academy and is planning to begin aviation training in Canada, relished the chance to go on an overseas trip in his final year with the regiment’s youth programme.
“It was good to have the opportunity to travel away and take part in these experiences with the Junior Leaders, I’m fortunate to have been able to do that,” Sgt Williams said.
Lance Corporal Jade Simons, 27, from Warwick, was one of the adult instructors from Bermuda who accompanied the group.
The bookkeeping cashier, who has worked with the youth programme for four of her five years in the regiment, enjoyed watching the young troops grow and become more confident as the camp progressed.
“In the first few days it was new to them, they were all to themselves, but as time passed, they had a great time,” LCpl Simons said.
“They got far more comfortable, made friends and made memories. I love the fact that I was there to experience it with them.”
She added: “It’s one of the most amazing things – to see a child grow to become such a good leader and their own person. I’m so proud of them all.
“The programme helps young people to grow into the person they wish to become. Once you join, you will never regret it.”
Junior Leaders, for Bermuda-based students aged 12 to17, will resume its term-time schedule of weekly training in September.
- For information on joining the Royal Bermuda Regiment, including its Junior Leaders programme, visit rbr.bm, call 238-1045 or contact the recruiting team at rbr.recruiting@gov.bm.
