Description
Introduction – The Role of a Civil Defence Cadet (CDC)
The Civil Defence Cadet is a young but mature and responsible member of the public who has an interest in “military skills” and upholds our core values of courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty, and selfless commitment.
They may have an interest in joining their country’s military or they and their parents may simply be very aware that the current global situation is likely to bring major upheaval and international conflict to many parts of the world with other threats such as climate change or global pandemics bringing their own risks to the responsible citizens of the future.
Civil Defence Cadets are NOT being trained as warfighters, but they will be some of the most useful people as and when we have a Worst Case Scenario emerge.
The majority of training will take place at the PrepYou.Eu Team House in Boyana, Sofia.
- Fieldcraft & SERE (Survive Evade Resist Escape): By far one of the most popular modules in CDC training!
“Living in the field” is something few people are prepared for and often find it daunting. Your instructors have months of experience living, administering themselves, and operating in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. The correct mindset and previous experience is all you need to cope with your new environment and if needed, how to escape from it.
Creating improvised shelters (and hides!), preparing fresh food in the wild or cooking using military MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in a full tactical exercise and water collection and storage builds a new understanding of the Cadet’s natural environment but also instils confidence and self-resilience that will stay with the Cadet their entire lives.
- Traumatic First Aid: All Cadets will be taught to deal with Mass-Casualty Situations with a specific focus on what they are likely to encounter in Bulgaria today including serious road traffic accidents (RTA), aftermaths of forest fires (and smoke inhalation) to stab wounds.
The Cadets will have been trained by a variety of Instructors who are Level 4 Paramedic Qualified or above and are well-versed in the most modern types of trauma care doctrine from TCCC (Tactical Casualty Combat Care) to MARCH Medical System.
Medical training is intense with ultra-realistic scenarios and ongoing confirmation of learning to document the Cadet’s developing skills.
- Self-Defence – One of the most popular modules for Cadets!
Self-Defence (Inc. Unarmed Combat) Training is led by Anton – A former Specialised Quick Reaction Force Operator with the Vienna Police Force – and owner of SAMI Academy Sofia in Bulgaria. Anton will also be leading the Unarmed Combat and Baton Defence Training for the Operators and Responders within the Civil Defence Group.
- Navigation – The Directing Staff (DS) at PrepYou.Eu are always shocked by the number of adults who cannot read or use a paper map! This module brings Cadets back to basics with some good old-fashioned navigation skills!
The reliance on technology has meant that basic navigation skills have been lost over the past 15-20 years meaning most adults would know where to start if a power/data outage knocked out their communications devices.
With the Team House based at the bottom of the trails in Boyana, we are blessed with a perfect and interesting training area for these types of skills development. Cadets will be very comfortable using a map and compass to plan and execute their routes (even at night!) as well as backup or improvised methods of navigation such as improvised compasses, navigating by the stars and other methods of oreinteering.
- Communications, Information Systems (CIS) & Military Grade Cyber-Security: Every member of the Civil Defence Group is trained in emergency communication protocols to effectively deliver relief and support as fast as possible to those who need it. Utilising standard tech such as PMR Radio, cellular services and satellite communication, the Civil Defence Cadet will be able – if needed – to communicate to multiple agencies on multiple communication networks.
Protecting those communication networks and understanding when they have been compromised is also as important as using them. We are lucky to have colleagues from a variety of backgrounds who have vast experience of delivering these skills to teams operating in hostile environments in some of the most remote places on earth.
Cadets will also focus on their own Cyber footprint and how to protect their online security and privacy. This is one of the most important modules taught.
- Leadership & Teamwork – The process of creating a leader starts at a very early age. Leadership is not learnt at school, it is developed by continuous exposure to those who “lead by example” and emulating their actions. By default, this creates a cohesive, confident and effective team in almost every walk of life.
From the moment the Cadets form into their Groups, “Command Positions” are appointed which emphasizes the responsibility on the Cadets to make things happen! As the Cadets progress through their training they will gain more responsibility which will increase their confidence in many areas including critical decision making. The highly experienced PrepYou.Eu Directing Staff (DS) are always on hand for advice and mentorship for our young leaders.
- Resilience & Questioning: Being physically resilient is one thing but at times of crisis, even the strongest operators can break down. Ignoring mental resilience at times of massive pressure and uncertainty lead to poor decision-making and bad results in general.
We are seeing an unprecedented and growing threat to young people directly via social media. Misinformation on a number of topics from gender, and immigration to climate change are confusing every age group into focusing on what we refer to as “white noise”.
Helping all members of the Civil Defence Group to cut through the white noise, understand the sources of the information, analyse its validity & understand the motives of those pushing that narrative.
- Skill At Arms – This is by far one of the most popular aspects of Cadet training! A healthy respect and understanding of the application of firearms is not only a lot of fun for Cadets but could also save lives if a live weapon is discovered in The Wild!
Prior to touching either a live firearm or a training/simulation weapon, CDCs are taken for several sessions in classroom environments to learn the Fundamentals of Firearms Safety, Normal Safety Procedures (NSPs) and every aspect of operating a weapon under instruction. Cadets will begin by training on Air Rifles for their Marksmanship Principles, progressing to first Airsoft and later T4E (Training For Engagement – Professional Simulation Weapon Systems for Force on Force training exercises).
Once a cadet has qualified on all training systems and simulators, they will be allowed to live fire “full bore” weapon systems on a live shooting range.
Please note – A Cadet’s parent/guardian must be present whilst attending live fire training at shooting ranges in Bulgaria. All live firearms shoots for Cadets will be conducted from a static/supported position. There will be NO DYNAMIC MOVEMENT.
- CBRN – Chemical Biological Radiation & Nuclear: Is a highly emotive subject and can alter the first response to a major incident if CBRN has been deployed either on purpose or by accident.
Although often considered taboo to discuss, understanding the Immediate Actions after a nuclear, biological or chemical attack is essential and even without full PPE, a lot can be done to prevent further contamination and loss of life in this very much, worst-case scenario.
What’s Included:
- All training material (online and offline)
- 1 x Training Day per Month
- 8 x Training Evenings (2 per month)
- Regular online sessions
- All range safety equipment
- All safety equipment for self-defence training
- All weapon hire & ammunition
- Testing & Certification is included
What’s Not Included:
- Appropriate clothing and footwear
- Food & Beverage
- Transport to and from training centre/s
Child Safe Guarding
- We take this extremely seriously and invested heavily in making sure we had the right people on the team to support this aspect of the Civil Defence Group training.
- Our Child Safe Guarding specialist can be reached via the contact details below:
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):
- Name: Mr. Justin Kilcullen-Nichols
- Role: Safeguarding and Schools Director
- Email: jkn@prepyou.eu
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