Building Skills, Growing Confidence
Yesterday, we met Dominic Chaplin and his mum at our National Cadets Week open evening, and we had one of those conversations that really stayed with us.
Dominic is 15, has been a cadet for two years and is now a Corporal. He loves first aid and recently competed in our County First Aid Competition. Later this month, he’ll be representing the county at the Regional First Aid Competition.
He’s also working towards his Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through cadets, taking on new challenges and learning more skills along the way.
But what his mum spoke about most was how much she has seen him grow over the last two years.
She told us how proud she is of him, not just for what he has achieved, but for the person he has become. His confidence has grown, he believes in himself more and she can see that in so many different parts of his life.
We also heard about something that happened recently when he was out and came across a child who needed help. He called an ambulance and, when we talked about it, he said he thinks he probably would have tried to help anyway, but he wouldn’t have been as confident to do it.
His first aid training through cadets meant that, when the situation happened, knowing what to do felt almost like second nature.
Then, while we were talking about first aid, he said something quite simple:
“I’m actually pretty good at first aid.”
His mum immediately said:
“He would’ve never said that before.”
And that really got us.
Because it isn’t just about learning first aid, completing DofE or earning a promotion to Corporal. It’s about a young person getting to a point where they recognise something they’re good at and feel comfortable saying it.
Our Deputy Commandant, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Troughton, said:
“Dominic’s story is a brilliant example of what the Cadet experience is really about. Yes, he’s developing skills, achieving awards and taking on new responsibilities, but the real achievement is seeing his confidence grow and watching him recognise what he is capable of. Seeing his excitement as he demonstrated his first aid skills to his mum last night, and witnessing how proud she was of him, was a wonderful example of that confidence in action. That’s something that will stay with him long beyond his time as a cadet.”
His mum said she is incredibly proud of how much he has grown, and after meeting him, it was easy to see why.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for Corporal Chaplin at the Regional First Aid Competition later this month.
Good luck! 👏