Parent or Guardian Information
VT Wing Summer Encampment 2023
Dates: July 16-23, 2023
Location: Camp Ethan Allen, VTNG | Jericho, VT
This page is for parents with cadets attending our encampment.
Parents, please feel free to contact Capt Kelli Sutton-Bosley or Capt Joe Bosley
Please take a moment to view this short presentation about encampment. Click Here
If your cadet may need special accommodations of any kind, please click here.
Please take a moment to view the National Encampment Information Page here and ask your cadet to apply for CEAP, the Cadet Encampment Assistance Program. For more information click here. CEAP Applications are only accepted March 1 through May 1, 2023.
You will receive an email notification once we’ve processed your cadet’s registration. We have also established a Registration Paperwork Report for you to verify what paperwork we’ve received and what we’re still awaiting. Unfortunately, we cannot update it in real time, but we will have it updated every Friday evening.
Please follow our encampment online
WHAT IS ENCAMPMENT?
Summer encampments are the #1 cadet activity in Civil Air Patrol. Participating in them is one of our greatest retention tools second only to orientation flights. Although across the nation, each Wing’s (state) encampments will differ greatly in experiences, all encampments are governed by a standard syllabus published by our National Headquarters at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. This allows each wing to tailor their encampments to their own specific program goals while still ensuring that every Wing is covering the same material. Here at the VTWG, we believe that cadets need both classroom and experiential learning and have tailored our encampment accordingly.
The overall purpose of encampments is to develop leadership skills, explore aerospace sciences and aviation careers, begin the habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle, and solidify their moral character. At encampment, cadets will be immersed into a “military style” environment. They will wake early, conduct morning physical training, attend both indoor and outdoor classes, stand inspections, learn USAF close order drill, and rotate through basic leadership positions. Although the week is fun, it can also be stressful. Young cadets, especially those who are away from home for the first time, often get homesick and experience anxiety. Our staff is trained to assist these cadets through these difficult times. We want everyone to graduate; attrition is not the mission.
Please remember that the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program is intended to be cadet led, senior member monitored. Our cadet staff will be your cadet’s main teacher and mentor. On occasion, when we conduct specialized training, professional military instructors are brought in. Our goal is to not only have fun but broaden the experiences of every cadet attending our encampment.
WHAT TO EXPECT UPON ARRIVAL
Camp Ethan Allen is an active military base. You must include who will be accompanying your cadet at drop off on the registration form. If this information changes, please email ksuttonb@vtwg.cap.gov immediately. The front gate will have a list and if a person is not on the list, they may not be allowed entry to the base. Everyone must show picture ID at the gate upon arrival. After you go through security, there will be signs pointing you to the dorm for drop off. We encourage squadrons to bring their cadets together in the CAP vans, but parents are allowed to drop off their cadets individually.
Once you reach the drop off point, you will have to say goodbye to your cadet for the week. You cannot accompany them beyond the drop off point. Each cadet must carry their own gear beyond the drop off point. Please encourage your cadets to only bring what is on the packing list, nothing more. They are intended to have a spartan lifestyle for the week. Once they enter the barracks, they will report in and show the CAP ID card to our Admin personnel. We will ask them a series of questions then they will receive a contraband inspection. Once the inspection is complete, we will take their picture, escort them to their sleeping area, and introduce them to their flight and cadet leadership.
Cadets should report to encampment in their ABUs. Portraits will be available on the FLICKR Site for parents. Parents will receive a download code for the FLICKR Site at graduation.
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE WEEK
As mentioned earlier, cadets rise early at 6 am. They conduct light physical training every day. Our training schedule changes every day, but your cadet can expect to spend each day in the classroom learning aviation related topics, conducting close order drill, and having outdoor experiences like the Land Navigation Course and Leaders Reaction Course. Every year, we attempt to bring in helicopters but due to operational requirements we are not always able to get them.
Young cadets often feel homesick and can experience anxiety. This is a normal reaction to the training. We find that reinforcing a team atmosphere and using the buddy system greatly improves each cadet’s ability to work through their difficulties. Your cadets will experience failure. Learning to fail is necessary to build the basic learning blocks of leadership. Our program is designed to allow your cadets to fail with a safety net, so they learn and grow from the experience.
You may send encouraging letters to your cadet to help them through the week, but please be advised that we have found that personal letters from home can trigger or exacerbate homesickness and anxiety. If you do want to send your cadet a letter, you must send it PRIOR TO ENCAMPMENT. Since we are on a military base for the week, we cannot depend on their mail system to distribute mail. As such, mail for cadets must be received by July 10 to be distributed at encampment. Please put the day of the week you would like us to deliver your letter in the bottom left corner on the front of the envelope. Please address your envelope as follows:
Cadet Name
c/o Vermont Wing Civil Air Patrol
2081 Airport Road
Barre, Vermont 05641-8708
GRADUATION DAY
If you are coming to Camp Ethan Allen to pick up your cadet, arrival will look similar to drop off day. You must register those who plan to attend graduation to celebrate your cadet on the cadet’s registration form. If this information changes, please email ksuttonb@vtwg.cap.gov immediately. The front gate will have a list and if a person is not on the list, they may not be allowed entry to the base. Once you are through security you will follow the signs to the graduation. You will get to celebrate your cadet’s accomplishment by watching a full graduation ceremony with a pass in review.
The graduation ceremony is set to begin at 10am on 23 July, 2023. Please plan your trip accordingly.
Once the ceremony is complete, you will be allowed to follow your cadet back to the dorm, collect their personal belongings, change clothes (if necessary), and leave. Be prepared for them to bombard you with tales of everything that happened over the week. By graduation day, every cadet is normally sad to leave because they have made a new set of friends and done things not every person of their age has.
