Roadtown, Tortola - Discipline was the central theme of speeches delivered by the Governor, the Premier and Minister for Education and Culture as the Government, under the Ministry of Education and Culture, launched the Virgin Islands Cadet Corp (VICC) earlier this week.
Governor David Pearey praised the Territory’s youth for good work in their scholastic achievements, athletic accomplishments and for the daily contributions made by young public servants. He further encouraged the discipline and practices gained in the VICC.
“There are new skills and interests to be pursued, new friends to be made; there is the satisfaction to be gained from the public service aspect of the cadet corp life. There are leadership opportunities that will serve young cadets well as they later graduate to the adult world,” the Governor explained.
In his brief remarks Premier Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal reflected on his days as a cadet corp member at the St. Kitts Grammar School.
“I first heard of the Cadet Corp when I attend the St. Kitts Grammar School and it was one of those extra-curricular activities that I wanted to be a part of,” the Premier told the students. Underscoring the importance of the VICC, he added: “One of the hallmarks of the cadet corp is discipline. Discipline for your senior officers, discipline for your teachers, discipline for people in the community, the authorities and others. Discipline in your life, discipline in your behaviour.”
Drawing an analogy between life and an airplane flight, Minister for Education and Culture Hon. Andrew Fahie captured the students’ attention when he said, “In life your future is already booked. God has prepared what is going to happen to you. You have two futures, the one He has for you and the one you can choose to give yourself.”
“If you choose to give yourself a negative future, you do not have to worry about anything to get there, do nothing and you will get there. If you choose a positive future, no matter how much it is booked, if you do not carry the passport named discipline, you won’t get on that flight”, he further explained. “You have to be disciplined to get on the flight. The cadet core is about discipline, but you don’t need to be in the cadet corp to understand that, but it helps,” Minister Fahie concluded.
Speakers on the programme, including Commissioner of Police Mr. Reynell Frazer, commended Territorial At-large Representative Hon. Vernon Malone for the role he play in proposing a cadet corps when he served as police commissioner.
The VICC was launched at the Elmore Stoutt High School with several students participating from the Bregado Flax Educational Centre, Althea Scatliffe Primary School, Enis Adams Primary School, St.George’s School and the Seventh-day Adventist School.
The VICC is an organisation for young people ages 11 to 20. Its mission is to be a formal, well-regulated, and highly disciplined organisation that instills in its members spiritual, moral, national and human values, including honesty, justice, discipline and social responsibility.
British Virgin Islands News