Character Development

"Young people in their teens are faced with certain basic tasks in their growth as persons. They must find out who they are, what they believe in, and what kind of people they want to be. They must decide what kind of world they want to live in and how they are to be part of that world. Toward these ends, it is desirable that they consciously choose a set of values, interiorize them, and through choices and repeated acts strive to live in a manner consistent with those values.”

                                                                                                                                                        ~James J. DiGiacome, S.J.~

 

The Civil Air Patrol Character Development Program is a non-sectarian curriculum used in the CAP Cadet Program to help cadets grasp the relevance of morals and ethics in all aspects of their public and private life. It seeks to develop the skill of examining their present values and decision making processes. 

 

The Character Development Program is run by Senior Members who have been approved by Massachusetts Wing of Civil Air Patrol, and who have completed extensive training in the instruction and discussion of questions of character, morality, proper decision making and the effect their decisions in these areas has on themselves and others. The program relies extensively on scenarios and case studies which mirror many of the moral and ethical decision young people may face. GREAT case is used to assure that the case studies and scenarios used are age appropriate. Cadets range in age from 12 to 18; therefore, classes may be split to assure that age appropriate subjects are being discussed with appropriately aged cadets.

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The Character Development program is a significant part of building integrity and sound leadership skills.