Civic Leadership Academy Kicks Off Saturday

Twenty-four of Civil Air Patrol’s top cadets from across the nation are participating in one of the nation’s leading civic education activities, the Civic Leadership Academy, from February 23 to March 1 in Washington, DC.

The CLA -- an academically intense, interactive study of US government in action -- provides participants the opportunity to grow as citizens and young leaders through lessons in persuasive leadership, federal government, public service careers and American heritage.

"Civic Leadership Academy provides cadets an unparalleled opportunity to gain a detailed understanding of the principles that guided our nation and how to apply those principles in their own lives. The overriding goal is to empower our cadets to be thoughtful participants in our nation’s future, whether as voters or public servants," said Interim CAP National Commander Brig. Gen. Amy Courter, CLA’s founding director.

In addition to a blend of field trips, lectures, seminars and assigned readings from historic and modern sources, the cadets will visit the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Judiciary Building, the State Department, Arlington National Cemetery, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pentagon, legislative offices and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, as well as World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Lincoln memorials. They will also encounter guest speakers onsite who will provide insights designed to deepen their understanding of government in action. Their CLA taskings will culminate with a final project -- a presentation on their CLA experience the cadets will give to their peers in their home squadrons.

The CLA cadets will also participate in CAP’s 2008 Legislative Day on Feb. 28 by working alongside their wing commanders to brief legislators on how CAP’s primary missions -- search and rescue, emergency services, aerospace education and cadet programs -- have impacted their communities.

Legislative Day will be held in conjunction with CAP’s Winter National Board meeting, which is slated for February 28-March 1 at the Hilton Crystal City, Arlington, VA. The CAP National Board consists of 69 members representing each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, within the organization’s eight regions. The board is CAP’s policy making arm and in conjunction with the CAP Board of Governors, proposes amendments to the governing constitution and bylaws.

CLA cadets will be special guests at The Spaatz Association Winter Dinner Event, hosted by The Spaatz Association, a nonprofit organization of current and former cadets who have achieved CAP’s highest honor -- the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award. The event will be held on March 1 at 7 pm at the Hilton Crystal City.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the US Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 56,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental US inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 103 lives in fiscal year 2007.

FMI: www.cap.gov