Imagine a university program that would help develop the initiative, self-discipline and leadership potential of students while developing their sense of citizenship and responsibility to others. What would such a program look like?
Senator William Rompkey and Senator Pamela Wallin invite you to join other key members from the university, government and military communities, as well as business and student representatives from across the country, to participate in a unique symposium to
design a program that develops these skills.
Discussion will be moderated by Mercedes Stephenson, Military Analyst and Vice President, Breakout Educational Network
Jack Granatstein: Author and Historian.
Donald Wallace: Executive Director, Ontario Center for Engineering and Public Policy.
John Cowan: Former Principal, Royal Military College and
President of the Canadian Defence Association Institute.
George Roter: Co CEO Engineers Without Borders.
Dr. Douglas Bland: Chair Of Defence Management Studies, Queen’s University
Two Cadets attending Symposium on Parliament Hill
Two IV Year cadets: 24742 Matthew Hou and 24574 Chandler Zedic; the symposium will take place on Oct 21 at the West Block on Parliament Hill. The forum is called Leadership, Citizenship and Nation Building for Our Times: Is There a Role for Officer Training in Universities? Engineering Without Borders Canada’s Co-CEO and an EWB Canada student executive rep from both Ottawa U and Carleton U will be attending. EWB Canada (www.ewb.ca) is a most interesting and active organization which exemplifies CC.
BACKGROUNDER…
“An initiative by distinguished Canadians, of which Senator Pamela Wallen is the spokesperson, has been set in motion to create a national forum on Civics, Citizenship, Nation Building and Leadership (CCNBL). CCNBL has generated an incredible amount of interest not only as it relates to the training of military officers, specifically, the former COTC (Canadian Officer Training Corp) and its Air Force and Navy equivalents, but also among a host of organizations which have or wish to create youth/student CCNBL programs such as, for example, the Royal Canadian Legion, cultural organizations, political party youth groups, churches, and community and service clubs.
The former COTC, UNTD (University Naval Training Divisions) , and URTP programs were located on university campuses and consisted of students enrolled in university degree programs. These organizations, funded by the military, were not intended to produce officers for the armed forces, that is, permanent, regular force commissioned officers, but instead were designed to introduce university students to the military environment and defence and security matters thereby ensuring that Canada’s future public and private sector leaders were versed in defence and security issues, thereby, enabling them to participate in and contribute to the shaping of foreign, defence and security policy.
The CCNBL initiative may well have broad national appeal and could result in the formation of an umbrella organization to bring all these groups together in common cause and purpose.
It is of interest to note that the education and leadership programs at RMC are perfect models and templates for others to emulate, albeit it in an abbreviated, organization, mission specific and focused format. The CF and RMC could not only promote themselves as exemplars in citizenship and leadership could but could well again become the national model for CCNBL thereby recapturing the ground lost and ceded some years ago, or the perception thereof, when the CF and RMC were accepted and acclaimed among business, academic, political, etc. circles as the pinnacle of CCNBL.”
6560 Colonel (Ret’d) Andrew Nellestyn OStJ CD PhD PEng
Member CCNBL Executive Steering Committee
Ed: We expect to have a report on the symposium next week.