Introduction

Why did I pick this topic?

I chose to create a recruitment presentation for Civil Air Patrol because I have a strong passion for flying and aviation. I want to eventually become a pilot. Civil Air Patrol is a volunteer service Auxiliary of the Air Force and completes over 80% of all inland search and rescue missions, which I believe is a great cause to support. Civil Air Patrol on Maui was short handed and is always in need of more people. As a member of Civil Air Patrol myself and someone who wants to promote aviation and emergency services to young students, this was a perfect pick for me.

What I learned

Encampment was one of the biggest learning experiences I have had. I learned much more in that one week than I thought was possible. The entire day was spent learning and training in subjects mainly related leadership and history. I learned a lot about the program through extensive training and tests at the end of every day. On the very first day I was handed a book and told that by the end of the week I would have the entire thing memorized word for word... They weren't wrong. I also learned a lot about myself through presenting to middle schools, as well as public speaking techniques. I presented to a total of thirteen classes over three days.

Challenges I faced

A lot of the challenges I faced were communication related. I went to a week long encampment on an Air National Guard base in New York. In order to attend, there were a lot of forms I had to fill out and send to the Civil Air Patrol headquarters in New York. I had to ask a few questions and figure out how to get all of my information to the New York Wing of Civil Air Patrol. Also, When getting ready to present my presentation to students at middle schools, my presentation dates for one school relied on the presentation dates of another. I became a little overwhelmed and forgot one of my presentation dates the night before and had to reschedule so that I was fully prepared. Pages of emails were sent between myself and my contacts at both schools I presented at.

My Experience

New York Wing Encampment has to have been one of the scariest and most fun experiences of my life. I showed up on July 14th scared out of my mind thinking I was going to be yelled at the second I stepped out of my car. I was wrong, I was greeted kindly by adult members and fellow cadets. I thought it was going to be a semi relaxed week of learning. Then, as I passed the contraband check I was told to "go outside that door and meet your flight commander", and the second I walked through the door everything changed. I was yelled at to run over to my commander who I had never met and greet them as loud as I could yell, then drop my bags and greet him again the same way, then pick up my bags and do it all over again. It turned in to a week of intense learning and fun which I have never experienced in my life.