The Army Reserve recently took time out to teach leadership and teamwork skills to Army Cadet Force members in the Highlands.
Soldiers from 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (7SCOTS), ran a series of exercises for the cadets of Elgin and Forres Detachments of 1st Battalion the Highlanders ACF.
The soldiers from Elgin-based C Company put the cadets through their paces in a series of Command Tasks designed to improve confidence and to build on communication skills.
Some of the tasks were quite easy to work out, while others required the group to plan how they could best tackle the task before completing it. The favourite task of the evening – dubbed the ‘chopstick challenge’ – required cadets (pictured, above) to move a football from one end of the group to the other, passing it to the next person by using broomstick handles. This was quite a difficult task as the stick had to be positioned underneath the arms in the correct position to make sure there was a good grip on the football. Also, participants weren’t allowed to move from the spot!
The evening concluded with the cadets receiving a talk about the role of the Army Reserves and being shown the equipment the company uses.
Elgin Detachment Commander, Staff Sergeant Instructor Kerry Anderson (23), said: “It was an excellent evening. The cadets thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we’re looking forward to planning more events with 7SCOTS.”
LCpl Giacomo Innes was not sure how to take the Chopstick Challenge.
Other tasks required a lot of team effort.
Some Command Tasks required no equipment at all.
