Public Affairs Brief Army Cadet League of Canada – British Columbia Branch Pillars Conference 2011: Public Affairs Support and Opportunities Maj Dan Thomas, DGRC Senior PAO Saturday, 30 April 2011

2 Strategic Significance of Corps Activities  CPGI authorizes growth through retention and attraction  PA is an enabler to both requirements  Youth engagement is critical; families and stakeholders need to hear from the Cadets and others at first hand

3 National PA Considerations  The challenge: how to promote the program locally, considering:  All national advertising funds go to Reg/Res CF recruiting  DGRC PA provides promotional items and literature to Regions, Corps/Squadrons  Public Relations “toolbox” will be issued to Regions and Corps

4 Best Local PA Practices  Enable the Cadets to tell their story  Establish contacts with local media  Provide great content to local news agencies (expeditions, competitions, CSTCs)  Foster face to face communication; engage parents and stakeholders  Consider the overall Cadet mission: “think nationally, act locally”  Consult Pacific Region PAO: Capt Amélie Leduc, (250) ,

5 Promoting the Cadet Program  Whom do we need to “target”?  Youth  Parents  Educators  Stakeholders  Community leaders  Local media

6 Promoting the Cadet Program  How to reach them:  Face to face  Event Displays  Public Speaking  Local Media  “Hometowners”  Success stories  Social Media  Facebook  Twitter  Websites  Cadets.ca  Xperience.gc.ca

7 Xperience – The National On-Line Cadets and JCR Newsletter  Much more than Cadence replacement!  Shares best practices  Serves Cadets, JCRs, leaders, stakeholders  No space limit (i.e. maximum pages)  Needs imagery and text; CSTCs should plan and draw from courses/Cadets/JCRs  Submissions/editorial consultations:  Site:  Editor: Captain John Weingardt, ; request CSTCs contact, plan submissions

8 Conclusion