Character Lessons

What are character lessons: Character lessons are lessons where cadets are educated on leadership and character development, as well as application in the modern world. In character lessons, senior members present to cadets an aspect of character development in order to prepare cadets to use those skills in the modern world. Character lessons do not only apply to careers in the military, and are often used for a wider variety of careers and/or scenarios in which cadets must demonstrate the principles learned from character lessons.

Most of Civil Air Patrol character lessons circulate around CAP's 4 core values:
         1) Excellence
                    a) This core value reflects CAP’s continuous effort to be the very best, and to consistently improve its humanitarian service to America. From personal appearance to resource management, excellence must be the goal of all CAP members.
         2) Respect
                    b) Respect envelopes the idea of treating all others with fairness and dignity, and that is why CAP believes it is important to respect both others as well as yourself. These 3 tenets form the moral compass of all Civil Air Patrol cadets, as they must carry themselves in an ethical direction always.
         3) Integrity
                    c) We at civil air patrol believe that integrity is the foundation of all core values as in CAP all cadets must practice the highest standards of discipline, and remain constant in their actions even when there is no one to reprimand them. 
         4) Volunteer Service
                    d) All CAP volunteers willingly give of their time, energy, and personal resources. Moreover, many have made the ultimate sacrifice by losing their lives while serving their neighbors. As a minimum, this core value implies a commitment on the part of all CAP members to place the organization's purposes first and foremost.

Example topics of character lessons:
         1) Functioning as a team
         2) Characteristics of a leader
         3) How to act under pressure
         4) Choosing ethical decisions
         5) Wellness of the mind
         6) Confidence in yourself
         7) Respectfully disagreeing

In short, character lessons are crucial to CAP's environment as an auxiliary of the US Air Force (USAF) and teach cadets the value of adhering to moral standards and making the right choice both in and out of the squadron!