IN less than five years, membership of the Bermuda Cadet Corps has skyrocketed ? from approximately 100 in 2003, to 895 today. An amazing feat by any standards, it's one that the Bermuda Regiment's Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Eddie Lamb attributes to the dedication of those behind the programme and, in particular, Major Anthony Steede.

"The general idea is that the Cadet programme provides a vehicle through which we can develop the character of our young people," he explained.

"Ideally, participation would encourage them to join the Regiment when they become 18, but more importantly it's to help prepare them for life ? to help them be productive citizens of Bermuda. I personally am very proud of the Cadet programme. I see a lot of promise for the country ? that there are these hundreds of young people being very productive in the Cadet Corps.

"It has always been a very vibrant and robust programme but the last three or four years have enjoyed booming success and I can attribute that to Maj. Steede and his fantastic team of officers and warrant officers."

The Cadet programme is run in schools across the island. Accessible throughout the public system at the middle and high school levels, it has also been established at Saltus Grammar School, Warwick Academy, the Bermuda Institute, Mount Saint Agnes Academy and most of the island's home schools.

Maj. Steede became involved in the programme in 2003, asked to assist in its "revamping and rejuvenating" by the Commanding Officer.

"I am an ex-soldier with a love for children," he said. "And so, when the Commanding Officer approached me, I responded, willingly. The fruits of that is we now have an active programme ? we've touched every facet of our educational society and we believe it's only going to get better.

"On paper we have 895 members and, active in every given week, we have about 500. It's actually scary. I keep saying to the Commanding Officer that at one point I'm going to have to say no, but we get on average, three to five phone calls a day from parents asking, 'How can I get my child involved'?

"I guess what's really gratifying for me is that the cadets run the programme. For me (the Cadet Corps) was about empowering young people. The most senior cadet is a 16-year-old female from Berkeley. And I have to tell you, she commands respect. She is extremely organised. She understands her role.

"I am a resource. I have a wealth of experience with young people and a wealth of experience in the organisation, but I let them do it. Sometimes I even let them make mistakes. But they are benefiting from it tremendously ? they literally run the entire programme. I just watch and guide. If they need help, they ask for it. If they don't need help, I just stand back and let it happen and it's great. Absolutely great."

On offer are a host of skills and opportunities, all set against a Regimental backdrop. Schools independently hold meetings after class, on an appointed day for approximately an hour.

A leadership training group ? which includes students who are home-schooled ? meets on Friday evenings.

In addition, the Corps is united once every school term, for a weekend. In July the group meets for a two-week camp, held at the Bermuda Regiment headquarters in Warwick.

"It's run like a military unit," explained Maj. Steede. "It has military uniforms and a military structure. It's basically just a younger version of a military company ? the Bermuda Regiment.

"We encompass a whole range of skills, life skills in particular. And, we concentrate on military training ? on drill, on weapon handling, field craft, first aid, map reading and signals. We expose them to adventure training ? to abseiling, kayaking. We teach them how to save someone's life if they're in the water.

"We believe that we have a responsibility to produce a well-rounded cadet who is able to take his rightful place in society. Ideally we'd like to see them become the future leaders of the Regiment. History has shown that those who survive in the programme, who stay in the programme, in fact do become future leaders of the Regiment.

"The Commanding Officer was once a cadet. His second in command, was a cadet. And so the legacy bears fruit ? if we do our job right, we produce some well-rounded citizens for the country.

"At the moment, I have seven officers who are ex-cadets. They've come up through the Cadet ranks and are now senior instructors in the programme so I know that when I step aside, the programme will be in great hands. These are all university or university-bound students.

"(And their aim) is to further their education and then give back to the programme that they garnered so much expertise and knowledge from. It's great. It's absolutely wonderful."

Asked why he thought the programme had grown so much in recent years, Col. Lamb said he felt many young adults found its structure appealing. He cited his 14-year-old son as an example of its success. Reticent in nature, the teenager had voluntarily joined the Cadet programme and "blossomed and developed" because of it, he said. "I think in large part, a lot of our young people are looking for something to challenge them ? something that say's to them: 'Here's a limit you can't cross' or 'Here's something that you have to do'.

"I think a lot of them are looking for structure. I think a lot of them are looking for that discipline that they're not getting either at home or in the school environment, for that matter.

"All of a sudden somebody's telling them what they to do ? they to get up at five o'clock. They to make their bed. They to sweep the floor. Even though they may be a little resentful in the beginning, they start to say to themselves, 'Wow'. And then they go home and start cleaning their room.

call me and ask, 'What have you done to my son'? We truly become a part of the extended family and in many ways I think we're reaching people that I don't think anybody else has been able to reach so far.

"One of the key things is that it offers an opportunity for children to do something constructive and very productive on a Friday night. I think it fills a void in the community. It offers something positive for teenagers, for adolescents, in a very structured and disciplined environment ? a very disciplined environment.

"If you are willing to abide by the rules and do your part, then we are prepared to take you, train you and support you. We consider it more than just an organisation where you can go on a Friday night or during your school day.

"If you have a problem, we want to be there to support you and so we become a part of your extended family. You are promoted based on merit. You earn accolades. You can go as high as you like. And so the development of an adolescent's character and his personality is tied very closely to how the structure's set up. It shows that one can excel when one makes the effort."

Maj. Steede added that children from all backgrounds participated in, and had benefited from the programme. "The programme isn't geared to any particular type of child," he said. "We have what I would consider to be 'roughnecks'.

"We have those that come from protected families. We have males. We have females. We have 'Miss Prissys' who take part in the Miss Teen Pageant ? we have a whole variety of young people.

"Anything that's in society we have in the Corps. We have some bad eggs. Those are the ones we spend a little more time with, trying to expose them to different cultures and different types of behaviour.

"It's really designed to develop their characters and to develop a keen sense of teamwork. I'm a great believer that if you challenge them beyond what they think they're capable of, and then they accomplish ? the sense of fulfilment just overwhelms a lot of them.

"Sometimes they feel they do want to quit but nobody's allowed to get left behind. If somebody's dragging, somebody will pick them up and carry them. What we always stress is that everybody has to finish as a team."

Parents are encouraged to be "actively involved" in the programme. With that in mind, Maj. Steede said, a day had been planned so that participants could interact with their parents in the Cadet Corps environment.

"It's going to be the first time in a very long time that we've had this but what we're attempting to do is to have the Cadets train their parents for a day," he said.

"What we generally tell parents (when a child joins the programme) is that there are going to be times when their kids feel like quitting. There are going to be times when my name is the worst name that you could mention but those that stay the course, will reap the benefit of it.

"So parents will become Cadets for a day. They'll have to do what their kids tell them to do. This way they know exactly what (their children) have been exposed to."

Plans for the future include a trip to a training camp outside Ontario, Canada, in July of this year. On board for the eight-day expedition will be a contingent of approximately 20 cadets and a handful of instructors.

Explained Col. Lamb: "It's something we started last year. Then, we sent a contingent to Barbados. So every year we're looking to have not just a local camp but we want to be able to take the seniors overseas, to broaden their horizons in the ways of the wider world in a military environment.

"The programme is designed so that it's a military camp, but they will also benefit through other things ? things that will help them socially, culturally and personally.

"I am a tremendous fan of the Bermuda Cadet Corps. It's probably one of the best youth organisations in this country ? in my opinion. I'm a tremendous fan because of the value that Bermuda gets from the development of these young people. All of them are very enthusiastic about it. I'm yet to see a young person there who doesn't want to be there. And it's all strictly voluntary. So they bring their enthusiasm to it.

"The cadet officers, the instructors ? many of whom are teachers in the schools ? also have a great deal of enthusiasm for it. There are very high levels of commitment. And so I think this programme bodes very well for Bermuda and her future.

"There's a lot of energy. I think it's a fantastic organisation. And it's a fantastic opportunity for us to develop our young people. I'm convinced it will pave the way for very positive futures for our young people. The more they get involved, the more benefits will accrue for Bermuda as a country."