2 young men from Lacombe and Ponoka will be given the Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award today.

16 year old Johnathan Wessel-Ford from Ponoka and 18 year old Mitchell Pierce from Lacombe are both members of their local cadets program, and are being presented the Award by the Lieutenant Governor Lois Mitchell.

Mitchell (Shown on the left above) is a member of the Cadets program in Lacombe and says his favourite part about volunteering is taking kids up in the gliding program.

“There’s nothing like seeing a kids face light up the first time they get to touch and handle an airplane. I remember it, and it’s a really unique experience and I love giving that to others. It’s a lot of fun having a 12 year old get strapped into a cockpit and taking them up for a flight, and just watching their jaws drop as we lift off the ground.”

Mitchell also had the chance to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama this summer at youth leadership Summit and Ottawa, and says the experience was surreal.

Johnathan (Shown on the right above) says not only can he thank cadets for helping him get this award, but teaching him a lot about himself along the way.

“Before cadets, or the Duke of Edinburgh program, I was a bit shyer and had a very small friend group. But when I joined cadets, and even the Duke of Edinburgh program it’s allowed me to talk to different people, finding things that you’re interested in, and other people that share your interests. It helped me branch out more.”

Johnathan says he would recommend the cadet program to anyone looking for an extra-curricular club to join.

He’s also already started working on achieving his gold award.

Mitchell looks forward to pursuing a career as an Airforce Pilot, while Johnathan says he’s been looking at Post-Secondary Schools, and becoming an engineer.