Cadet Reset Agreement

Have you ever encountered a cadet whose troubling behavior was in desperate need of a "do-over"? When you're fifteen, it's easy to get into a rut. In situations where garden-variety teen misbehavior is at issue, the CP officer's job is to help the cadet bounce-back and learn from experience. But how? 

Here in draft form is an optional resource, the "Cadet Reset Agreement." We'll add it to the cadet publications library to help local leaders implement principles of progressive discipline.

The "Reset Agreement" is just that -- a promise by the cadet and adult leadership alike to take a breath and "reset" the Cadet / CAP relationship. The mechanism for that reset includes the following:

• A written statement of the cadet's goals in CAP
• A list of specific, actionable steps the cadet will employ to support his or her own success toward those goals
• A list of specific, actionable supports the cadet requests from adult leadership
• A list of "must-do" behaviors that adult leadership expects of the cadet
• Back-and-forth dialogue about the "reset" in a cooperative (not adversarial) effort
• The cadet taking one week off from CAP, voluntarily, to reflect upon the promises he or she makes in the agreement, thereby creating the "pause" or cooling-off period necessary for a reset to occur
• Signatures from all stakeholders: cadet, parent, squadron commander

Youth-scaled "contracts" like this reenforce the cadet's status as a young adult and potential author of his or her own future. The contract requires the cadet to take ownership of the "problem" (his or her relationship to CAP) and the concrete steps the cadet will take to achieve personal goals while fulfilling CAP's clearly-stated behavioral expectations. Ultimately, the Cadet Reset Agreement is another tool available when you're trying to teach accountability and change behavior in an age-appropriate manner.

Thoughtful comments about this draft resource will be gratefully received.