Who runs the Program

Delivering and supporting the Junior Canadian Rangers program is a team effort between local communities, the Canadian Army (CA), and the Cadet and Junior Canadian Rangers Group (CJCR Gp).

In the Community

The Canadian Rangers who deliver the program at the community level are members of the Canadian Army Reserve. They are supported by community members who volunteer their time and talents to work with youth, and by a local committee that helps them find locations and resources for JCR activities. Both the community leadership and the Canadian Rangers have a voice in choosing what their JCRs will learn.

CRPG Staff

There are five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups (CRPGs) across Canada, and each of them has dedicated staff who support the JCR program. These staff are experienced members of the Canadian Armed Forces, they routinely visit JCR Patrols to interact with their JCRs, offering guidance and assistance to local staff and volunteers. The CRPG also provides equipment and support for many JCR activities.

Nationally

Training guidance for the JCR program comes from the CJCR Gp, which also supports the Sea, Army and Air Cadet Programs. The JCR program team at CJCR Gp HQ in Ottawa, Ont., creates training materials and instructional resources for use by both CRPG and community-level staff. CJCR Gp also provides funding for JCR uniforms and Enhanced Training Sessions (ETS), and collaborates with the Canadian Army on JCR program policies and financial planning.

While the Canadian Rangers are the leaders of a JCR Patrol, Patrols also need other adult volunteers to help with the support and delivery of the program. Volunteers become mentors and role models to the JCRs in the Patrol, and help them connect with their communities.

This is especially true of adults who can pass on their skills and knowledge to JCRs by instructing lessons related to their area of expertise, but adult volunteers can fill a number of different roles, including:

• Instructor for Life Skills or Traditional Skills lessons
• Supervisor for activities
• Adult committee Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer
• Adult committee member

In order to volunteer with a JCR Patrol, you will need to undergo a screening process involving a police records check (PRC) and a Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS). Some police forces charge for this process, but others will provide the screening for free if you can prove that you are planning to volunteer. Your local JCR Patrol may be able to provide a letter identifying you as a potential volunteer so that the cost can be waived.

In order to protect the young people involved in the JCR program, adults who have not completed this screening process cannot have unsupervised contact with Junior Canadian Rangers.

Potential volunteers may also go through an interview with the Patrol’s adult committee or Patrol Leader, and might be asked to sign a volunteer agreement.

The qualities which make a good JCR volunteer are:

• Patience
• Empathy
• Integrity
• Ability to relate to young people
• Professionalism
• Fairness
• Responsibility
• Maturity
• Resilience
• Determination
• Dependability