Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Together We Serve - Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy

    Leadership And Followership At KSCA

    How do adolescents learn to avoid trouble and keep their friends? Why is it necessary to be a good follower as they learn to become a good leader? Leadership and followership is one of the eight core components that all cadets at the Keystone State Challenge Academy (KSCA) learn and practice that addresses those questions.  

    Cadets begin by learning how to become a good follower during the acclimatation phase, the first two weeks of the course. They take direction from the cadre and are taught the simple things to both cope with a large group of peers and are introduced to a structured lifestyle that reflects on becoming a good follower. These traits are essential for the development of a foundational learning model on how to then become a good leader. 

    Leadership and followership training includes leading by example, supervising and inspecting subordinates, keeping superiors and subordinates informed, maintaining accountability of subordinates and correcting deficiencies to maintain KSCA standards. They learn to develop strong character while identifying and applying individual moral and ethical standards in this group setting.  

    The cadre identify those early in the program who have a strong leadership trait and introduce them to leadership positions as squad leaders and platoon leaders for each platoon. Eventually, the commandant identifies a cadet core commander and deputy commander to be overall in charge of the entire class. These positions are cadre-like positions as the cadets will receive a radio and have all access to planning tools and information as the cadre. Not every cadet will become a cadet core commander, but all will be in a leadership position, either a platoon leader or a squad leader. 

    Through these practices and putting these young individuals in charge of their peers allows them to learn from their mistakes, learn what not to do from their peers and help them identify those pitfalls that they then can take with them when they graduate to make better life choices in the future.