Newly arrived cadets of the Indigenous Leadership Opportunity Year (ILOY) exhibit team work deploying the canvas of the tipi erected every year on the campus of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in August 2019. RMC acknowledges the land on which RMC is situated is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe and Huron-Wendat peoples, where we are proud to deliver the successful ILOY program.ILOY gives students of Indigenous heritage a highly positive and productive academic year of educational and leadership experience at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC).
ILOY is a unique one-year program designed to provide individual, group, and cultural experiences that help build leadership and life skills.
RMC is situated on Point Frederick just east of downtown Kingston, Ontario. It is a beautiful location, overlooking the city, the entrance to the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.
As part of the program, ILOY cadets are enrolled at RMC for one academic year as an Officer Cadet in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). They are paid at that rank level and receive free tuition and books, and may request to leave the program at any time.
The ILOY program includes sports, field trips, leadership development, military training and cultural support activities.
Through Individual Learning Plans, ILOY cadets take part in individual and small group tutorials for pre-university (non-credit) and first-year university courses.
At the end of the academic year, provided they meet the academic requirements, ILOY cadets will be given the opportunity to apply to continue at RMC in a degree program as a member of the CAF, under the Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP) or they can apply to become a Non-Commissioned member (NCM) of the CAF.
Applicants must meet the following:
- Be an Indigenous person (First Nation {Status or Non-Status}, Métis or Inuit);
- Be a Canadian citizen;
- Be at least 16 years of age;
- All applicants under the age of 18 must obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian to participate in this exciting opportunity; and
- Have completed Grade 12, Secondary V, or the GED in the current academic year.
Applications are accepted starting in November of each year. For best success, applications should be submitted early (preferably before the end of February) via Indigenous Leadership Opportunities Year (ILOY) | Canadian Armed Forces to ensure that all the arrangements can be made for the beginning of the school year.
We acknowledge the land on which RMC is situated is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaune, Anishinaabe and Huron-Wendat peoples, where we are proud to deliver the successful ILOY program.