Over the course of a 12-week intensive training program, young adults are gradually transformed into members of the Canadian Armed Forces. For these future soldiers, the group is now more important than the individual, and the country comes before oneself. Without judgment, First Stripes offers an immersion into the singular world of the military through their basic training. A mandatory step for any career in the military, this phase serves as our gateway to exploring from the inside the journey of a diverse cohort as they navigate the demands of learning a new profession with a mix of apprehension and enthusiasm.