I agree this is the next step on but lets be brutally honest there are bigger priorities in the organisation then this. We should aspire to it but its not critical now.
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This is an area that should be resurrected, CFAV engagement because without engaged CFAV you can kiss goodbye to all those engaged/happy cadets.
The problem is that I doubt our senior team have any interest in hearing about the challenges facing volunteers at unit level. Even some Wings dont want to hear it, so there is no hope of anyone else wanting to hear our constructive criticism!
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You have read VoP, right?
Than getting cadets active and involved in their own development through activities and networking?
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VoP is a well-meaning thought, and I mean no ill-will against anyone who set it up or mans it, but itās far too concerned with pleasantries and niceties.
For real change to happen, itās essential that people can say what they see
I am not arguing against your point, I totally agree but unfortunately all those wonderful activities that we aim to provide to the cadets to give them a full experience are not entirely available due to a number of restrictions whether that be national or local restriction.
The powers at be need to find a way to break down these barriers, to empower volunteers which in turn will improve CFAV morale and allow us to provide significant improvements to the cadets experiences.
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Front line CFAV are treading on eggshells and tripping over themselves with burdensome formality so as not to catch flak, causing them to dance around topics so nothing is adequately ranked for severity nor treated with sincerity.
ā¦ while some of those who reply (or indeed donāt bother to reply) get to forego courtesy and fob you off.
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Nail meet headā¦
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Anyway, there was something said about media and PR earlier on, I thinkā¦
Iād argue that, under Astra, itās the perfect time to reset the system.
As an organisation we have many stakeholders; the principle one, of course, is the RAF itself.
But our actual customers, donāt get a look in regarding the direction, their future, or the future of the organisation. Instead, the RAF are driving things forwards around their own priorities and agenda. Thatās great - they are our principle funders and sponsorsā¦ BUTā¦ they also need to listen to other Stakeholders; CFAVs, Parents and Cadets. And I donāt see a consultative approach within it - and I donāt see CFAVs or Cadets being valued in it.
A classic and recent example;
The OC 22Gp updated the ASTRA intent document on SharePoint. āTHIS IS THE MISSIONā. No selling of said mission. Just read it and crack on. No video helping explain things. No podcasts or webinar. No opportunity for discussion. No face to face time with CFAVs who will be delivering said mission to ask questions. No cascaded briefing for staff or cadets from any of the SMT. And no opportunity to feedback from our principle customers either - those who will be experiencing the journey - and no challenge to see if itās a journey they even want to be a part of.
Itās directive, mission centric leadership. Great for the RAFā¦ but is it great for RAFAC? Is it great for getting volunteers to buy into things? Is it consultative, engaging or participative? Maybe the actual ASTRA thing we need is a massive shake up of the systemā¦
The ASTRA definition on the website isā¦
Astra is the name that has been given to the Royal Air Forceās journey together, building the Next Generation RAF
Iād argue that itās the together element which is being overlooked within RAFAC. And itās significant. How does this change? Consultative, participative approach - doing with, not too.
In stark contrastā¦
Two weeks ago, all Sea Cadet parents received an email and survey monkey which asked about our feelings about the Sea Cadet Corps. How it impacts on our children. Whether we feel they are a safe organisation. Do they respond well to feedback on a local, regional and national level. Whether SCC is making an impact on our childs confidence, health, wellbeing, selfesteem, motivation. They wanted to know if we felt our children were valued as SCC members. Whether the academic training is rigorous enough - and do we feel it is of value. Do they have fun every parade night. Are the SCC CFAVs inspiring. Thereās were free text fields so they could capture information that wasnāt just a scaling issue.
Iām told there will be a similar āstate of the nationā survey for CFAVs in due course.
And this isnāt an isolated thing - the SCC do these feedback events every year.
Imagine having an organisation that actually took onboard, valued and acted upon this level of feedback. And used this to inform policy and direction. Imagine how empowered we would feel having the ability to shape. Imagine that tick in morale! Imagine feeling like weāre actually on a journey togetherā¦
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Valuing our People. Used to be Valuing our Volunteers, but someone decided that a salary wasnāt enough valuing for our CS.
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Iād argue a key part of successfully engaging your cadets for useful feedback is ensuring you also keep them adequately informed of how the system works and changes that could be in the pipe.
Iām assuming cadet awareness is even worse than CFAV awareness would appear.
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The ACF double decker bus and the SCC inflatable during the Lord Mayors Show were eye-catching! (Screenshots from I-Player)
What/who do we need to/say/pay do to get an inflatable?
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What did the ATC or RAFAC have at LMS?
A very large band, who looked pretty fantastic!
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To be fair, the band and marching contingents looked (and sounded) incredible, and represented the Corps well!
Personally, they were better than the bus/SCC thing
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Yeah, they were great!
I think the issue is one of branding though. The ACF and SCCs things were very branded, and stood out. You can instantly see what they represent as it says āSEA CADETSā and āARMY CADETSā in big letters. Our band, although fantastic, were not ābrandedā in any way.
To most people, we look very much like ājust another military bandā. But weāre more than that! Do we need something to go with the band at the LMS to āadvertiseā us a bit better? Maybe.
But the band were awesome, keep the band.
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A float, suspending all band members in paper hawksā¦
