Forcing cadets to be in a cadet force is well known for producing well disciplined cadets with an excellent turnout.
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Some really good points above which raise problems with what I suggested (kind of the point of the thread), though to point out I never envisioned it being mandatory. I guess I’m coming from the point of going into YOIs with Alpha (I know that’s another contentious thing) which is competent voluntary and seeing good results there. I’m positive that some of the kids would benefit from cadet type activities, but completely aware of the difficulties, probably fatal, in arranging it
I would think that the vast majority of people in YOI are the ones who laugh at the
cadets and would avoid at all costs. To open units in a YOI would be pretty pointless.
However…
Some of what we do could perhaps be used within the YOIs to teach leadership, confidence and the like. I would suggest the AF outreach teams could be a good source of where to start on this. Given the environment a CFAV with out the right tools may find themselves quickly out their depth where as the outreach teams have the knowledge and training to do it better and alter it quickly if the need arose.
Most of the cadet aspects of the cadets is not going to work in a YoI, so calling it a “cadet” experience is pretty pointless.
I think what you need to develop is a YoI with an enforced, militaristic ethos and discipline structure that helps to rehabilitate the offenders. Is that not what we already have?
What is needed is an end to the repeated chances that young people committing serious offences get.
I do appreciate the desire not to criminalise young people for 1 mistake but my experience is that young people are getting too many chances and are laughing at the system. It all comes as a nasty shock when they turn 18 and are suddenly going away for a considerable period. (I recently had a young man carrying a Commando Knife for protection in an area he didn’t live for whom the grand total of the punishment was a YOT intervention, I fail to see how giving him a Cuddle and a Chocolate Digestive is going to amend his behaviour!).
As for Cadets in YOI, nope waste of time as stated it’s too late by that stage. I can see the idea of Cadets at the YOT stage but how do you manage it? (The drugs policy would weed out the vast majority). Do you force them into community units? Or do you set up ATC Penal Units? (They don’t get to go flying but get to do Remembrance Parade in Croydon).
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Doing anything in Croydon could be deemed as cruel and unusual punishment. Maybe more effective than most YOIs!!
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Hahahaha hahahaha!
We have lord of the flies, at best.
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Some of what we do in cadets would benefit young people in the YOT/YOI environments, also those not yet there but on that path. The problem you would have is that they can’t be treated like mainstream cadets, they typically have behavioural problems and medical conditions that would need to be managed. You wouldn’t get enough of the same type in any one area to run a viable unit (That includes staff that could cope) so would need to integrate them with a mainstream squadron, then you would be having to consider your discipline on the unit and how to administer discipline.
The basics of working with these people would be familiar to us as CFAVs but there would need to be a change in attitude in order to accommodate these youngsters.
I do think the cadet forces could offer a lot though, just not convinced the will would be there.
Only some - far from all. In terms of representation, it’s a higher level than non-YOT clients - but a long, long way from all.
And neither are they all PRU kids. Or LAC. Or BAME. Or free school meals.
We have non YOT clients with special educational needs and medical conditions and manage them just fine - we manage them better when the is constructive dialogue between parents/schools/social workers and health professionals. They still achieve and succeed in the organisation.
The issue, as I raised above, is that often the behaviours by the time they reach YOT are entrenched. Early intervention will work far better - but getting them to engage, or their support mechanisms to recognise the value - is harder.
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I was chatting to a bloke I know last night who works in probation, but worked in previously and does a lot with the local YOT as a liaison. I casually mentioned this and he nearly choked on his pint.
He mentioned the sort of the things that @Batfink suggests, but the biggest problem he said is the time they are in the YOI which can vary from 2 months to however long the court decides, but he said most are in for 4-6 months and would that be enough time to do anything? He asked if I’d like them on my squadron when they came out and I said no, as I wouldn’t feel I could trust them to not nick things or pick on other cadets. Plus he wouldn’t see them voluntarily going to a local group on release unless it was made a statutory part of their “probation” period on leaving and this could require their YOT worker to supervise them?
Personally if people involved with these youngsters think it’s a non-starter says it all really. Are we really that desperate for membership that we go after youngsters like this effectively making it compulsory in a caged environment, which is what this smacks of. It’s difficult enough dealing with “normal” cadets attending of their own volition, let alone those who could be made to attend.