Exactly my point we are a youth organisation! Which is why we should be preventing immature young adults with no life experience or military skills to fight in a war. There are other ways to support, and the RAFAC should atleast acknowledge that and provide guidance to CFAVs on how to handle the potential situation.
I can imagine the pain down the line of parents approaching the RAFAC or in particular, us as CFAVs, saying weāve had an influence in their decision making because of where we sit as a youth organisation should the worst happen
Then follow the existing policies. If concerned about radicalisation refer to Prevent. It is not our job to act as social workers, police, intelligence services. The parents canāt really blame us when they send the kids to cadets
However, prevent is aimed against radicalisation, this is a completely different scenario. Please elaborate how that training will be relevant to this scenario? Just interested
Because it would be a form of radicalisation? Someone being convinced by external factors to go and join a military conflict they were not otherwise involved in?
But if itās not, thereās nothing we can do to stop an over 18 cadet going to Ukraine if they decide to do it, legally or practically.
Hey join the Air Cadets, weāre a military youth organisation following rules set down by the RAF. No Iād never recommend actually joining though, blegh to that (even though at 18 youāre legally an adult, can join the military from 16 but itās my opinion that counts really!).
So the best we can do as an organisation is to advise. Which is why we should be providing a statement or guidance.
I appreciate that it is an individual choice, but imagine parents running to us or the RAFAC because there was an āinfluenceā. Which is why we should be prepared, should that ever happen
Iām not suggesting that next week, all over 18 cadets go to fight, and Iām sure there is a very small minority or none in the organisation that will. Iāve recently seen posts on āyouāve been an air cadet too long whenā on FacePoop, and I know from experience that cadets are naive and can be influenced by SM
I donāt think we need a policy to tell us how to respond if a cadet suggests they are going. Iāll be saying āDonāt be a ā¦, You have no training, wonāt speak the language so wonāt know if someone is warning you and seeing your map reading skills will probably end up in the UAE instead of Ukraine. Tell your mum to let me know if they find your body and Iāll pop to your funeralā
The Prevent reporting mechanism is probably the closest and best we have, and probably the best equipped and connected to advise or pass/escalate to the right place.
But yeah, I agree that youāre making a bit more of this than is necessary - chances are remote that weāre about to see an exodus of cadets into Ukraine.
ā¦and I donāt think it needs HQAC to tell us that itās not recommended, just like we donāt need them to tell us when itās windy outside.
I did see a guy on the news the other day, was a dental technican I think, who said he was going to fight in Ukraine and his military experience was he used to be an air cadet. I am rather hoping it was bravado and he was just seeking 5 seconds of fame.
The air cadets does seem to have the most Walty & quixotic cadets of the cadet forces - didnāt we have an ex ATC cadet try to shoot at the queen during trooping of the colour to prove his ATC marksman badge?
I suspect by the time the QJL division of the league of frontiers men deploy on āOp Rocinanteā it will be all over.
RAFACs response of donāt post anything related & donāt get involved covers what we need to know - issues regarding cadets should be treated as standard safe guarding & everything else is neutral.
A lot of units have Ukraine, Russian & polish cadets so a neutral non-political stance is probably best for their welfare rather than getting caught up in the media hubris including via speculation.
Not to throw the cat amongst the pidgeons, but I have seen an email sent to an Army CFAV colleague from Brigade telling them that they were part of the British Army and therefore must not, nay, cannot travel to volunteer in Ukraine. Much chuckling and head scratching was had.
I think it is an attempt to generally stop more or less untrained and untested CFAVs rocking up in theatre in their issued kit, waiting to become A) A news story or B) a bargaining chip or reason for the enemy.
we are a youth organisation! Which is why we should be preventing immature young adults with no life experience or military skills to fight in a war. There are other ways to support, and the RAFAC should atleast acknowledge that and provide guidance to CFAVs on how to handle the potential situation.
