Corps - Multi Activity Camps

Adult Staff
1

I am getting increasingly frustrated with the national multi activity camps.

Announcing them in June (first reference I can find, happy to be told I’ve missed something) and expecting CFAVs to jump at the chance of attending with the offer of a nice tent and va, ooooooh.

Then describing it as “no-fail” and piling on the guilt when they aren’t able to staff them.

I would never plan a large wing camp and only give staff 2 months notice to attend. We have jobs and family lives.

What planet are HQAC on?

12 Likes
2

This is a valid point.

My summer 27 is already filling up. Colleagues in the ACF get around 18 months notice for summer camps. Fully get this is unexpected though

3

Several issues at play I’m sure.

I can only see two of these multi activity camps in SMS neither of which are for the week they are short of staff for of which I knew nothing until today. The scheduling is straight after the big national air and space camp and not many will want or can go to another week straight after. Also this new superviory directive will probably now mean more staff are needed too - HQ can’t introduce a new ruleset and then expect people to jump to cater for it with very little notice like.

1 Like
4

Admittedly they have been well publicised - just with minimal notice.

I object to the “offer” (tents and VA within allowances) and the pressure placed on CFAV’s to support a “no-fail” activity that’s been failed by HQACs poor planning.

3 Likes
5

Don’t forget the offer in an earlier email of a single bed to yourself!

6 Likes
6

The luxury!

7

gtcoju
gtcoju300×300 18.7 KB

Don’t make me come down there and tap the sign….

A tent, a single bed to myself, and no pay you say?

9 Likes
8

Maybe it is about time HQAC did a survey to find out why, out of the x thousand CFAV in the organisation, we can’t get whatever the y% of them needed to man these ‘no-fail’ activities.

Maybe they need to understand the problem to find a solution rather than the whispered threats I am hearing of ‘if we don’t get support for the HQ/Region/Wg activities then we will not support/approve your Sqn ones’

4 Likes
9

I can see the main responses could be along the lines of:

  • My leave allocation is already committed.
  • I have other things on then.
  • I’m not changing my plans at that notice.
  • You’re already taking up enough of my time.
  • So it’s a ‘No fail’; lets play chicken…
11 Likes
10

Something needs to be looked at/done.

Or want long ago that even staff were ‘picked’ for amusing camps, as there were often more wanting to go than were needed. It’s now the complete opposite.

I still think Covid will have played a big part. People realising all this extra free time they could have to do other things.

I’d also like to see if the number of cadet to staff transitions have collapsed at all. Those junior but super keen and knowledgeable staff were/are incredibly important, but I just wonder if there’s a lot less now?

But yeah, telling staff that the ‘advantages’ of helping are new tents and a single bed is a slap in the face that would see me being pretty turned away straight off the bat.

4 Likes
11

Why is this unexpected?

These aren’t the RIAT replacements, these are the ones HQ RAFAC have “planned”.

12

Has anyone replied to the emails?

Maybe we should all reply to the emails with our apologies?

1 Like
13

I am concerned that one of the incentives for attending is that if you attend you can claim VA.

Which imply an If contract rather than a claimable allowances so creates a contract as per Grayson As well as undermining the concept of VA

It’s sloppy wording from a volunteer so on its own not something that tips the balance but doesn’t feel with confidence the attention to detail.

1 Like
14

Will HQAC allow the 28 limit to be broken just to get this camp over the line!!

15

Locally we knew we had been allocated a half week of one of these camps on 3 March 26 - our allocation was to fill 19 staff spaces.

The first national call which was a SharePoint News article emailed to all on 8 June 26 - This was ~2 months in advance of a busy period for leave requirements from employers so even if you had leave available you might be unable to take it.

The second national call, again a SharePoint News article that was emailed to all on 26 June 26 - less than 3 weeks after the original call.

This has then been followed up yesterday with the national email, now with a focus on a particular single week.

Now, I’m not against the repeated calls - we get so many messages that some do get lost and also peoples availability will change, but I am glad that HQ are seeing these staffing challenges which previously have been locally managed.

4 Likes
16

Looked again at the email from yesterday. It’s gone to to all regions but what like about CFAV that arent in the regional structures like the gliding staff in 2FTS can they help support like?

17

I’m getting confused my bad!

18

Any CFAV can help support, weirdly I got the other emails but not this one and it seems strange to cut out those CFAV outside of the Regions.

19

By June my work rota is already written for October so there’s no way I can book the time off to support one of these camps. They need to give at least 6 - 9months notice. Additionally, if you have more time, if you’re allocated as IC an activity you don’t have to rush to get is sorted with bookings, RAs, and permissions. Needs more forwards planning by HQ.

20

While I completely agree, my understanding was that these were acting as emergency stand ins after the RIAT cancellation?

I agree that HQ’s reaction to low staffing has been a bit tone deaf, but if my understanding above is correct I’ve got to give them some credit for scrambling to make the best out of a crap short notice situation and still putting stuff on.

If I’m wrong and they weren’t RIAT stand ins and were in the pipeline before that then I don’t disagree at all.

2 Likes