Covid's impact on the Volunteer Cadre

Adult Staff
82

Having re-read this thread, the overwhelming thing that comes through is that the those who should be enablers, those at Sector, Wing, Regional and HQAC levels, have no idea what is actually happening at CFAV Squadron level. The Squadrons have poor support from all above them, in fact, those above think they work for them instead of the other way around. They should be working for Squadrons and their CFAV, to enable them to provide the cadet experience, not increase admin burden with nif-naf and trivia, idiotic local rules that appear nowhere in the ACPs, undertaking tasks for which people don’t really realise that they maybe the one held accountable in a Court or worse a Coroners Court. What is acceptable risk in one place is not acceptable in others.

The madness of virtually of removing SOVs by regulation, lack of flying/gliding/shooting, madness of Squadron footprints in a locality meaning you can’t even use local parks for a football game on an ad hoc basis.

Those above the squadron’s do not face the cadets and their parents etc when they want to know what is happening, they just sit back and let the Squadron OC and their CFAVs take the flak and then come in with that wonderful instrument the retrospectascope and comments of you should have done this and that, and it’s all your and your staffs fault. Many have commented that the management above are either invisible or worse ineffective or as I stated really believe that they think the Squadrons work for them, BPSS validation is a case in point, and people told they need to take time off work to visit Wing HQ for the paperwork or to pick up a vehicle for transporting cadets, or just weeks to validate new staff, when it could actually be done over one weekend with a little thought.

And people wonder why CFAV numbers are potentially falling in the future and those who remain are becoming more disillusioned and reduce their time 'volunteering; for the cadets or saying thank you and good night.

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83

One of the more concerning issues is that HQAC don’t seem to understand in the last 2 years how much people’s lives and priorities have changed. There are many who have family members pass away prematurely or be very ill; changed jobs; had personal difficulties etc. Due to their utter inability to understand the CFAV I feel in their naivete they just expected people to come back tails wagging, for more of the same old, same old. How wrong they have been.
You would hope that in just seeing these figures they would start looking to act in a way that actually benefits staff and make it more attractive to existing staff … this doesn’t mean more mandatory training and other admin BS. If existing staff exude a feel good mindset, then people coming in pick up on it.
We were told last night that the local ACF det cdr resigned as he wasn’t getting any support and the new one will only parade one night a week. Apparently he walked in uniform etc in a big box said there you go, left a letter and went home.

A worrying aspect in the report is this continual mentioning of CEP/CCF. The vast majority of MPs see community cadets and staff out and about at parades and events. We have 2 schools with CEP units locally and apart from trying to poach our cadets who go to the schools, they are noticeable by their absence from anything in the community. If the push is to CEP over community, ‘cadets’ will not be seen outside the school fence.

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84

Covid is just one element of the Great Reset. The cost of living crisis will also change people’s priorities, especially if our hourly paid colleagues have to work more overtime or take on second jobs to make ends meet. Volunteering (parade nights, weekend activities and summer camps) could end up being a luxury that only affluent CFAVs can afford.

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85

HQAC live behind the ‘fence’ where life is very different from normal civilian life.

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87

You are spot on about the cost of living, but this will equally and increasingly affect cadets via their parents who won’t have the spare cash for things.

But as @bob says HQAC live in a bubble and even if some of our management are ‘living out’, their salaries are well above many people ;parents and CFAV alike, so won’t be as financially disadvantaged.

The fact that a number of volunteers will need to work longer or have other jobs, will not even register and no quarter given, so they will do a smart one to the right. I started in a much lower paid job (15K less) last year and I am looking seriously at what I can and cannot do cadet wise as it is not my priority.

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88

The fuel should be repaid by the Wing for a Phoenix vehicle then they can claim it back from HQ and bare the brunt of the delays.

89

Should be, but not what happens

90

The other option is to not re-fuel the vehicle.
Yes it results in an additional charge for the booking but I’m of the firm opinion that volunteers shouldn’t be out of pocket for large amounts for an extended period.

If you could guarantee that it would be paid back a week later, no issues. Anything longer than that why?..

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91

Totally agree, but I fear that you wouldn’t be allowed to hire vehicles after that.

92

Indeed, I’ll admit I’ve only done it once so far.

Maybe it’s something that could be built into volunteer portal….:thinking: @Ben_Wakefield

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93

I must admit I find it saddening to read. I was a cadet some ten years ago and for a fair while wanted to do the CFAV thing.

For now I’m choosing to delay it an see how I feel in a few years time.

I feel the RAFAC is severely lacking a certain “je ne said quoi”. I never went gliding all that much for all intents and purposes in my cadets days. Once in the vigilant and once in the Viking, it’s painful to read that many cadets won’t even get half of that. Theb there’s flying.

Not all problems appear to be linked to HQAC or the regions, but a fair amount of them appear to be.

This is the viewpoints of someone who’s not currently in the org but wanted to be until the last few weeks, that said I’m happy to revisit the idea as previously mentioned.

Part of my reasons for “not right now” are to do with "where the org is at’, and other parts of it are personal (somewhat to be expected).

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94

As a CI who organises nothing but comes up with ideas for the CO to take over, (They love admin) I have to say over the last few weeks I have started to enjoy it a lot more and it’s refreshing to see new cadets who have joined getting stuck in. The positive comments coming from parents are also a bonus so we must be doing something right.

Off the top of my head, we have had around 7 new cadets join over the last month or so and we have seen staff who have not been so active turning up more often. I’ve also heard we have an officer returning to join us after a few years away. If that is true then once they get back into it, that’ll mean cadets being offered the chance to do things we couldn’t offer previously. Finally, things are looking up compared to a few months ago.

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95

It depends how long the officer has been away and if they have been doing something in between and if their life has changed, as to if or how they get back into it, not once. So counting chickens and all that, given how much, potentially, the organisation has changed since he left and if there is any baggage.

Many moons ago I had an ex Sqn Cdr join us after 3 years away. It was a bit controversial given why he’d left, but he was an old mate and I felt he’d ben dumped on for sharing an opinion, as a did a few of us. It took him nigh on 4 years to finally re-find his feet, during which time there was a lot of doubt on his part and as his OC he gave me more than enough rope, but I stuck with him and he got into his niche and was a way, my job was done. This was 10 years pre pandemic, so none of the plethora of changes we have experienced to personal and life in general since Mar 2020.

So it’s unfair to assume or expect someone who has ‘been away’ to come back in all guns blazing straightaway. I certainly wouldn’t, even if they implied they would.

96

[necro poster]

Much of what I’ve read chimes with my own experience - in short, a widespread (societal?) reassessment of priorities and a reduction in tolerance for faff, while at the exact same time an organisation that has gone out of its way to do less fun stuff, and make what it does do, harder.

I’m a CI, have been for over a decade, and have gone from being a CI who’s been the Trg O, the Adj, activity planner and leader, to being at the extreme end of semi-detached.

we’ve moved, we’ve taken on an almost derelict farm that’s been neglected for a generation (only way we could afford a farm of the size) I popped into the local (not local, 45 minutes drive) and have transferred, but activities have collapsed. Staff morale is in the toilet - it’s like watching a marriage in terminal decline, everyone is desperate for an excuse to not be there.

My kids are in Beavers and Scouts, it’s once a week and, while uniformed staff are always looking for help, their morale is far higher. My kids are outside every meeting and have been since the middle of March. they cook on an open fire, they learn nav and map reading, they do nature walks, they practice making dens in the woods, they’re going to the beach for the day next weekend - and their arms are covered in activity badges.

I help out, it’s easy, there’s a bit of paperwork and some RA for activities , and a bit of org work, but it’s nothing compared to Sqn life - it’s productive, 95% of what happens away from the kids is about the kids experience.

It’s like that first day in March when the wind drops, the sun shines and you’re wearing a T-shirt after a long, hard winter.

I simply don’t bother. The farm takes all my time, and what time I have is simply far more productive helping with Scouts and Beavers than it is with the ATC. I actually enjoy it…

(Being old, I recall when the ACO had 46,000 cadets, with a stated goal of getting to 50,000. How the mighty…)

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97

He is risen! Welcome back.

Sorry it’s not a happier place with a bouyant atmosphere instead of a bunch of sweats dealing with a paid job’s worth of admin and regulation despite the perpetual promise of cutting of admin.

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98

Thats not that long ago!
That was one of the policies from 2007 ish…

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99

I believe it was one of Dawn’s goals to reach (as a sign of her impact on the organisation looking back…)

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100

Well let’s see where we are in 2040 under ASTRA :man_shrugging:t2:

101

My wing have had fuel cards for quite a few years.

It really does make things much simpler.

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102

There’ll be a Sqn at Cranwell with a dozen Group Captains on the staff, a full time Air Commodore as OC, and they’ll run nationwide parade nights over Zoom for the entire ATC - which be 6 cadets, one of whom is dachshund named Colin…

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