But that shouldn’t be coming out of the Cadets pocket for an event.
If CFaV are taking £20 cash off a cadet for a 2 day event - that wont be going near the VA.
It should be going to pay for the food, accommodation, resources, activity say if your going to a Museum.
£20 is a bargain for a DofE expedition considering the costs involved - campsite fees, kit, fuel, vehicle upkeep/servicing etc
Fuel should be claimed back through mileage claims (potentially the odd occassion when not), food and kit provided by the cadets anyway on top of whatever the cost is for it.
Campsite - absolutely but for a team of five for one night should be a huge amount.
Plenty of Sqns do loans of kit/cooking fuel which is paid for at Sqn so shouldn’t in that sense be included in the sense of the expedition.
But my point being is if the costs is £20 - it should be justified on where it is going.
You have three teams of 5 that’s £300 on a expedition where all food, tents and equipment is provided by the cadets attending.
Justification is typically based around “cost to public purse”, so usually MT, fuel, and VA costs.
I.e. you’re more likely to get approved for a weekend incorporating a day walk as part of a DofE programme and a blue radio course than you are a camping trip with a beach visit.
It’s not about justifying charges made to cadets - that’s more a discussion to have with parents.
I think a lot of time we charge too little. Sqn and Wing CWCs are often paying for a lot of expensive equipment that is used, and generally the money for that is only coming via grants. If we use the DofE weekend as an example, I would really see no harm in having £10 per cadet going back into a pot of money to go towards new tents/maps/rucksacks/stoves/gas etc. And of course, if a cadet can’t afford to pay, then that can be discussed.
It also adds an element of ‘buy-in’.
But yes, you are right, sometimes the costs seem completely random, with no specifics given as to where the money is going! I have always wondered about it on certain weekend camps where these is no cost at all, yes cadets are paying £10. I assume the money is going into the Wing pot to go towards equipment…
And this I would have no issue with if it was on allocation within the wing fund rather than the general wing pot,
NCO courses cost a £10 but £5 is food/accomodation, and the other £5 into a NCO course pot within the wing fund. So those that run those courses know what funds is available to get pens, notebooks, flip chart paper, mini white boards, up to date leadership equipment or whatever else that specific course needs.
I do just worry a lot of it goes back into the wing pot generic with no real answer go to what is that money paying for. Especially when The resources on the courses are old, not enough or outdated.
I agree totally …