Project Pathfinder Update - RAFA Youth

Cadets The Crew Room
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Many thanks to all the ACO Sqns and Sections that assisted with the research and development phases of Project Pathfinder. I am delighted to report that all the brilliant input, advice and ideas we received from the ACO leaders and cadets, allowed us to put forward a compelling proposal to the Central Council of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) on 16th February 2013 and they were so impressed they have agreed that a Youth Membership scheme can be launched later this year. B)

Whilst the overall aim of the Youth Membership scheme is to increase membership of the Association it will also encourage volunteering/support; promote youth development through an air-related environment; and increase awareness of RAFA and its role/purpose.

As a new Membership category, there will have to be a cost to the individual member as RAFA, being one of the key welfare charities supporting RAF personnel, veterans and their families, needs to run this new scheme as cost neutral. The initial annual subscription will be £10 per year.

Given the aims of the Youth Membership scheme and evidence from the Focus Groups, aviation-related experiences will form a major part of the benefits package. Consequently, we are looking to offer civilian flying awards and one-day mini gliding courses, which are easily accessible across the UK, in monthly prize draws. Generously, the Chief of the Air Staff’s office has also agreed to allocating 10 tickets to the RAF Engagement Day/Air Combat Power Week at Waddington; the Red Arrows have offered 10 Members a VIP Day with the Team; and the Officer Commanding of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight has invited 10 Members for a VIP day including a Hangar Tour. BAE Systems Military Air and Information team has also kindly offered 10 Youth Members the opportunity for a VIP day at Warton which is expected to include a visit to the Typhoon assembly line and the Typhoon simulator.

Our current plan is to launch the scheme in August 2013 just ahead of the traditional Wings Appeal street collection period and Battle of Britain commemorations in September.

Thanks again to everyone for their support, enthusiasm and constructive input.

If anyone would like to know more ahead of the official publicity material being distributed, please send me a private message and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

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I saw this in the last Air Mail and thought about time. I have thought for years that RAFA, RBL and RNA have been missing a trick.

I hope that squadrons embrace it.

It will be interesting to see how the membership is handled as there was mention in Air Mail of a group membership, which would be available for squadrons, unless this idea was binned.

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Link for current Air Mail www.rafa.org.uk/Resources/downloadables/airmail.pdf - pages 6&7 have the details

4

Yes, we really liked the idea of a Group Membership which was suggested by a number of Sqn Cdrs and Regions but having researched the issues surrounding the need for parental consent for 13 and 14 year olds and getting hold of appropriate individual information about each Member to make the prize draws free and fair, it was simply going to be too administatively burdensome and challenging for RAFA and would also have potentially placed a significant extra burden on the ‘youth group leader’ which would break one of the red lines (quite appropriately) imposed by Comdt ACO, so we have decided (for the time being) to only offer individual membership but will hopefully revisit the Group Membership idea once the scheme is up and running and we have gained some experience and confidence of dealing with young people using digital and social media channels.

So whilst a great idea (thank you), it won’t be available at the launch in August but may be included in the future.

5

I feel that there has probably been too much research and RAFA looking at it from their standard membership process and procedures.
I have spoken about this with local branch committee and from an ATC perspective, the de facto parental consent to join should be sufficient and as for the group membership this could easily be handled via the CWC in conjunction with the OC and branch, using Bader IDs or adapted Bader IDs as a member number, which can be fed in for prize draws etc. Then if the cadet leaves they then get the option to continue via an individual membership. The cadet’s 3822 is their “membership card”. I also quite strongly believe for this to work and work well, the branch/club contact has to be central as local contact all important. Otherwise it is in danger of becoming a “fan club”, where you pay your money and get a ‘fanzine’ and the chance at some goodies every once in a while.
If it becomes a purely individual membership the danger is that uptake is poor. A group memberhip would be easier and cheaper to administer per capita, thus offering the benefits and potential future adult membership to a wider audience. Group membership could be priced at £x/y cadets and taken from subscriptions, with administration carried out by branch membership secretaries, in conjunction with squadrons. Where there is no branch, it is done by the squadron.

6

I favour the planned route of individual memberships and I’d rather have nothing to do with the process.
Let them decide for themselves whether the benefits of membership are worth their money; I remain unconvinced.

I am uncomfortable with the ATC being targeted in this way by external charities, even ones associated with the RAF.

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In fairness to RAFA, in recent years they have been consistent in their efforts to try and reach all elements of the wider RAF family. One of the biggest concerns that the Association has had to tackle was the incorrect perception that it was just an ex-service formation for former members/veterans, as opposed to being what it in reality is, an Association for all members of the broad Air Forces of the Crown.

And in respect of the ACO, RAFA has done as much as it currently can as a charity, to offer support with scholarships and other aspects of sponsorship (eg certain camp grants etc). RAFA’s made a real attempt to move with the times, and engage with the junior airmen and airwomen that are our Cadets, in the same way that they’ve tried to attract in-service members of the regulars and reserves- it’s never been (solely) a veterans’ group, it has always had a much-wider remit and mission.

I feel they ran the risk that the worst strategy for them to adopt was to have done nothing with regards to youth membership. They do appear to be genuinely-attempting to identify what the best combination approach really is for Cadets.

I reckon we should engage with RAFA in every way that we can. Although there is also the Air League, with all it’s historical links to the ATC, and other very-recent efforts to create support networks, currently the ACO has little in comparison with the ACFA, or the SCC’s Marine Society, and certainly nothing like the AIr Cadet League in Canada. I believe RAFA has lots of history, experience and further potential in respect of the ACO.

wilf_san

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Glass Half Empty 2 - You raise some very valid issues and all have been previously identified and discussed at length. What I can say is that RAFA has absolutely NOT “looked at it from their standard membership process and procedures” and this is a massive excursion for the Association to be engaging with young people using social media and not trying to just incorporate the Youth Members into local Branch life - because the evidence indicates that there is virtually no interest amongst 13-17 year olds. In addition, we only have a few active Branches and certainly not enough to support a consistent UK-wide Youth experience and the challenge of providing DBS checked staff in each Branch was regarded as simply too difficult and too expensive. However, all Youth Members will be actively encouraged to join their local Branch or join in with their events and activities as part of the volunteering/support experience but we clearly needed to provide a membership that had something tangible and fun in it for the young person but was the same for every member irrespective of their location or status of their local Branch. (I don’t have a Branch within a 25 mile radius of my home)

Whilst I am encouraged by the interest in the Group Membership concept, both the previous and current Comdt’s insisted that there was absolutely no additional administrative or financial burden placed on ACO Sqn/Sections and with that caveat in mind, we failed to identify a process that was cost-effective and manageable to both RAFA and the youth groups and would enable a launch in 2013. However, it remains an aspiration…

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This applies equally to the RBL and RNA. As such “fund-raisers” like HFH have taken the impetus from proper organisations in the nation’s pysche, because it’s easy to part with a few quid in the general “throw-away” nature of modern society, rather than belonging to something that provides long term support.

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This applies equally to the RBL and RNA. As such “fund-raisers” like HFH have taken the impetus from proper organisations in the nation’s pysche, because it’s easy to part with a few quid in the general “throw-away” nature of modern society, rather than belonging to something that provides long term support.[/quote]
The whole reason for HFH initially was to fill in at the initial point of trauma recovery as several years ago, there was a gap in support there. They have never as a main objective been looking towards long term support, and have fielded applicants towards the agencies and charities that set out to do that including RAFA, RNR, RBL and Combat Stress. All of whom I believe that HFH pass funds to, to assist in their individual objectives.
RBL at al provide a fantastic support and social network for current and ex-service personel, just not support/ equipment to physioterriorists at Headley or packs holding something to wear and write with for those that arrive at QE with nothing but bloody fragmented clothes.

11

Just back from a meeting with RAFA and, given the interest expressed, we revisited the question of a Youth Group Membership category. Whilst we still can’t find a way to mitigate all the issues the full implementation of a Group Membership category would raise, we do think that we may have identified a way in which an adult, sqn cdr, troop leader, RAFA Branch etc could pay up front for a number of young people to join and would be allocated an equivalent number of discount codes which the lucky young people would enter when they join using the RAFA website… making it free of charge.

It’s not a perfect solution and may not survive contact with the website and finance gurus who are now considering the practical implementation aspects but it would take us one step towards a potential future Group Membership category.

So thanks for all your comments and thoughts…we’re really grateful.

12

Good to hear it’s potentially back on the table as an option.

Out in the big wide world there are group memberships, where individuals have their own access. My wife and I are effectively “group” members for English Heritage, RAC and two cash and carry’s, with individual access via our on cards. There are pleny of ATC units with multiple cards for cash and carry establishments. So the model is there.

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I guess most ACCers won’t have missed the launch in the last week of RAFA Youth’s online presence.

RAFA Youth on Facebook

A number of ACO websites are running the following story too

[quote=RAFA Youth Story]rafa YOUTH, the RAF Association’s youth membership scheme is ready to take off and will officially launch at RAF Brize Norton on 2nd August 2013.

This exciting new youth membership scheme for 13-17 year olds who love adventure, aircraft and aviation, would like to experience thrills such as skydiving and paintballing or who just have an interest in the RAF and would like to be part of something special.

All 13 to 17 year olds who are in uniform as ATC, CCF (RAF), GVCAC, Air Scouts and Air Explorer Scouts can become a member of rafa YOUTH for just £10 per year.

Members will be given an exclusive wristband which can be worn with their uniform, benefit from special discounts on a wide range of entertainment and days out, have VIP access to member-only content, get exclusive opportunities to volunteer at some of the UK’s biggest air shows and regular chances to win fantastic prizes through free draws (including flights, glider courses, VIP days and much, much more!).

In addition, the rafa YOUTH Facebook page will contain all the news about the prize draws and what is going on around the world of flying, the RAF and the RAF Association. The page will also include special interviews and behind the scene films, news and information with the chance to question experts on air-related subjects.

Like the rafa YOUTH facebook page: facebook/rafaYOUTH before 19th July to be entered into our first free prize draw* to win one of 6 places to fly the VC10 Air-to-Air Refuelling Aircraft simulator at Royal Air Force Brize Norton on 2nd August 2013.[/quote]

Not a bad prize!!!

So what do we make of this? Will “MOST” Cadets join? Will you be advertising it to your cadets?

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[quote=“Leeroy” post=8938]I guess most ACCers won’t have missed the launch in the last week of RAFA Youth’s online presence.

RAFA Youth on Facebook

A number of ACO websites are running the following story too

[quote=RAFA Youth Story]rafa YOUTH, the RAF Association’s youth membership scheme is ready to take off and will officially launch at RAF Brize Norton on 2nd August 2013.

This exciting new youth membership scheme for 13-17 year olds who love adventure, aircraft and aviation, would like to experience thrills such as skydiving and paintballing or who just have an interest in the RAF and would like to be part of something special.

All 13 to 17 year olds who are in uniform as ATC, CCF (RAF), GVCAC, Air Scouts and Air Explorer Scouts can become a member of rafa YOUTH for just £10 per year.

Members will be given an exclusive wristband which can be worn with their uniform, benefit from special discounts on a wide range of entertainment and days out, have VIP access to member-only content, get exclusive opportunities to volunteer at some of the UK’s biggest air shows and regular chances to win fantastic prizes through free draws (including flights, glider courses, VIP days and much, much more!).

In addition, the rafa YOUTH Facebook page will contain all the news about the prize draws and what is going on around the world of flying, the RAF and the RAF Association. The page will also include special interviews and behind the scene films, news and information with the chance to question experts on air-related subjects.

Like the rafa YOUTH facebook page: facebook/rafaYOUTH before 19th July to be entered into our first free prize draw* to win one of 6 places to fly the VC10 Air-to-Air Refuelling Aircraft simulator at Royal Air Force Brize Norton on 2nd August 2013.[/quote]

Not a bad prize!!!

So what do we make of this? Will “MOST” Cadets join? Will you be advertising it to your cadets?[/quote]

Most cadets will join just to go painballing :evil:

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[quote=“Leeroy” post=8938]

So what do we make of this? Will “MOST” Cadets join? Will you be advertising it to your cadets?[/quote]

One of our staff has decided to take half a parade night to chat to staff and cadets about it, quite frankly we’ve got more important things to be doing. Said staff member seems to be all over it so I’ll leave them to it.

To add… I don’t think many of my cadets will take it up, but we’ll see.

16

I’m not sure we’d go to the extent of taking time out of our (hectic!) training plan to chat to cadets about this, but we will be advertising it on final parades, the notice board and our online presence.

However, we are a slightly biased squadron - both myself and my OC are on the committee of my local RAFA Branch!

17

I don’t quite know why people are suggesting ‘taking time out’, like it’s some sort of massive undertaking. I’ve arranged for the branch secretary and chairman to come next week when we’ve got a sports night and we’ll have a slightly longer final parade, by about 10 minutes. That way some parents will also get to hear.

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There is a flyer in the latest Air Cadet News about it too!

Wonder if we’ll get a stack of them issued! I for one would include it with the joining pack we have!

19

I think it depends on the squadron’s training plan. If we were to do the same, it would have to be in September at the earliest. Getting the local branch chairman in isn’t a problem - he runs my squadron. But we don’t have an activities on the training plan we could cut short and our final parades are often tight enough as it is.