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In the toilet.
All the units in the sector running on fumes, almost complete absence of good will, rampant cynicism as to whether anything organised will actually happen - so people won’t book time off - the cadets aren’t interested in the programme so don’t turn up, and the staff are no more interested than the cadets.
A lot of this is is the fault of the now previous OC - he took over an active, AT/FC focused Sqn with 35+ regular cadets and binned all the enjoyable stuff and got on everyone’s bits. In the first 3 months of his glorious reign cadet and staff attendance halved.
He’s gone now - yes, to Wing, how did you guess? - but the damage is done.
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Similar issue locally. Sqn was 50+, change of OC, all staff driven away, new OC to Wing, another OC inherits a unit which struggles to get 4 to attend. Sometimes the ratio is 3 staff to zero cadets and we all go home again.
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Like most sometimes up sometimes down.
Like it seems with others when you are seeing the cadets grow in confidence and acquire self-belief and not necessarily achieving a badge, is the best thing. Cadets don’t take badges into their later life, like they do self-confidence and the experiences they have.
I don’t feel that confidence is particularly high in those at the top of the tree be that Wing, Region and HQAC which pulls morale down. The requirement for seemingly almost constant interference, change, over complication and introduction of something new for the sake of it. Change happens in a half-baked way which in itself creates confusion which again is morale lowering. In a voluntary role you need or should to be able to just turn up get on and do with the absolute minimum effort. We used to be like this.
Possibly the biggest drain on morale for those running squadrons is the tiny and reducing gap between running a squadron being a second job and part of a hobby.
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Wait this is a hobby?!
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Tell them to go and naff off.
How can a Sqn be closed for the Summer??!!! 
We run a reduced parade schedule, but don’t fully close, usually running at least 1 night per week through the holidays and camp season…
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I have never heard of a squadron closing for summer or running a reduced schedule?
Is this common practice? I have never heard of it at all.
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I liked most of what you said, but you couldn’t resist that little nugget could you?
I, too, see cadets grow in confidence during times that they don’t necessarily get a badge - even when not working towards one.
But I see a boost in confidence and self-belief when they don’t think they will but DO earn a badge.
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Dunno, but when you’re sending half your limited number of staff and a good portion of cadets to various locations around the country, plus family holidays for cadets and staff, it just helps us ease the load.
So, you know, people can actually enjoy the summer!
It’s part of how we fight this:
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It sounds like a great idea. I don’t think it would work for us, we barely run anyway. I like your tginking though.
To confirm, we’re usually a twice-a-week squadron.
When you see things like this from pprune.org Air Cadets grounded thread.
“I helped out at a ‘Flying Evening’ for Derby Scouts at Saltby Monday. I flew seven trips in the BGC Perkoz, six Scouts and one Leader, and the Puchaz did about the same. All the kids loved it - it wasn’t complicated.”
Think about the problems of flying or lack for for an organsation that proprots to embrace flying and aviation in genneral. Wants to fly, join the Scouts.
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We do one night a week during the summer holiday and have done so for 8/9 years and exactly for these points.
I would always have a full programme and stand down before of after annual camp for a week, just to give people a break. But family holidays and other family activities always saw numbers fluctuate with staff and cadets, now we have the odds and sods camps that cadets go to. So we went to one night a week from the middle of July to early September because it was becoming a nightmare not knowing numbers of either side I inavariably stand down for the week before or after the Bank Holiday weekend as this seemed to be the favourite family holiday period. This has sort of improved the numbers for the one night a week, which we don’t do in uniform to give flexibility.
Every time we go back to two weeks in September It does make you wonder whether or not one night a week is the way to go full time. There is always a palpable sigh when we do go back to 2 nights.
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It’s what it used to be, dip in and out like you do with a hobby. But is and will be increasingly less so.
Does ATF do “Hearding Cats” Courses?
Just wondering as I must be doing something wrong in the way I’m trying to arrange Wing events 
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We run wing training weekends and week-long camps for up to 250 cadets and up to 50 staff…
Plus your standard days and weekends.
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I wish I was in your Wing
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I’m all for another pair of hands at the Sqn…