Really?
That seems rather an odd and extreme response.
It’s no where near ideal, but it’s better than nothing.
No it isn’t. I’m using the opportunity for a break. I have a couple of my staff team who have said they might run something but I’m not forcing it, and we all have bigger priorities than teaching principles of flight over a dodgy internet connection. We’re still going to provide some “keep in touch” sessions and if wing want to run stuff we’ll publicise it, but a lot of my staff are either a) working harder to keep their jobs and adapt, b) looking for work as theirs has stopped or c) taking on emergency planning and action work. Adding in a requirement to conduct and plan lessons on top of that is pointless.
We need to remember everyone’s mental health, not just our cadets’, and admitting that we are very low down in the pecking order of priorities is key to that. Let people have a rest and come back refreshed.
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I see what the policy is trying to do. I’m just don’t think that all the steps are needed to manage the very low level of risk or that it will significantly benefit cadets or staff.
It was also a rant, rather than a well formed argument 
What will be interesting is how healthy Squadron will be in 6, 12 and 18 months time.
Whilst I hear on the streets many squadrons are operating via Teams, and providing training to cadets across the board, there are some, including some here, who are sitting back and doing somewhere minimum and zero. There are not many activities that squadrons can’t do themselves, or co-operate with others to deliver. DofE expeditions, AT activities, shooting and FA; could be others.
This actually a good time to consolidate on what has been happening.
What will happen to squadrons who have not kept their cadets engaged, simple, they will leave, not come back once the suspension has been lifted.
Then all we’ll get from individuals, again including individuals here, is that their squadron is closing due to a lack of cadets. Reap what you sow!
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Works both ways. We’ve had cadets (and their parents) get in touch saying they won’t be doing anything with us until we restart in person.
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Everyone is going to lose some cadets, some will lose more than others.
Regardless of what we do, people are going to leave. That is a fact.
Hosting a shonky online session is not going to replace or compensate for the real cadet experience. If people want to come back they will. If they want to leave, they will.
There will still be young people who want to join us in 6/12/18 months time. There will be an element of “relaunching” and getting back up to speed for both staff and cadets. I’d prefer to save my energy for that than force myself or my staff to interact with people online because we are being compelled to.
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I’m not intending to go overboard with the Teams Training. We will be doing some sessions mainly to deliver things like Presentation Skills and we may we soo some Band Stuff.
Aside from that we plan to do quizzes and some chasing to sit Classifications and keel DofE upto date.
We will lose people, but the advantage we have with the lockdown is that unlike any other closure, there is nothing else for the Cadets to go and do so they aren’t going to go and find new hobbies.
I still expect to lose some and my real worry is that we will lose the more Junior ones. I can afford to lose some of the more Senior ones that’s natural wastage but if the Juniors go I can see it being in bulk. (They don’t have the attachment to the Organisation yet.)
I see this mostly as an opportunity to make some more progress on the academic side than we normally would. Not thrilling stuff, but it does tend to lag behind for us as we try to provide a more varied programme wherever possible.
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Couldnt agree more
Except get super lazy and out of practice doing anything except XBox etc.
That’s a very condescending attitude.
And?
Doesnt make it wrong.
Remember that they could always have done that anyway
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Yes.but now have fewer options.
I was talking about the Cadets not the Staff.
You seem to have very negative views towards the youth, bit odd given the organisation
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Realistic!
I’m considering running a recruitment night as soon as practical once we are back. I figure I’ll lose some cadets who are marginal attendees, moving into year 11 or 13, or first year uni, work, apprenticeship etc. There will be a lot of adjustment to do. But we should still try
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We stood down a week after running our last one, but we’ll be doing the same.