I know when our committee was trying to get more parents involved they made a point of trying to catch other parents at drop off/pick up time in our car park.
Im unsure if this has already been mentioned but if you are able to get contact details for your Squadron committee then that might be a good place to start.
We have a similar situation on our squadron at present. We have some very small cadets and had placed uniform orders for them at the beginning of the year. When these orders were delivered they were missing the majority of the sizes we requested as our parent station simply didnât have stock of the smaller sizes. We have since issued âbest fitâ items from our Squadron store and advised to try and get these tailored/adjusted if possible. Its far from perfect but the best we can do until we either get the smaller sizes from our parent station or the Cadets in question have a growth spurt.
Iâve always had a policy of drop off and go away, as an OC I always did the majority of my Comms through the Cadets be it letters home, joining instructions etc.
It Cadets not School and treating Cadets like the young adults they are rather than Children is only ever a good thing.
Drop off and collection was always at the gates but being a community squadron quite a few of the other kids parents I knew from either my time as a cadet or as a CI with that unit so pre covid we would sometimes have a breif chat before heading back home or before the little darlings finished for the evening.
Unfortunately the backlash happens because youâve hit a nerve and rather look to resolve the problem, the response is we canât be bothered to do anything so be quiet.
Just because you canât hang around doesnât mean you canât talk to the Chairman and other committee members. Committees are always wanting new people, especially after the last two years. Weâve just managed to get 4 new committee members. Our chairman was badly affected by C19 and stood down and the treasurer changed jobs as well as having a bad dose and has said he wants to step away, once the bank bits are sorted.
I have to say that without getting parents actively involved the sqn would be a duller place. All bar one of our committee have had children who are or were cadets. They stay around as they saw the benefits for their children. I actively encourage parents to pop in and watch final parades and if they have anything they want clarification on or just a question they have.
You have every right and as a parent you are already a member of the Squadron Association which is how the committees are badged now. As @GrandMaster_Flush says the committee/association while they control the finances their welfare remit is bigger than many would like to admit as they can do things for cadets and ask questions and not be silenced. They only get gnarly and antsy because the high levels are so impotent.
Our committee had their first meeting at the sqn 2 months ago and prior to this meeting at the secretaries house, which I attended. Very odd like everything else at the time BUT it got the business going again.
When our kids were at secondary we got letters home etc and the same happens now as well as email, school website and SM feeds, BUT parents were and are not turned away or not encouraged to speak to teachers or other staff if they want to. A bit more difficult recently, but the communication still goes on, something I would have hated is the online parents evenings, but itâs a thing now.
I like parents who want to get more involved more than being a taxi service as it shows they care, rather then seeing us as baby sitters. I like parents to meet and chat as it brings that sense of community and general involvement, also with this âfriendshipâ among parents invariably means cadets hang around longer. When we have sports events, especially, I want parents there to see their kids get involved and that the air cadets is more than the shed they drop off and pick up from twice a week. If their kids get selected for Wing or higher I try and get the parents to go. Over the years parents or if they have contacts have been really useful at getting things and far more reliable than our organisation and some did things we couldnât in the guise of parties.
When our kids were younger they did different clubs and if it wasnât for parents who got involved they would have died on their bum, as they like us were run by volunteers. I ran the line for our sonâs football causing much confusion when I flagged throw-ins RU style and I was carrier of the bucket and magic sponge because I mentioned I was a first aider.
Getting parents involved is not treating the cadets like children, itâs treating parents as part of the wider squadron.
To clarify although I might have missed it, is it a public page or closed group?
90% of those in the organisation wouldnât know the real âmilitary wayâ if it bashed them around a square for 40 minutes! The vast majority of people I know in the organisation are pretty receptive to reasonable approaches with concerns and questions.
Er⌠Theyâre not wrong, but Iâm shocked that someone showing interest in the committee would be pushed away like that. Also, as I mentioned, the Sqn association is something you very much are a part of as an extension of that committee. Plus, making the committee aware of an issue does actually mean they could attempt to support and mitigate problems - it may be that they have some spare cash to just go and buy whatâs missing from stores regardless of if it should be available from the RAF.
This feels a little extreme, considering itâs not the RAF fobbing you off - nor is it the entire RAFAC or a typical response from our members.
This is the key point, I have a feeling that the staff involved arenât doing this maliciously, but rather that they may not know better. Perhaps (relatively) new in post?
Iâve learned far more about the Corps by being a member of this forum than I have from any RAFAC led training course!
To play Devilâs advocate before we condemn the sqn staff in question, we donât actually know what has been said⌠All we know is how it has been interpreted.
The answer that the CivCom donâ t have control over the delivery is absolutely correct. The RAFAC is not like school, where one can push via the PTA to make changes.
I have known issues around other aspects of training and activity in the past where staff have been very open and receptive, and very fair in their response. But when the bottom line is âthatâs an MOD policy and itâs not going to changeâ, it has sometimes been received poorly by the parent.
I would be disappointed, but also incredibly surprised to find that any squadron was actively trying to prevent parents from engaging with one another.
But itâs not the role of the Sqn volunteers to facilitate parent interaction. Everyone is already incredibly busy delivering training and activity for the cadets.
Iâd say that is very much a job for the CivCom - as the elected representatives of the Sqn Association.
Perhaps they could put on a âcoffee eveningâ once a month or something⌠Parents drop cadets at the Sqn and then meet at the âvillage hallâ (or other suitable local venue).
If I were the OP, Iâd be approaching the CivCom to suggest something like that. Itâs what the CivCom exist for. Amongst their other responsibilities, they represent the parents.