What makes us stand out?

Cadets The Crew Room
12

it is what i enjoy and know.

i’ve been kicking around for 20 years in the organisation, i’ve been doing it longer than I haven’t if that makes sense? (ie more than 50% of my life I’ve been involved with the ATC)

Having started as a teenager i thoroughly enjoyed myself, when it came to aging out i enjoyed it too much to simply walk away as many of my friends did, and had already been deemed medically unfit for any Military service, and so thrilled when i was invited to be a staff member.

in my time i have picked up a few qualifications, some of them (potentially) useful in civilian life (BEL, FAAW, D1) but the biggest draw for me has to be the very many friends I have made along the way, many CFAVs are “colleagues”, but a good number are friends.

I have been to at least 6 weddings of CFAVs, at least 4 stag dos (and invited to many more), attended 2 funerals of CFAVs, i have been to towns and cities i simply wouldn’t otherwise visit to meet up with friends made on camps and courses.
At my own wedding of the 6 tables, two of those were my friends and both had CFAVs seated on them.

why do i stay?
i enjoy it.
i enjoy teaching, instructing and passing on my knowledge and experience to Cadets, some of that knowledge they can’t get so readily elsewhere.
I enjoy seeing that Cadet’s face split in two when something great happens, be it their first flight, when they find out they passed a WHT, or another experience that smile and often “thanks Sir” reminds me I am making a difference.
the Cadets seem to like me and how I get involved; they are not put off by the events i organise and coordinate, be that a day trip to an airshow or aviation museum or a day walk practising map reading skills all typically well attended and often “when are we doing this again sir?”

i enjoying spending my time with those who have a shared interest, and as some of those are Cadets I enjoy the fact that they can learn from me.

to ask the opposite question, why don’t i leave?
I would miss it.
i would have to do something else as i don’t like sitting still. I’d end up joining the scouts or a local gliding club or something to get that same kick.
if i did nothing i would probably end up putting on weight as i sat in front of the idiot box like a couch potato each evening.

critically i wouldn’t see my friends as often, i am sure we all know Staff who have taken a break, stepped back a bit, or left completely who we don’t see anymore and are left with updates on Facebook to find out how they are doing, what their bank holiday plans are (were) and how the kids are getting on.

I attend RIAT year after year and have definitely made friends for life. Some are in the next County/Wing to me, others the opposite ends of the Country, for many Facebook is the way to stay in touch, while the odd few the effort is made to find the excuse to meet up, more often than not most each July we get together again and it is like the last 11 months apart was 11 hours.

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13

This is a key phrase and why people just keep doing the same old, same old.
It would be difficult in some ways to go somewhere else and start from scratch after such a long time in the ATC. People I know who got made redundant in the 00s started new jobs in their late 40s after working somewhere for 20+ years say they found it difficult to find their feet in a new job and several had 2 or more jobs before settling.

I’m looking more and more at the door now, there are now more people I know who have left the ATC that I get on with and see than are in the ATC. The majority now are similar ages to or younger than our children and many I knew as cadets, and while we may have the ATC as common link, I don’t enjoy socialising with them like I do / did my peers. I go out with my son for beer because he’s my son and father and son should do things, but I don’t go out with my son and his mates as that would be weird.

14

Don’t let us stop you.

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15

I claim my Prize for outing RC (LASER)

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16

I’m sure they feel the same way and are glad when you leave them alone.

17

Eh? Me or Teflon?

18

The problem is apart from the ATC I don’t have the same life experiences etc that when you speak with or out with people around the same age. When I was there age I didn’t enjoy socialising with the staff who are my age now and I doubt they enjoyed being with us youngsters. I don’t know if you have kids, but would you want to go out with them and a group of their mates? Same thing in the ATC. Mind you a lot of the youngsters in our Wing seem to eat, sleep and defecate Air Cadets, which makes them even less appealing to socialise with.

19

Generally speaking, we mix pretty well across the generations. It’s certain personalities - not age brackets - that don’t gel.

20

it is interesting, last night my wife and i went to friends for a BBQ. I know them through the ATC and who are old enough to be my parents (they are 10 years younger than my parents, but they could be and not even teenage years either).

I have no issues socialising with Staff of any age, perhaps I am an interesting enough person to have more than than ATC to talk about (or in Teflon’s case, moan about). At my previous Squadron i would be regularly seen in the local public house after parade. We had the local Squadron Staff and Staff of two other out of town units (which included me) who lived in town meet at the pub, we had a vast mix of ages from 50s to brand new CIs from 018 Cadets.

it wouldn’t be unusual for those same friends to meet up for a BBQ, or birthday party, we even did a few curry nights or similar.

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21

All the opportunities, you could say that it’s not just about drill and flying, we do other stuff too. like AT camps, courses like JL and QAIC, cam and concealment, charity work …

22

I’m not sure I’d describe drill as an opportunity…

I rather wonder if anyone would go to the drill & ceremonial camps if there was anything else to go on.

23

There is other opportunities and people certainly do turn down other opportunities to attend D&C.

24

JL or QUAIC or drill are hardly the sort of thing to get a year 8s juices flowing. Remembering that’s the age group we are trying to attract.

25

@bp05 Firstly welcome to ACC.

In my opinion, the key to recruitment is a solid Parade Evening Program with variety, so that you are not doing classifications every evening.

Once you get your recruits in, get them First Class ASAP, that way they can integrate with the Sqn and have access to everything, if First Class drags on you are more likely to lose them.

In addition to your Sqn Nights, try to keep things happening on the weekend, even if your staff can’t organise it, get them to harrass those that can (I’m fully shooting qual’d and would happily run an activity where asked if there was demand)

Remind your staff that even if they can;t go / aren’t interested you might still be and your parents may be prepared to take you to the activity or a local sqn that does have transport.

My one stand out as a cadets, was the friendships I made from doing all the activities, be it a camp, shooting or competition day.

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26

The irony is that you clearly are in for the same reason unless I’m missing something.

I don’t think I have ever seen something positive come from your posts. The most recent being the potential recruit who you actively tried to discourage from joining.

This organisation is suffering and it has downfalls, however I’d bet a good wedge on that partly being because of attitudes like yours.

Try thinking positively for a change and maybe try some reflecting, maybe you can help change the things that irritate you so much…

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27

Can I like that post multiple times?

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28

I don’t know, staff conferences and places where you meet, over the last few years the general tone wrt the Air Cadets has not been positive. Our flying / gliding officer in 2015 got to the dias said good morning, thank you and sat down again as there was nothing to say, which got the most applause of the day. In my long time as a unit commander staff conferences have all been the same, Wing Staff and invited guests talk in very generalistic terms but we as squadron staff are only interested in how this translates at squadron level. and these can’t or won’t be answered.
When we talk it’s about family, holidays and similar avoiding ATC stuff as it’s too depressing.

I used to eulogise about the ATC and bore people stupid with all the good stuff the kids could and did do. The people I work with and have known me for many years have commented on the change. I would actively encourage people to let their offspring, grandchildren, nephews/nieces join as it was IMO the best youth organisation with unique opportunities. But now I can’t do that with any honesty as it is a bare-faced lie. My wife has seen the change in how I speak about it.

A defining moment was when a bloke I knew as a cadet (he joined when I was a CWO - he lived ‘round the corner’ and had heard cadets doing drill) turned up one night. His eldest was coming up the right age. We chatted about the old days and I said camps weren’t as they were and shooting had taken a knock, but flying and gliding were still good (this Jan 2013). His son joined in the March. I a few months later I sent letters home explaining that we will lose AEF (5) for a few months while they move airfields and a few months later that we wouldn’t have gliding for a few months. I sent further letters home in explaining that we won’t have flying or gliding until late 2016 / early 2017 at the earliest. My old cadet mate came and asked WTF was going on, I couldn’t answer as we were being told little or nothing. He’d left the RAF in IIRC 2004 as it was becoming a turd fest and not what he’d joined 15 years earlier. By this time his son was in year 11 and as we spoke I said I was conservative with the dates as that was what in late 2015 what we’d been told, but I didn’t see anything happening and us getting flying/gliding until 2018 at the very earliest. A few weeks later he came in with his son to leave. He thanked me for what we’d done but with his exams looming they were more important. His son had got his Bronze DofE and just starting his Silver which he was going to carry on at school, I saw a report earlier in the year that he’d got his Gold, so I thought something good had come of it. But as my old mate said, not much point being in the Air Cadets if they are not going to fly, which is why he’d joined in the early 80s being an aircraft nut and still is going to air shows and why he wanted to and did join the RAF.

29

I don’t like essays with no pictures, I get lost after the 5th line then have to start again :man_facepalming:t2:

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30

I know that this thread is about the organisation’s offer as a whole - which we all know has diminished over time. However, as I stand in the fortunate position of being part of a Sqn that has a fantastic staff team that do their very best to offer as much as possible to the cadets, my thoughts are thus:

Expectation - Our USP is flying - which is something we try to take advantage of as much as possible (within current staff ability to do so - weekday slots prove challenging sometimes).

Reality - Our USP is everything else that we (and the organisation) can offer to the best of our ability/availability. I think it useful to note that it is only our current cadets (and staff) that are aware of what we once had - the new cadet joining today knows nothing different and as such (even though their experience would pale compared with that of old) they will benefit from and value that which they experience in the RAFAC today.

I’ve seen an increasing level of stats drive to seemingly justify our existence but first and foremost, in all cases, is the cadet. I know each unit in the Corps will differ in their offer, this is always going to be the case in the volunteer sector as everyone has different constraints on their time and therefore differing ability to give, but there is no issue in this as long as we’re all pushing toward the same objective which is adding value to the individual in the hope of forming an effective asset to society.

I believe the RAFAC to be of worth and therefore remain (despite diminishing returns) in the organisation to ensure that those young people who do express an interest have the best possible cadet experience that we can offer.

31

What we offer now is not in any way, shape or form unique. Unique is the U is USP. The powered and non-powered flying was absolutely unique made us stand out.
I think the only unique aspect is lack of provision for good stuff like the camps etc, so you’ve got to be pretty unique to go.
You are right in that cadets joining now have no clue about the flying etc, but then as I say we don’t offer anything to 12/13 year olds they can’t get elsewhere and without the rigmarole we impose in terms of the uniform etc.

When we’ve asked our cadets why they stay the overwhelming response, friends. It’s not badges and all the other guff. It would appear we attract cadets who are not popular / trendy at school and see us (although it could be anywhere) as place to make friends.

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