Monthly Versus Weekly Cadet Meetings

[MIKE]

1-5. Unit Meetings. Most squadrons meet weekly for 2 1/2 hours. ...

I think a monthly meeting could work well for some units.  It might be condensed somewhat, but that's kinda the idea.

The one concession I might make would be to have the CPFT on a separate day so you could take the cadets that need it to a school with a track or something.

[Al Sayre]

I'd prefer weekly for 2-3 hrs and 1 Saturday a month for CPFT, & ES training

[Eclipse]

This is the best way to kill your program.

You should be looking to find more ways to get the cadets attending more, not less.

Compressing a month of participation into a day might be a way to meet the regs, but there is no substitute for the esprit-de-corps which is build from just spending time together.

Here's my experience:

When I took over Palwaukee (Seniors only at the time), they were only meeting on the first and third Tuesdays.  With occasional meetings canceled in the mix because of illness, other aviation related events in the area, etc.,

It was not unusual for members to go 2-3 months without attending a meeting.  Then they wondered why participation was down, no training was getting done, and no one was qualified in anything.

People forget about what is in front of them - we're trying to work in a space
staffed with professionals who practice everyday, and even with weekly meetings we only get out members' attentoin about 8 hours a month.

I immediately went to weekly meetings, and things changed overnight, attitude, pariticpation, etc., Now missing a single meeting wasn't the end of the world.

My goals for 2007 include at least three weekend events a quater (1 ES, 1 AE, 1 Leadership), as well as other similiar events.

what's the reasoning behind 1 a month?

[lordmonar]

Weekly.

As anyone who is involved with training and education will tell.  The time between lessons is very important due to unlearning. 

You can teach a lot more if you classes are closer together than spread out.  Because the first thing you have to do is review and reteach part of the previous lessons.

So...let's take marching.  If you do 15 minutes of marchin once a week as oppoesed to say 1 hour once a month...by the end of two months...the once a weekers will have progressed farther and will retain more of the previous lessons due to the repetition and recency.

[carnold1836]

My squadron runs 2 Saturdays a month from 0815 to 1630. We have access to a track and personal hygene facilities so we do PFT every meeting with some exceptions. We also run an FTX in January, April and September/October. We have a cadet school once a quarter, either an ALS or CTEP (Cadet Training and Education Program). And we have AE feild trips (NASA in Houston, USS Lexington, flight sims at Randolph AFB, etc.) once a quarter as well. It seems to work very well. We have also just started a Thursday night flight for those folks that can't commit to a full Saturday every other week or for those like my son who can't get enough and show up at both (I think he would go every day if he could and I have several cadets like that.)

Anywho either way is good but not just a single Saturday a month that doesn't get the job done in my opinion, it really turns out to be to little to late.

[TDHenderson]

OK, I'll chime in.  Let me explain what we are trying to do with respect to Cadet Programs via the 91st All Iowa Squadron and ICAPA in Iowa.  The primary goal of the 91st AIS is to enable Officers and Cadets who are not geographically located close to a traditional Squadron to participate in CAP. 

Here is a synopsis of how/when we meet. 

Primary Meeting - one complete weekend per month via Iowa's WTA's (Wing Training Assembly usually on the last weekend of the month) at Camp Dodge.  The Cadets from the 91st arrive Friday night and Saturday AM begins training via an encampment format lasting to approximately 1600 on Sunday.  91st Cadets train with fellow Cadets from the traditional Squadrons to help ensure uniformity of training for all.  We schedule time for ML, AE, and PT so any Cadets from the Squadrons can get their requirements in if they were not able to get these done at the traditional weekly meetings.  In this aspect we augment the local Squadron CP and provide more options for them. 

Bi-monthly Admin UTA's (Unit Training Assembly) - Held every other month on the 2nd Saturday usually for 2-4 hours.  Mainly used for "Office" work.  Cadets are not required to attend but if they do they can job shadow an Officer or if enough attend they can do CP activities.  We can also do Orientation flights during these UTA's.

Bi-monthly UTA SAREX - Held on alternate months from the Admin UTA's concentrating on ES and Communications work.  These may be as short as 3 hours or all day on Saturday.  These SAREX's will be mobile and occur at our CAP Stations tied to the 91st or at airports/towns with no CAP presence.  This will allow us to get out into the nooks and crannies of Iowa without a local CAP unit and make ourselves known.

Does this work?  Time will tell as we just started this new format with the 91st.  But it is already providing opportunities for those without a local squadron to contribute and be a part of CAP. 


   

[DNall]

I've done the weekly thing in three places now (well two, I've come full circle), and that's impossible. I'm trying Tues nights plus 2nd & 4th Sat 10-2 for now. PFT both Sats, plus ES on one & fun stuff (ex. laser tag) on the other. That sucks too though. The best case I've been in was two Sats (8-4)/month. That's literally twice the time other units spend in week night meetings, & requires less committment from me & my people to accomplish so much more. It's the same amount of time guard/res spends on their on ewknd a month, but that just seems like too long between mtgs to maintain skills, energy, build mentor relationships, etc. Yeah, couple Sats a month all day is the best formular I've seen to date. Ran a quarterly weknd long FTX in there as well. Good program there... which would be a few years back when I was at Lt Arnold's Sq just above there. How's it going Chris? 

[RiverAux]

I think a monthly meeting for 2 days like Iowa could work and I suppose it could be done for a local squadron without the overnight aspect since they could go home to their parents, but I'm skeptical.  Just too much time in-betwen meetings for cadets to forget things, but that may be balanced out by having more intense training when they're there.  we'll see. 

On the other hand I'm not a big fan of 4 2-3 hour meetings a month.  That, when combined with a SAREX or some other activity that pops up on a weekend just seems like an awful lot to ask. 

I'm thinking that some combination of the Iowa plan with DNall might not be bad: 
1 full Saturday and two weeknights with the Sat being used for ES field work or regular cadet activities as necessary.  All 3 being "mandatory".  I could see myself working a cadet program with that schedule but I know I couldn't commit to the standard 4 weeknights + special events + SAREXs.     

[MIKE]

On the other hand I'm not a big fan of 4 2-3 hour meetings a month.  That, when combined with a SAREX or some other activity that pops up on a weekend just seems like an awful lot to ask.

That meeting's usually on a school night, and I already have cadets who can't make meetings because of sports and sometimes they just get loaded with homework.

I'm taking more of a CP angle with this... ES would be a bonus. 

[DNall]

Yeah ES works when it works - ie requires small groups to make aspects work - however, CP requires some consistency & organization.

Two 8hr Sats per month, that's my call for best deal. What we do now is pretty much just one of those days, mayeb atouch more, but not close to the full two days. Also, two weeks btwn intensive all-day training is just about right. Not enough time to teach on week night, too long btwn if one wknd a month. Yeah 2 sats is the way to go.

[RiverAux]

I just mentioned the ES stuff as an option if you already have a plan for a full Saturday each month you could do a field exercise/training as part of the regular plan if needed rather than adding a Saturday into the 4 weeknight schedule in addition to SAREXs and the other stuff already going.  It could be put to very good use with other CP stuff as well.  

[DNall]

right now, chris can comment on what they do now, but in my day there was little ES going on there outside a specific school. We did one wknd-long FTX per quarter which covered basically a cadet SaREx for that flight & graduation wknd for the other two - cyclical obviously.

I can see the same format working very well for a senior Sq or well-rounded Comp Sq though.

[swya]

haha if had it my way it'd be daily

[ZigZag911]

Two weeknights a month (1st & 3rd Weds, for instance)  and a full weekend day, which would alternate between a 'field' activity (ES training, AE trip) and intensive unit activity day (honor guard practice, review boards, PT testing)

[swya]

i think thats a good idea too

[carnold1836]

Two weeknights a month (1st & 3rd Weds, for instance)  and a full weekend day, which would alternate between a 'field' activity (ES training, AE trip) and intensive unit activity day (honor guard practice, review boards, PT testing)

Still in my opinion not enough consistency for CP. At the minimum I would add an week night meetings on the weeks that aren't currently being used. Just my opinion though.

[Calif Ken]

Hey, I'm new to the page but have been around awhile (42 years) in CAP.  I can't understand how you could possibly run a comprehensive (successful) program without meeting AT LEAST once per week, as well as having multiple weekend activities each month.  Seems to me that one of the major problems in the Cadet Program is often a lack of activities and regularity for the Cadets to get their teeth into.

Not every Cadet will be interested in any one aspect of the program and in order to keep your unit running and growing smoothly and effectively you need to have a wide variety of activities, training and leadership opportunities and input from all corners of the environment.  One truth, as I have experienced it, is that an 'occasional' squadron will only attract mediocre committment and lukewarm energy.

We also had some well-meaning but mis-directed folks try the area-wide 'specialty' squadron concept and found it to be a total disaster. Only drained leadership from the other units and pumped egos.

[MIKE]

This assumes that cadets will have time... Or are willing to make time for 2.5-3 hours on a week night... And a weekend or two a month.   I'm seeing cadets who are not able or willing to make this sort of commitment...

Think of it this way... CAPR 52-16 suggests 15 minutes for Opening Formation, 10 minutes for Break and Admin Time and 10 minutes for Closing Formation.  That's 35 minutes off your 2.5 hours a week right there.  Or 140 minutes out of a four week month.

[ZigZag911]

Two weeknights a month (1st & 3rd Weds, for instance)  and a full weekend day, which would alternate between a 'field' activity (ES training, AE trip) and intensive unit activity day (honor guard practice, review boards, PT testing)

Still in my opinion not enough consistency for CP. At the minimum I would add an week night meetings on the weeks that aren't currently being used. Just my opinion though.

In other words, just to be clear, you're choosing the 'weekly meeting' option!

[Matt]

Yup, I'm definitely on board for the weekly meeting, and adding 1 Saturday a month... Sadly, at our staff meeting, we discovered that aside from weekly meetings, we too have 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year (encampment, and the EAA Precautionary REDCAP).