Not happy with my Squadron

[Cam89]

I really like CAP but the squadron I go to is lazy and doesn't inform you of an activity until the week of it. We also don't have a great attendance record. Right now we have may be about six to eight cadets coming faithfully. We are on the brink of not having our squadron become no more. Does anyone have some ideas that could help the squadron? I have already talked to the senior members about some ideas I had to help our squadron but it went in one ear and out the other. I try to help but I don't see anything working. I don't want to go to another squadron the nearest one is an hour and a half away. Please if someone could help. Thank you so much.

[shorning]

What kind of things have you suggested?  What have you done to help your squadron?  What kind of community is your squadron in (i.e. Urban, Rural, other)?  Why do you think the squadron is lazy?  What else is your squadron doing?  What is it the squadron wants to do?

It sounds like your squadron may need to work on communication, but it could be that you're just not getting the information earlier than the week of the activity.  In my squadron, the seniors and cadet staff know activities a long way out, but the cadets don't get the information until closer to the activity.  We've found that if we give them the info too early, it overwhelms them and gets lost in everything else they are trying to remember.  So it may not always be evident what the information flow is really like.

[Chris Jacobs]

Unfortunately this is what you aren't looking for but for my self when i joined i decided to go to the squadron that was 25 min away instead of 5 so that i could go to a better squadron.  The one you describe sounds a lot like the one that was near my home, but i decided to make the trip to get to a good squadron. 

But if that is not an option i have one plan for you.  Work very hard and try to promote every 2 months.  Then once you reach a high enough rank you have more authority to take on some of the problems.  work hard and stay dedicated, and if you keep the pressue on the authorities they will hopfully come around soon.  Also try to be a model cadet.  If you work hard, promote offten, and bring in more cadets, the other 8 cadets should follow.

In general don't give up hope and focus on how you can be doing better.  Just work hard.

[capchiro]

One of the things that you need to do is to make sure that you have some seniors that are interested in the cadet program and willing to work with it. Ask your parents and the parents of the other cadets if they will join, at least as sponsoring parents.  It's only $20.00 and once they join, and find out it's a good organization, maybe they will convert to full membership status, (which, by the way, doesn't cost anything more during the year they convert).  Parents have a vested interest in the program and their children and will help with the program if asked (usually).  By getting some interested adults in the program, the other seniors may also gain interest and learn that working with a cadet program can be fun and very rewarding.  The cadet program is where all of the activity is and working with the cadets is just about the best part of CAP.  You may also need to convince some of the adults that the efforts they put into the cadet program may not be immediate, but are lifelong and will influence a cadet long after he/she leaves the program.  I have had some troublesome cadets in my day, but really very few and I still think we instilled some values in them that may not have been apparent at the time.  Another thing, you don't have to have a big squadron to have agood squadron.  Now would be the time to develop the program and leadership of the squadron before it gets to big to handle.  Good luck and I will be glad to help whereever possible.   

[MIKE]

But if that is not an option i have one plan for you.  Work very hard and try to promote every 2 months.  Then once you reach a high enough rank you have more authority to take on some of the problems.

In CAP in particular, grade (C/AB-Maj Gen) and rank (seniority within a given grade) don't always mean a whole heck of a lot... It doesn't always equal authority.  In some units if you promote at the minimum TIG/TIS you'll just end up a moderately proficient cadet with a lot of uniform bling, but with very little authority and or ability to sway the s'members... After all, your still just a cadet.

I'd say that rank cranking will have little effect on the problem... It might give you something to do for a few years in a struggling squadron... But you'll likely find that it wasn't the greatest decision in the end.

[Chris Jacobs]

I am not a big fan of racing through the ranks either.  It doesn't make you a leader just because you reach staff Sergent nor does it not make you a good leader just because you are an airmen.  What i was trying to get at is that with moving through the ranks you show that you are dedicated and hard working.  And with that you are able to put your self in a position of making a bigger difference.  I totally agree that promoting at the minimum all the time is no good and most the time bad, but in this circumstance i think 4 or more stripes would help.  But that is up for argument.

[Eclipse]

Rank-cranking's not the end-all solution, but it will get you more credibility
than complaining as a slick-sleeve.  It may also get you focused on yourself and point you to opportunities you aren't seeing.

Have you discussed this with your unit CC?

He/she may think you're fully engaged and happy and be oblivious to a problem.  Don't go empty handed-bring solutions and/or a willingness to
roll up your sleeves.

Some members locally, senior and cadet, are reluctant to do this because they don't want to "stir up the pot". 

I say spread the pain around a little - why should you suffer in silence to protect the feelings of people who aren't get the job done for you?

At least you can wear your "I tried" ribboon proudly when they process your transfer.

[Chris Jacobs]

By the way, how do all the other cadets in the squadron feel.  If they all feel the same way you should be working together.  Although if you are the only one it is a little hard.  I would ask some other cadets how they feel and if you get a lot of the same answers, you then have 5 voices telling the commander the same problem and he/she may be more inclined to help.

I think Eclipse brings up a great point.  you must present solutions along with the problem.  It makes the job of fixing the problem so much easier for the commander, and they will fix it much more likely.

[Nathan]

Hmm...

I don't like transfer cadets, because we had about half our squadron transfer out due to a couple of peeved cadets convincing them that our squadron was Hell in uniform. It was an absolutely piddly little incident blown way out of proportion, and left me as the new C/CC to try to pick up the pieces. I'm happy to try to rebuild the squadron, but I would have been happier if those cadet had actually gone to someone and solved their problems the way they're supposed to rather than just run away from it.

I'm going to have to agree that the rank will get you more ability to change things. I was C/Leadership Officer for about a year, and was basically the equivalent of a teacher. I had no command authority. Hence, I rarely was heard out and things just kept going the way they always had. Once I took over as C/CC, though, I started doing things the way I thought they needed to be done. That's what comes with the job.

I suggest very highly that you do everything in your power to try to solve this before transferring. Write out a (professional) list of complaints, talk with the CC, do whatever it takes. If, after a 100% effort, you cannot make the changes that you think would make the squadron better, and you honestly feel like you're being hindered by staying at the squadron, then you should be okay to request transfer. Just keep your bases covered.

[Major_Chuck]

You may have to gather ALL your fellow cadets together and figure out what YOU want out of Civil Air Patrol.  If those needs are not being met you need to meet with your Squadron Leadership and address it with them.

When I was a squadron commander I put this very question to our cadets and had them come back to me with an answer.  What we as CAP Officers wanted and what you the CAP Cadets were expecting were completely different.  We took what we expected and what was expected from the Cadet Program and meshed it with the wants and needs of our cadets.  In the end we came up with a very successful program.

Bottom line is that you need to communicate with your Command Staff.  If that doesn't work you need to go to the next level.  CAP is losing too many people because of stagnant squadrons and inactiviy.

I know that it is a lot to ask of a cadet airman to try and shape the direction of your squadron, but you are the future of that squadron, regardless if you remain a cadet or stay and become a senior member.

[Kerrbie]

I'm having about the same problem with my squadron. We have bad communication. Theres a SM in our squadron that doesn't even get contacted by the other SMs. There always passing out phone lists but their never revised. I try and tell them that but instead they just print them off the same every week. (poor trees) but thats not the biggest thing. Our squadron in very unorganized. they don't plan things till the week before a meeting or we decide to do something over the week end and the absent people do know about it. Call Downs never get finished and people start missing out on things. I hate it that I don't have any real big postion because then i could change things for the better. The only real thing we've done was do gift wrapping at borders around Christmas. Also maybe 3,4 of us go to Honor Guard. But i also try to talk to the SM about change but as Cam said it goes threw one ear and out the other, and I would move to a new squadron but the next closet is BCC in Bethesda and i have no way of getting there everyweek. I mum has to work and she normally can only pick me up sometimes not even that. But yea what should I do to get the SMs to listen to me?

[BillB]

In part, you are part of the problem. a PAO has two jobs, External Public Information and Internal Public Information. If there is a lack of communication in the squadron, it would appear you're not doing your job of Internal information. A newsletter that includes a calendar and special activities notices can get the word out to cadets and seniors. Once Seniors see that things are happening, the communications between seniors and cadets improves. People start putting more effort into their duty assignments.
The newsletter doesn't have to have all kinds of fonts or pictures, but needs to provide information. Photos of past activities would show members what they missed and they would start pushing for more information from Command Staff. Communications improves, and people start taking part in more activities.

[Kerrbie]

Now dont blame my newsletter for the squadrons problems. I take a lot of pride into that newsletter and i have a lot of information with in it. For out of our squadron and in it. My newsletter is not the problem.

[Matt]

What Bill is trying to get at is that the newletter, although part of the PAO job, is not the entire job.

The newsletter is an intricate part, as everyone would agree.  It provides information such as dates, times, and locations.  If things are not planned prior to a week ahead of time, then they probably aren't in the newsletter, correct?

If they aren't in the news letter, people are "unaware" simply because it's not on paper (if it didn't happen on paper, it didn't happen).  A fundamental thing you could do would be to sit with your SMs and try to get dates and events out of them.  Find out what events the unit does annually, and mark them down somehow and place tentative dates in.  Although they aren't firm until they're announced firm, it give people, namely cadet's parents, a ball-park estimate of when things are happening.

If there is a communications break-down within the squadron, as the PAO, I know this is a lot of work as a cadet (trust me on that), you need to make every attempt to sit and talk with your seniors and find out what they are looking at doing, and what you can do to help.

As for the roster; well, that in and of itself it interesting.  If you have MS Access and/or have the ability to use it (*cough* squadron computer *cough*), contact me, I have an access database that with a little motivation, enough paper, you can have an up-to-date roster amongst other things.

[Kerrbie]

okay ill do just that

[arajca]

C/Amn Kerr, CAP
Group 1, Germantown Composite Squdron
Public Affairs Officer, Maryland Wing

Are you the MDWG PAO? GRP 1 PAO? GCS PAO? GCS Cadet PAO?
If your a cadet PAO for your sqdn, your sig should read
C/Amn Kerr, CAP
Cadet PAO
Germantown Composite Squadron
Group 1, Maryland Wing

There is nothing wrong with being a cadet staff anything. Properly identifying yourself as such indicates that you're not an expert at it - not that any of us really are, but it does allow for some leniency towards simple mistakes at a SM PAO might not receive. As you sig currently reads, one could easily deduce that you're the PAO for the entire Maryland Wing. Especially those who are not familiar with CAP structure.