I'm interested in what wings across the country do to help new units get started or fix broken units that need support to get going.
Maybe there are some best practices that will come up, or maybe this is a stretch to find info on this topic.
Here's an example: are there any wings (or groups) out there which have support teams of some kind to help these units?
Do the wings/groups monitor statistics in their subordinate units to see what units need help?
Are wing/group commanders using the CAC for their advisory role in advising the commander on the health of cadet programs in the units?
Are there wing/groups out there which have systems of ranking units' health? (an example is attached to this post - Capability Maturity Model for Cadet Programs.... it's old, but an idea of what I'm talking about)
Do any wings/groups publish materials to help jump start new or old units?
Do any wings/groups publish materials to help units grow beyond their existing state (whether they're in good shape or bad shape)?
What kind of resources COULD WE USE to start new units or fix broken units? (even if the resources don't yet exist)
Well one squadron, that was about 30 years old (with one commander just about the entire time) , closed and I don't recall any correspondence from the wing asking if anyone was willing to step in and help. So it looks like a "savior' team isn't around.
As far as new units are concerned, we have areas in the wing that likely could support a unit, BUT again it's getting qualified personnel in that area to be willing to step up to do this.
All of this really gets down to volunteer available time and motivation. I'm not sure having a new unit commander traveling 50+ miles to a unit (off the beaten path of an interstate), really works to anyones advantage, since CAP is suppose to be a community activity so it stands to reason it should be someone who lives in the immediate area.
My viewpoint is perhaps a different organizational approach could be used for forming new or saving existing problem units, where a unit (or new unit) becomes (first becomes) an operating location for an existing squadron that provides all of the administrative support and only core type activities (e.g. cadet program, ES, safety training) are performed at the OL's location. Eventually when there's enough qualified senior members & cadets the operating location can be spun off to their own named flight or squadron.
RM
im sure there are some general guidelines or best practices out there, but I dont think this is a stock/matrix sort of thing. It is very situation specific I think. I have been in the know or the area of a few new squadrons or revitalization of others. Typically what I have seen is in the case of new units; they are activated as flights of existing units close by (especially if the "parent unit" has its stuff together) This lets the new unit start meeting and recruiting additional members as well as have some ones experienced in unit operation get the b alls rolling and new to CAP personnel adjusted to CAP's way of managing programs. Also I have seen lone staff re-asigned on "temp' duty" to units down at rock bottom to get things back on track.... typically commanders, finance and cadet programs folks (cadet or senior)
mk
I was involved in helping a new squadron get started a few years ago - the Wing CC appointed a team. They started as a flight of our squadron; we got senior members through Level 1 and taught them the basics of the senior and cadet programs.
In about a year, they were on their own and have been rockin' and rollin' since.
I like the CMM concept (note I am not involved in CP at all, but deal with CMMs a lot in the real world). They provide benchmarks and goals to shoot for.
One issue, people need to understand that most organizations will never, and should never, be at Level 5 in the typical CMM. There's always an exponential cost-curve involved with moving up the CMM levels, with the vast majority of organizations topping out at Level 2 or Level 3 because the costs to get to Levels 4 and 5 are far in excess of the benefits that they return.
And I'm not just talking $$$ here with respect to costs. I'm talking time, effort, and other resources too, which are quite finite in CAP.
End of the day, imho, the golden nugget of sustaining, revitalizing, or starting up units, is figuring out how to recruit adults who are willing to do CAP. In particular, senior members who are willing to actually do the work of a squadorn, and not just warm a chair, whether that chair is around a conference table, or in the front seat of an airplane. Show me a failing/failed squadron or program and i'll show you a squadron that is in manpower trouble on the senior member side.
After years of asking and searching I still haven't seen that anyone really knows how to do this well.
This really should be #1 on CAP's priority list to fix, imho.
^ Yep.
Odds are, any wing with the manpower to give to a unit to "fix it", would not let the unit get "broken" to start with, and what happens when they leave?
Gordon Ramsey can fix just about any restaurant with his experience, unlimited resources, and a film crew, but once he leaves, a lot of them go right back to there old habits.
For some reason CAP just doesn't seem interested in growing by starting new units. Has anyone ever even heard of a push from the national level to do this? There are probably hundreds of small cities that don't have a CAP unit that could at least support a cadet squadron.
I think it may be that the powers that be feel that they would be obligated to try to find a van or airplane for every unit and that just doesn't seem likely in CAP budget environment that has prevailed for decades.
As to best practices, our Wing has both tried and failed to prop up a failing unit and has succeeded in starting a new one. The primary reason the new one got going was that there was an existing CAP member that had been driving a few hours to another unit who decided to just start one in his town. He was relatively new (a few years in), but knew enough to get things rolling. Wing provided some public affairs support, but that was about it.
It's not a matter of having resources available, other than the "this is how you charter a unit" guide that already exists.
It takes 1 or 2 dedicated seniors who feel like putting in some time to recruit and train some new people. Really.
The last 3 units I've been in were on the verge of closing upon my transfer.
The first literally had 3 people at a meeting.
The second, 5.
The third, 7.
In the first instance, within a year, we had 90+ members on the books. The unit is still going strong, but has about 50, today (6 years later).
The second went from 5 to 70 within a year, and currently has 55 (3 years later).
The third had 7, and less than a year later is sitting at 52 members.
So, the first two went from about to close, to a situation that made them one of the top 10% of units in membership numbers.
It just takes some recruiting. Don't need money, don't need piles of manuals and publications or guides - just some face time with people.
Quote from: jimmydeanno on September 27, 2011, 05:01:55 PM
It just takes some recruiting. Don't need money, don't need piles of manuals and publications or guides - just some face time with people.
You make it sound easy :)
However, I submit to you, that the TYPE of people who are the last 1 or 2 hanging on and keeping a degraded unit from sinking are:
a) too busy bailing to do much recruiting
b) not generally the type of "people" people that can effectively recruit given face time
I count myself in this group...
I can run a kick butt program wherever I go, and I can go recruit a dozen cadets on demand, just about any time any where. Cadets are easy. But I don't have clue #1 how to get adults to join CAP and actually contribute.
Can you write us a dummy howto guide on THAT?
Quote from: coudano on September 27, 2011, 05:05:51 PM
Quote from: jimmydeanno on September 27, 2011, 05:01:55 PM
It just takes some recruiting. Don't need money, don't need piles of manuals and publications or guides - just some face time with people.
You make it sound easy :)
However, I submit to you, that the TYPE of people who are the last 1 or 2 hanging on and keeping a degraded unit from sinking are:
a) too busy bailing to do much recruiting
b) not generally the type of "people" people that can effectively recruit given face time
I count myself in this group...
I can run a kick butt program wherever I go, and I can go recruit a dozen cadets on demand, just about any time any where. Cadets are easy. But I don't have clue #1 how to get adults to join CAP and actually contribute.
Can you write us a dummy howto guide on THAT?
Try recruiting your friends, first. You typically share similar interests, and feel a bit more compelled to deliver what they need to succeed. You also, typically, get more facetime with them outside of the meetings.
Adult members are harder to recruit because of their obligations. Get them in the door, and give them something worthwhile to do and the rest usually falls in place. In the last year, I've recruited about 10 active seniors. I don't expect them to be a squadron commander or DCC walking in the door. Most are doing support type things (DDRO/Character Development, logistics, PAO, etc). Most were purpose recruited. None are parents of cadets, oddly.
We have two that are working on becoming O-Flight pilots. I'm not beating them trying to get them to do other things, because our entire group has a desperate need for o-flight pilots, so the limited time they are able to provide has been focused on accomplishing that goal - and they know that. As a result, one of them has finished his qual and has become interested in being a mission pilot, etc. So, he volunteered to be our squadrons operations officer and teach observer courses, scanner courses, etc. once he gets qualified.
i'm an introvert.
i don't have any friends.
ha.
One of the problems I have seen is Cadet ABC misses a few meetings. When asked why Cadet ABC missed a few meetings, he says that he has been at sports practice. A month or two goes by and we ask why he is missing so many meetings. He says something like "I've been busy with sports and church events lately". We try to work with him and his coach trying to see if he could miss one practice a week to come to the weekly meeting. The coach says no. Upon trying to contact Cadet ABC after that, he disappears off of the face of the Earth. Soon, Cadets DEF and GHI also repeat the same trend. For the cadets that do get back to us, they often say they have other things to do.
If the local area is not conducive to having weeknight meetings, why not try Saturday Mornings, or a night that they don't typically have practice? Even here in the bible belt, where football is a religion, the football players in our unit are done practice by 4:30 and games are on Friday nights.
I will explore this recommendation with my squadron commander. Thanks!
Down here in the south, parents mainly want there kids to commit to sports.
Quote from: Flight Officer on September 27, 2011, 11:06:36 PMWe try to work with him and his coach trying to see if he could miss one practice a week to come to the weekly meeting. The coach says no.
The level of expectations in organized sports these days is ridiculous, especially in middle school. We have far too many 7-8th grade soccer coaches who think they are in professional sports, and far too many parents who think they are the end-all.
What happened to moderation and well-rounded kids?
Out-of-state away hockey in 6th grade? Give me a break. (rinse, repeat)
Quote from: Eclipse on September 27, 2011, 11:19:35 PM
The level of expectations in organized sports these days is ridiculous, especially in middle school. We have far too many 7-8th grade soccer coaches who think they are in professional sports, and far too many parents who think they are the end-all.
Geez. How else are they going to get into college if they don't get a sports scholarship?! Plus, Timmy will never make the NFL draft as a freshman if he doesn't start at age 5. [/intense sarcasm]
Geez, Bob, you could be dissing the next Wayne Gretzky here. Shame on you. >:D
When I was in AZ, my squadron actually did Sunday evening meetings. The could devote a full 3 hours to the program (6p to 9p) almost never conflict with any sports or after school activity. I they needed to do something earlier they wernt pushing someones work clock. Cadets have (in theory) all day to get their homework done before they come to the meeting.
mk
Quote from: RiverAux on September 27, 2011, 01:27:29 PMThere are probably hundreds of small cities that don't have a CAP unit that could at least support a cadet squadron.
My squadron is just about a year old, and we are located in Staten Island, a small city in NY. I was talking to one of the senior members of my squadron, and he was telling me about the history of our squadron. How the original members were all a member of a squadron from Queens (because there were no squadrons on Staten Island) and how we eventually we broke apart as an independent squadron once we had the member requirements.