Squadron In a Box

“What are some of the fundamental requirements any cadet unit would have to meet to have a chance of being successful?” Outlined below are ten keys to running a successful squadron.

Trained Leaders	Staff the unit with at least two graduates of the Training Leaders of Cadets course. TLC is the premiere forum for learning how to mentor cadets and manage a squadron-level cadet program. Survey data has repeatedly shown that the quality of adult leadership is the #1 factor affecting cadet retention.

Annual Goals	Discuss plans for the coming year and set goals to guide the unit. As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.” One way to create goals is by using the “SMART goals” approach shown below.

Weekend Activities	Offer at least one “Saturday” activity per month. The diagram below illustrates that squadrons and groups or wings can work together to provide cadet activities without overwhelming local resources. Survey data has shown that the frequency and quality of weekend activities is the #2 factor affecting cadet retention.

Meeting Schedules	Draft, coordinate, and approve a detailed meeting schedule about one week in advance of each weekly squadron meeting. Having a detailed schedule guarantees that the squadron meeting will be well-organized and productive. A sample schedule is shown below.
	Electronic files are available for a 24 month period

Orientation Flights	As funds allow, fly cadets within 90 days of their joining CAP, and fly every cadet at least once per year. Not all squadrons have easy access to aircraft and pilots, so the wing or group has a part to play in this goal. At a minimum, the squadron aerospace education officer (or some other senior) should contact the wing on a regular basis to request support.

Activities Calendar	Maintain and distribute a calendar of activities. The major cadet events should be added to the calendar at the beginning of each year. Additional, smaller activities can be added as the year progresses, but every weekend activity should be added to the calendar at least 2 or 3 weeks in advance to allow members and their families time to make arrangements. The activities calendar needs to be distributed as widely as possible (ie: via email, posted to the unit web site, etc.)

Orientation Program	Provide each cadet with a thorough introduction to CAP (e.g.: Cadet Great Start). The largest squadrons in CAP have found that cadets are apt to succeed in CAP if they and their parents receive the special attention they need upon joining.

Recruiting Campaign	Attempt to grow the unit by conducting a recruiting campaign or open house (e.g.: using Cadet Great Start) at least once each year. The Cadet Great Start and Cadet Open House Kit (available through E-Services) offers a recipe for conducting a successful recruiting campaign.

Attendance Roster	Monitor cadet attendance and reach out to cadets who have not been participating in unit activities. By simply keeping an attendance roster, the squadron will notice if a cadet seems to be dropping away from CAP. After a cadet misses two meetings in a row, it is time for the squadron to phone the cadet and say, “We miss you, what’s goining on?” These tasks are perfect for cadet NCOs.

Morale	Listen to cadets and work to satisfy their needs. Ultimately, the key to running a successful squadron comes down to keeping the cadets happy. There is no substitute for senior members being attentive to the cadets’ morale.

SMART GOALS
“SMART” goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible. In simple, but direct
language, they explain what a squadron aims to do. They are “dreams with deadlines.” Some examples
of SMART goals that a cadet squadron might adopt include:

Form, outfit, and train a cadet color guard proficient in all standard color guard maneuvers. March in our
town’s Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day parades and compete in the wing color guard competition.
OPR*: Leadership Education Officer & Cadet First Sergeant
Participate in the model rocketry program. Provide classroom training leading to the squadron building
and launching model rockets, using the CAP Model Rocketry handbook as a guide. Have 15 cadets earn
their rocketry badges. Investigate the possibility of inviting local Cub Scouts to attend a rocket launch.
OPR: Aerospace Education Officer
Conduct a Cadet Open House in May and September, targeted at the 7th and 8th grade students in our
local area. Orientate cadets using the Cadet Great Start program. By year’s end, have increased cadet
membership by 10%.
OPR: Deputy Commander for Cadets & Cadet Commander

It is more important that the unit’s leadership team, including ranking cadets, work through the
process of asking themselves, “Where do we want to take our squadron?” than it is for the unit to
produce a document that meets certain formatting standards.

* OPR: Office of Primary Responsibility – the staff officer(s) tasked with leading the unit’s efforts on a project

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES
The Goal: Ensure cadets have an opportunity to attend at least one weekend event (something beyond the
weekly unit meeting) per month. This goal can be met without overwhelming local resources by working with
wing and/or group headquarters and neighboring squadrons. In the example below, the local squadron is hosting
only 1 activity per quarter, on average, and yet still provides its cadets with at least one special event per month.

Month	Sponsored by Our Squadron	Sponsored by Wing, Group, or Another Squadron
January	Field trip to state aviation museum
February		Wing Cadet NCO Academy
March		Spring bivouac with XYZ Squadron

April	Cadet Orientation Flights
May	Memorial Day Parade
June		Model Rocketry Day with XYZ Squadron

July		Summer Encampment
August	Day Hike: Mt. Curry
September		Airshow at Curry AFB, coordinated by Wing

October	Cadet Orientation Flights
November		Wing Color Guard Competition
December		Wing Cadet Ball

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PLANNING SQUADRON CADET PROGRAMS


ANNUAL GOALS chart a course for the unit, identifying the unit’s “dreams with deadlines” What do we want to accomplish this year?	ANNUAL CALENDAR a frequently-updated tool showing the year’s major events, especially the projects mentioned in the Annual Goals When will we host our major events?	QUARTERLY FRAMEWORK identifies the main task or “theme” of each weekly meeting during a 13-week quarter What training do we provide to cadets and when, generally speaking?	WEEKLY MEETING SCHEDULE explains in detail what classes and activities are taking place, how much time is needed to complete them, and who is leading them What are we doing next meeting? Who is leading those activities?

Brainstorm and imagine new possibilities for the unit Revisit the goals quarterly to check status and refocus efforts Make goals known to everyone in the unit	Include all major events on the annual calendar, at the beginning of the year Update the calendar throughout the year, as new events are announced Share the calendar with all members of the unit, including cadets’ parents Strive to announce all weekend activities a few weeks in advance so members can plan accordingly	Use the quarterly framework to ensure cadets receive the training they need to advance in the program Take advantage of the framework’s allowance for “special training” time each week Communicate the framework to everyone so they know what events are likely to happen on a given week	Prepare the schedule in detail about 1 week in advance Include administrative tasks and also list the announcements that need to be made Share the schedule with all concerned, especially staff, so instructors come prepared

Developed by unit leadership team, including ranking cadets Published at the beginning of year	Developed by the unit activities officer or a cadet officer at the beginning of the year Maintained throughout the year	Developed by the unit leadership team at the beginning of the year Maintained throughout the year (there is little need for updating)	Drafted by a senior member or cadet officer and approved by the commander or deputy Publishd about 1 week in advance

Excerpted from CAPP 216 p 7-10.