Courtesy of Victor Santana, LAWG/CP.
After taking over as DCP, I noticed that there were many pitfalls in communicating within the squadrons; I changed the way we do business so that several seniors and cadets receive the same information and are better kept up-to-date so that all wing cadets are also kept informed. Here are the steps I took.
1. In order to insure maximum CAC delegate participation, All CAC meeting are held in conjunction with the Wing CC call every other month. By doing this Cadets can attend because members of their squadron are able to bring them. We have now gone up to 95% participation as opposed to 40%.
2. In order to bridge the gap, I have added a joint CAC and DCC meeting every other CAC meeting so that both cadets and seniors can discuss common issues and arrive at answers both sides are prepared to implement. In order to allow the CAC to function properly, I have the regular CAC meeting/agenda first and then open it up for the joint meeting. The Seniors and Cadets seem to really like this concept. This also allows the Wing Commander to attend every CAC meeting and allows DCC contact with the Wing CC as well as the Cadets.
3. In order to insure cadets are receiving updates, the following has been implemented. Emails can get lost if information is sent to one person in each squadron; A spreadsheet has been developed that has contact information of every DCC, Sq Cadet CC, CAC delegate and their alternate. The spreadsheet is updated every 6 months (unless a change is made prior to the 6 months). The spreadsheet is is then used to insure any and all Cadet Program related news are sent to at least four key members of the Squadron besides the Sq CC. This insures the word is being spread to the cadet membership. As an added tool, the spreadsheet is color coded with yellow highlight being used to identify the DCC that are TLC trained. The color coding helps the DCP insure all squadron DCC’s are properly trained and better equipped to fill the position of DCC.
Note: Attached is a sample of the spreadsheet.
Results: Increased CAC participation, Joint CAC and DCC support, Better lines of communication, improved face time with the Wing CC
