Senior Cadet Conference 2022

Senior Cadet Conference 2022

Senior Cadet Conference 2022

18 October 2022

  • Greater Manchester ACF

By Cadet RSM A Sculthorpe

Senior Cadet Conference 2022

As the Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major of Greater Manchester ACF, I was invited by the cadet training officers for the Army Cadets to attend the Senior Cadet Conference from October 7-9, 2022, at Frimley Park Cadet Training Centre. Cadets from different counties were invited to the Conference to gather ideas and discuss any future plans for the organisation.

When I arrived at Frimley Park, I was able to get to know the other cadets and see which counties were present at the conference. There were cadets from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales from ranks, Cadet Corporal all the way up to Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major. As a result of the wide range of ranks in attendance, the conference supplied a worthwhile opportunity to hear different perspectives on issues and current ideas. During the conference we spoke about the current and upcoming training syllabus, cadet courses such as JCIC, SCIC, Master Cadet etc, mental health, media and much more.

In the conference, I particularly enjoyed the portion where we each had a topic and were given 30 minutes to present our thoughts, issues, and any ideas to the other cadets. It was our group's responsibility to think of any issues or ideas regarding ‘dress and badges’ that we thought needed discussion or implementation. The presentations provided cadets with the opportunity to express their own opinions, whether it was positive or negative feedback about the topic.

In our groups, we were able to cover seven different topics within the cadets: Fieldcraft, Skill at Arms, Sports, CIS, Vocational qualifications, DofE & CCAT and Dress and Badges. Cadets were able to take the feedback and improvement points from the wide range of topics back to their counties to improve the experience for the future of the ACF.

A talk was given by the ACCT UK charity who help fund the Army Cadet Force. During the talk, we were split into three groups, and we had to talk about what we do now regarding fundraising within counties and what we can do in the future to raise funds for ACCT UK. Additionally, we were able to help decide which poster they would like to produce to be displayed at military detachments, camps, etc. In this context, I was able to gain insight into how the cadets manage to host events and camps as frequently as we do.

All in all, I had an excellent experience at the Senior Cadet Conference 2022. Through this experience, I have been able to share my opinions and listen to the ideas of other cadets from across the UK, which I can take back to my county. The trip also gave me the opportunity to make new friends, whom I will hopefully see again on future events.

Cadet RSM A. Sculthorpe

Photo Credit: Frimley Park Cadet Training Centre.

#GmanACFforceforgood #goingfurther #inspiretoachieve

Senior Cadet Conference 2022