- We have been working hard to use the term ‘RAF Association’ and get away from ‘RAFA’ – the name rafaYOUTH seems to fly in the face of that?
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Using the title ‘RAF Association YOUTH’ is a bit of a ‘mouthful’ and certainly didn’t go down well during the focus group sessions – the term ‘rafaYOUTH’ is deemed ‘cool’, can be said easily and quickly and by deliberately using the lower case for ‘rafa’ is seen to be subtly different from the term ‘RAFA’. In any promotional literature, to enforce the difference from RAFA, we depict the second ‘a’ of ‘rafa’ in red.
- Which companies have been approached to provide these ‘air-related’ activities?
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We have approached BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, EADS, Sodexo, ISS, BA, and Virgin Atlantic and are currently working with other defence related companies.
- How are all the prizes and experiences being paid for?
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Central Council approved a sum of just under £53K from the Membership Reserve Fund during Financial Years 2013/14 to get this scheme up and running and provide the means to offer the free prizes and experiences. By year 3 (2015), rafaYOUTH has to be self-sustaining through membership subscriptions, donations and sponsorships. To date, we have received some very generous donations from adult Members and Branches and many of the visits to RAF and defence establishments come at no actual cost to the RAF Association – personnel in these organisations are giving us their time and support without charge.
- I understand that during the focus groups with the cadets and scouts that they wanted ‘air-related experiences’ – what precisely does that mean?
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They wanted flying, gliding, micro-lighting, and visits to RAF Stations and defence related companies – anything that involved more close association with aircraft and the aircraft industry.
- Is there any publicity about this scheme that I can give to my local Squadron, Section, Unit or Troop?
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There is a publicity poster advertising rafaYOUTH which is available from CHQ; however, these posters were placed in every copy of the Air Cadet magazine which gets distributed to the squadrons and sections, and a supply of posters has been sent to GVCAC and Scout units. There is also good information on the website www.rafayouth.org.uk .
- What do the rafaYOUTH members get as a symbol of membership?
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Members receive an online membership card which they can print out or store on their mobile phones and the first 1500 Members will also receive an exclusive rafaYOUTH wristband. The ACO has already accepted the rafaYOUTH wristband as an official charity wristband and as such commanding officers may allow their cadets to wear their rafaYOUTH wristbands with their working dress uniforms. ISS Facility Services (one of the organisations providing catering, retail and leisure services for military units) has generously sponsored the first 1500 wristbands.
- How many people do we expect to join by the end of this year and the end of 2014?
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Our target is to have 1500 members of rafaYOUTH by the end of 2013, 3,500 by end of 2014 and a total of 6000 by the end of 2015.
- How big is the target audience?
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There are approximately 60,000 members of the ATC, CCF (RAF), GVCAC, Air Scouts and Air Explorer Scouts altogether.
- How much is it costing the RAF Association to run rafaYOUTH?
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Central Council agreed to a sum of just under £53K to be allocated from the Membership Reserve Fund during 2013 and 2014. By year 3 (2015) it has to be self-funding through the income received from subscriptions, donations and sponsorships.
- Why did we launch rafaYOUTH?
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Because we have found that previously, young people who have helped us with our Wings Appeal collections have not always understood what they are collecting for, or what the RAF Association actually does. rafaYOUTH will provide them with that knowledge and hopefully they will go on to become full members of the RAF Association on reaching the age of 18.
- Who can I turn to for advice on safeguarding young people?
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The RAF Association’s CPO (David Prowse) or DCPO (Alyson Hunter).
- As a member of the RAF Association working with these young people, how can I find out what to do if one of them informs me that they have an issue with an adult or other young person?
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The RAF Association now has a Safeguarding policy and appropriate procedures in place– there is also a useful guide being distributed on what to do if anyone reports to you some form of abuse against an under-18 person or you contact the RAF Association’s CPO (David Prowse) or DCPO (Alyson Hunter).
- Who in the Association has overall responsibility for safeguarding young people?
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We have a Child Protection Officer (CPO), David Prowse, and a deputy (DCPO), Alyson Hunter; they have both been trained to Level 3 by the NSPCC and are now qualified to undertake these roles.
- How does working with people under 18 years old affect the RAF Association?
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We have to be aware of our responsibilities of working with and safeguarding young people (anyone under 18 is defined as a child) and the Association has implemented appropriate child safeguarding policies, procedures and training compatible with legislation and best practice in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- What happens when a rafaYOUTH Member leaves one of the recognised air-related uniformed youth organisations before the end of their 12 month membership?
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If a rafaYOUTH’s Member’s membership of one of the air-related uniformed youth organisations stops before their 12-month rafaYOUTH membership has finished, they will still be able to enjoy a full 12 months membership but they will not be able to renew.
- What happens if someone joins just before his or her 18th birthday?
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They will receive a full year’s membership even if they join the day before their 18thbirthday.
- What happens when a youth member reaches 18 years of age?
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They will be sent an electronic reminder and encouraged to join the RAF Association as a full member; they will be given a link to the joining page on our website.
- How can rafaYOUTH Members access the high street offers and discounts?
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rafaYOUTH Members can also enjoy the attractive deals and offers open to adult members and supporters of the Association, many of which help the charity by making a charitable donation when purchases are made with them. Doshbox is a simple and unique multi-mode system to help save money on virtually all purchases of products and services. It is specifically based around strong communities such as the RAF Association, where individuals are able to earn cash back from their on-line purchases or save money through voucher codes or discounts offered at local, national and global retailers. Deals are negotiated personally on your behalf by CHQ and Doshbox marketing staff. For further information please visit www.doshbox.co.uk/rafa
- How can rafaYOUTH Members volunteer to support the Association at airshows and fundraising events?
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As the airshow and event season for 2013 is drawing to a close, the next opportunity for rafaYOUTH members to volunteer to support the Association at airshows and fundraising events will not arise until Spring 2014. All opportunities to volunteer and support the Association will be publicised through the rafaYOUTH website and facebook pages.
- Have you considered alternative prize options for those rafaYOUTH members based overseas?
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Yes, the Terms and Conditions would still apply; however, as it would be difficult in most cases for the young person to return to the UK to redeem their prize, we are looking at the possibility of offering an alternative in the rafaYOUTH member’s resident location. This is still work in progress. Currently we do not have any rafaYOUTH members that live outside of the UK.
- With rafaYOUTH members based all over the UK and overseas how will they get to the prize venues and who meets the travel cost?
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For many prizes, the winners will be able to choose where they redeem their prize. For example, if it is flying, gliding or micro-lighting they can arrange that to be undertaken at a convenient location near to them. We have also tried to arrange the Experience Days at different locations throughout the UK to make them as accessible as possible. We do have written Terms and Conditions, clearly visible on facebook and the website stating that all prize winners are responsible for meeting the costs of getting to and from a prize venue.
- How do the rafaYOUTH members actually get to participate in one of these air-related activities?
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Through regular free prize draws on the rafaYOUTH website. The free prize draws will be held approximately monthly and the winners will be randomly selected (through a recognised computer programme).
- How do we know what we offer is what the youth members want?
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We consulted the uniformed youth group leadership teams and then held focus groups with over 200 cadets and scouts to ask them what they wanted to make this scheme attractive. We have listened and continue to listen carefully to them and produced a range of benefits and air-related activities in line with their suggestions.
- What does rafaYOUTH offer 13-17 year-olds?
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Members receive an online membership card, opportunities to volunteer and support the charity. Members will receive a free new design rafaYOUTH wristband or a USB if they renew. It also offers a range of ‘air-related’ experiences which could be anything from powered flying, visiting an RAF Station to being hosted for a day by one of the defence-related companies.
- Who is responsible for running rafaYOUTH?
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Helen Gibson, the Youth Community Manager, based at Leicester runs rafaYOUTH. Click here if you would like to get in touch.
- Where can I find out more information about rafaYOUTH?
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There is information on the rafaYOUTH website (www.rafayouth.org.uk), the RAF Association website (www.rafa.org.uk), on the rafaYOUTH Facebook site (www.facebook.com/rafaYOUTH ), articles in Air Mail and the monthly Area Newsletters. Posters are available from CHQ.
- How is the Association adopting the recommended internet safety and data protection protocols for children?
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Anyone between the age of 13 and 15, must get a parent, carer or guardian’s permission to register their details with rafaYOUTH by completing the parental consent fields on the registration form. The Association will then contact the parent or guardian using these contact details. Should a parent or guardian inform the RAF Association that they do not give their permission for the young person to be a rafaYOUTH Member, their Membership will be cancelled immediately and they will receive a full refund of their annual subscription. Personal information (such as name and address) that rafaYOUTH members submit to the RAF Association website will only be used for the purposes outlined at the time of collection or registration, and the Association will not pass this information to any third party. This complies with the Data Protection Act 1998.
When first joining, the rafaYOUTH Member will receive an email confirming their membership details. This will be the only email that they receive, unless they opt in to receiving emails from the Association during registration. If the rafaYOUTH member doesn’t opt in immediately, they can always change their mind and opt in at a later date to receive emails and other communications from the Association by changing their preferences once logged in on the site. rafaYOUTH Members will only be contacted by email or telephone if they have opted in to these communications on their profile. However, the RAF Association reserves the right to contact a rafaYOUTH member despite their opt in status if there are changes which will affect their membership or if they have entered one of our free Prize Draws and need to be notified of a prize.
- Where will all the membership data be held?
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All data will be held securely on our website database.
- Are there options available to purchase gift or group membership of rafa YOUTH?
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Yes, it is possible for individuals, uniformed youth group leaders, grandparents, Branches etc to purchase gift vouchers for individual, several individuals or a whole group directly from the Finance Team at CHQ. The person, who wishes to make a gift of 12 months membership, simply contacts CHQ and pays using a debit or credit card for the number of gift memberships that they require and a corresponding number of voucher codes are then e-mailed to the payee. These can then be distributed to the lucky recipients. Those who are lucky enough to receive a gift membership would all sign up individually using the rafa YOUTH website http://www.rafayouth.org.uk ensuring that all the parental consent and data protection issues are dealt with directly by the Association but the young person would use their gift code to make the year’s membership free at the point of joining.
- How is it going to be run?
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rafaYOUTH is an online membership initiative using bespoke social media sites and the rafaYOUTH website.
- What if anyone else wishes to join?
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They would have to join one of the ATC, CCF (RAF), GVCAC, Air Scouts or Air Explorer Scouts first, then they would be eligible under our current rules.
- Who is eligible to join?
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All those members of the Air Training Corps (ATC), the Combined Cadet Force RAF Section (CCF(RAF)), the Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets (GVCAC), the Air Scouts and Air Explorer Scouts.
- What is the aim of the rafaYOUTH membership scheme?
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The primary aim is to promote an interest and understanding of the RAF Association so that they will be sufficiently motivated to join as a full member of the Association on reaching their 18th birthday. However, rafaYOUTH also aims to encourage volunteering and support and to promote youth development within a dynamic, fun and air-related environment.
- What is rafaYOUTH?
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rafaYOUTH is the RAF Association’s new membership initiative for young people aged 13-17 who are currently members of a recognised air-related uniformed youth organisation.
- I loved the CD – can I donate?
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All donations to support our work are gratefully received. Making a donation is easy, you simply click on the Donate button below. Thank you for your support.
- How many stories can I record?
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Parents can record one story per child.
- How long will it take for the CD to arrive?
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When the story arrives at RAF Wittering, it takes between four to six weeks to process, dependent on the amount of stories received (when a Squadron deploys there are ‘peaks’ in the amount of story requests received). So, the earlier the story is sent in, the sooner it will arrive at your house once you have deployed.
- Who edits the stories?
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The stories are edited by a team of trained volunteer editors. We also have an editing suite at RAF Wittering where the Storybook Wings Coordinator edits stories. We have an external editing overflow facility so any stories we receive beyond our capacity are sent to them for editing. All edited stories are then sent to the Storybook Wings Coordinator for quality control purposes and sent by post to the children. Find out how to take part here.
- What happens if the recording gets lost in the post or if the recording is unusable?
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If a recording is lost in the post, we will always ask for the recordings to be made again if possible, and will edit the stories as usual. We request confirmation that a CD has arrived at the family home.
If a CD gets lost between RAF Wittering and the delivery address we can simply print a new CD and resend. We keep all original recordings and edited stories on file. Our editing software is extremely good, and we are usually able to edit out mistakes and background noise etc.
However, if we receive a recording that is unusable we notify the station as soon as we receive it and ask for another recording. So it is vitally important that you listen to the recording before you send it!
- My child’s favourite story isn’t on your list. Can I still record it?
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Due to copyright restrictions, we are only able to edit recordings for stories we have permission to use. Our approved story list is extensive, and we are always working to increase it to include more stories. Remember, it isn’t just stories and nursery rhymes we will edit; instead of a story you can record personal messages to your children, or even a story you have written yourself!
- What does it cost?
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Nothing! The Storybooks are completely free to serving personnel and their families. The main reason that the Storybook Wings Coordinator is based at RAF Wittering is that it is also free for the participating Stations to send the SD cards in using Service mail.
- What is the history of the project?
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Storybook Wings is based on the storybook model created by the Storybook Dads team at HMP Dartmoor. Storybook Dads started out in 2002 and is run by a team of full time members of staff, volunteers and prisoners. The on-site editing suite produces both audio and video material. Storybook Dads (including Storybook Mums), for both mothers and fathers, aims to “maintain family ties and facilitate learning for prisoners and their children through the provision of story CDs”.
More information can be found at www.storybookdads.org.uk
The Storybook Alliance
As well as our ongoing relationship with Storybook Dads the Storybook Wings project is now part of The Storybook Alliance, established in 2008. The Alliance includes representatives from Storybook Dads, Storybook Soldiers, Storybook Wings, Storybook Links (a standalone RAF project based at Kirton in Lindsey and RAF Scampton) and Storybook Waves, a project run by the Royal Navy and based at the Naval Education Centre in Yeovilton.
Storybook Soldiers
Storybook Soldiers is a storybook project operated by the Army. The project was set up at the beginning of 2007 and operates from Candahar Barracks at Tidworth. The Storybook Soldiers project works closely with the Storybook Wings team to facilitate recordings by RAF personnel where Storybook Soldiers recorders exist.
More information can be found at www.storybooksoldiers.co.uk
