Virtual cadets: how Maidstone CCF has thrived in lockdown

Lockdown has not stopped Maidstone Cadets virtually meeting, learning and experimenting. Adrian Pinn, the leader of the CCF’s Naval section, has been encouraging his cadets to find new ways to learn during lockdown.

He said:

“In a normal year we would be doing everything from learning theory and sailing on a local lake, to visiting Royal Navy sites like Dartmouth and Faslane. But since lockdown, the cadets have been in their homes and we have not had any face to face parades.

“I asked my senior cadets to design presentations so that the cadets could continue learning new skills and sharing knowledge remotely. They have come up with ideas and pursued their personal interests to create presentations above and beyond their school work, and seem to really enjoy the challenge.”

One of the cadets has put together a “pass the knot” video, where everyone in the section shared their skills.

https://twitter.com/ArmedForcesDay/status/1276567903169646593

Another cadet challenged her fellow cadets to engineer a way to safely drop an egg from a height from tools in the house. Others have taught their fellow cadets about naval history and ships navigation using online quizzes and Youtube.

An A-level Design and Technology student used his knowledge of 3D printing to create a set of pocket-size marker buoys and ships, to teach techniques and scenarios when the lake is out of reach. The markers can be put on charts for table-top teaching or attached to a whiteboard using magnetic adaptors.

Adrian said:

“Lockdown is bringing out an awesome sense of imagination which has shown the cadets that they can still entertain themselves and learn new topics when forced to stay at home and not take part in the normal parades.

“Many of the classes have been passed on to national RN cadet staff and other sections around the country — I am so proud that my cadets are so committed to the RN section that they want to continue to take part in our parades even though we can’t, at the moment, meet up.”