Values Of The Army Cadet Force Aims of this lesson: 1. To help you to understand the ethos, values and standards of the organisation you are joining 2. To give you clear guidance as to how YOU can apply these values and standards to your cadet career and experience Introduction The British Army has earned a reputation worldwide for excellence due to the the standards and quality of those who serve The Army Cadet Force has adopted the same values and standards to ensure that the reputation for excellence lives on and thrives in its cadets Note What you are about to learn in this lesson will not only serve you in your cadet career but will have an impact in every other area of your life including relationships with friends and family, your school career, your prospects for further education and your job, career or vocation The VALUES The VALUES of the Army Cadet Force can be remembered easily by using the mnemonic SOLID C SOLID-C Selfless Commitment Respect for Others Loyalty Integrity Discipline Courage Selfless Commitment The army (and by extension, the ACF) is built upon teams from battle-buddies to fire teams to sections to platoons to companies to regiments, to brigades to divisions with each formation relying on the commitment of its team members to place the needs of the team and its mission at the highest level Selfless Commitment This is really about every soldier/cadet taking a ‘big picture’ approach to asking themselves what they can do to both further the mission and to reduce the burden the on their team mates as much as possible Selfless Commitment A question every cadet can ask themselves to assess whether they are demonstrating selfless commitment is: “Is there a task that I can help with (even if I haven’t been asked) or assistance I can give that would make the experience of my team mates better and make it more likely that we will achieve our mission or goal?” Respect For Others During your ACF career you will come into contact with many types of people (both cadets and adults) from all walks of life and with far ranging ideas and ideals about how they want to live their lives. Respect For Others Some people will share many of the same beliefs, ideals and values as yourself while others may differ widely from what you’ve become accustomed to. Respect For Others Regardless of race, nationality, religious beliefs, sex, gender, age or physical ability it is expected that as a member of the ACF that you will treat EVERYONE you come into contact with fairly, respectfully and kindly… and that they do the same to you Respect For Others A question every cadet can ask themselves to assess whether they are demonstrating respect for others is: “Would I wish to be treated the way I am treating this person right now?” Loyalty Loyalty binds individuals into teams and creates bonds within formations, units and sub units that lead to the high levels of trust that underpins excellent teamwork Loyalty When team members are disloyal, teams are disjointed and as a result their members perform sub-optimally which increases the risk of mission failure and makes the burden of each team member much harder than it needs to be. Loyalty This is why loyalty from ‘the bottom up’ and from ‘the top down’ is so important and why it is vital to abstain from disloyalty of any kind Loyalty Note: This is not the same as misplaced loyalty where we knowingly support the actions and behaviours of someone who is compromising the values and standards that the team hold as important. Loyalty A question every cadet can ask themselves to assess whether they are demonstrating loyalty: “Am I behaving in a way that I would consider DISloyal if I saw or experienced it in others?” Integrity In its simplest form integrity means ‘doing what you said you would do’ and is a critical value that underpins so much of what makes the British Army and the ACF such a model of excellence that others admire and look up to Integrity Integrity is about trust. It is about keeping agreements, maintaining standards, completing tasks and honouring our responsibilities even when others aren’t watching or keeping track Integrity It’s about promises we make to ourselves and others that we keep and, in doing so, our integrity pays us back with a strong sense of pride, purpose, self confidence and self esteem and the honour of knowing that others hold us in high regard too Integrity A question every cadet can ask themselves to assess whether they are demonstrating integrity: “Am I keeping my agreements and doing what I said I would do?” Discipline Discipline is a defining characteristic of both the professional soldier and the most respected cadet. It is built through education, training and practice until it is instinctive and second nature Discipline It fosters a strong sense of self-confidence, helps to overcome fear and enables high levels of trust within teams. Discipline Discipline includes understanding and following the rules and meeting the responsibilities of the teams we’re part of and doing so without fear, favour or delay Discipline A strong sense of discipline is what enables us to do what we are trained and expected to do within a wide variety of situations where other less disciplined people might falter. Discipline is a VITAL ingredient in the formation of excellence Discipline A question every cadet can ask themselves to assess whether they are demonstrating discipline: “Am I following the rules I’ve agreed to and fully upholding my commitments and responsibilities?” Courage The word courage originates from the latin ‘cour’ which means ‘heart’ and means to both speak from and with heart. Within the context of our discussion on values it means to demonstrate both moral and physical bravery Courage Moral courage - to speak up when you see, hear or experience something that you believe to be wrong, whether that is happening to you or another regardless of the position, rank or authority of those who you feel are behaving incorrectly Courage Physical courage - the readiness to confront and overcome fatigue and fear. To committing to action even when action is difficult, uncomfortable or scary. That is not to say you must be fearless or foolhardy in risky situations but that you are willing to challenge the limits of bravery and comfort rather than resist them SUMMARY The ACF Values exist in order to ensure that every member (from cadets to adult volunteers) are treated respectfully, fairly and with dignity while engaging in activities that both challenge them and encourage excellence. If you embrace, employ and enjoy applying them to your cadet experience you will see and feel benefits that extend into literally every area of your life… …AND you’ll have more fun :)
