Recruiting Event Ideas

[JBP]

Wow, you people all sure got the short end of the stick in regards to recruitment!!!

Sure, they came to my old highschool 2 times a year also... But the last time they came in a GRIFFON, rappelled out into the field beside our school, then had about 300 kids come running out after them when the rotors stopped to see all the soldiers in camo (About 6 guys) all dressed up for combat ops.

The school was very co-operative and gave the kids a period (about hour and a half) off to go see the displays, talk to the soldiers, sit in the Griffon etc etc etc... It was fantastic really, and you should have seen the looks on those kids faces!!! They were all running to each side of the building looking at the helicopter fly around the school like chickens with thier heads cutoff! It was amazing...

That inspired many, many kids to sign up for the Co-op program, inspired a couple to try for RMC and a couple actually signed up/applied for the local unit (Lincoln and Welland Regiment, PRes). That was the reaction from just 1 school of the Niagara Region, they went to all the major highschools that day which I think is probably around... 10-12 schools over the whole region.

Don't know how your suppose to convince someone back at NDHQ to allow you to do that but hey! Might as well try it!

Also, a couple months back the Argyll's in Hamilton had a kind of "pretend your a soldier day" EX which I thought was a good idea. They take you on a kind of ruck-march from what I understand... More like a hike.

Talk to the Argyll's recruiter guy, he's always lurking around on these boards... Heck he recruits on this board!

Joe

 

[Tpr.Orange]

they got a griffon to come for a recruiting demo?


pretty good, were running brigade sized recruiting drives and we can barely get all the vehicles we want. What was the school that this went on at?

 

[JBP]

they got a griffon to come for a recruiting demo?


pretty good, were running brigade sized recruiting drives and we can barely get all the vehicles we want. What was the school that this went on at?

All the major highschools across the Niagara Region (Golden Horseshoe), Thorold High, Dennis Morris, etc etc. They went to Niagara Falls, St.Catharines, Welland etc etc... Everywhere I think over 1 or two days.. Not sure, was quite along time ago now...

I think it was when we had just aquired the Griffons.... About 8 years ago? Maybe 7.... Something like that..

 

[Ghost]

I wish I had a griffon come to my school.

All we had were to cops around telling us why we shouldn't hit people when they would come and speak to the class.  It seemed more that they were trying to tell us to behave rather than educate us about what a cop does.

 

[atticus]

are you sure there wasn't a reason why cops showed up at your school telling you guys not to hit people who came there to speak to you?

 

[Ghost]

Probably because there was alot of violence.

 

[atticus]

so maybe then the cops weren't there to tell you guys about what they do

 

[goodform]

I think the Griffon demo had the right elements to create interest. Those being flash/demonstration, it was right in front of the audience and not a video (though I've seen a lot of cool videos, hands on is better at creating interest). After the demo the students were able to look at equipment and talk to the soldiers. It's my limited experience that you have to go to the people and talk to them. Ads could be used to promote a recruiting event such as that. Run it for a weekend, with the demo running once in the morning, once in the afternoon, perhaps at different locations, then set up shop and let the 'circus' move on. Perhaps different demos for the different (local) units. Would it be more effective to stick all the units together instead of spreading them apart?

 

[Tpr.Orange]

couple problems with asking for a griffon for a recruiting drive,  It wont happen. Not in toronto at least, sorry to burst your bubble but the costs are not never going to be justified. No matter how much we ask for it to happen. During the time this occured, the forces were very short handed and that would probably be the only time recruiting has such a large budget.

 

[Ghost]

What about coyotes or LAV III's?

I am sure people would love to check one of thoose things out.

 

[goodform]

Even if you couldn't get any vehicle (G-wagon or Leopard 2 and anywhere in between) have a demo of some sort to be part of the event (more 'exciting' than not of course). If there is no vehicle whatsoever available, more work would just have to be put into the smaller demos.

 

[Tpr.Orange]

We do have events infact we have quite large ones 3 times a year, where all our weapons are on display along with vehicles, and emergency services.

But like i said this all costs money, its not like this can happen every day out of the year let alone more then 1 time a month

 

[Love793]

In 31 CBG we've been directed by bde to hold a open house on the 5th of Mar.  Bde is going to do all the ads and such.  This might be an idea to try in the other bdes.  Be careful mentioning that 31 CBG is behind this, as they in the very next email sent us our pink slips.  I wouldn't want this to become a communicable virus. ;D

 

[Tpr.Orange]

Brigade holds these open houses also, but the 31 also just consolidated the recruiters from the unit to their CFRC... something we at 32 haven't done yet

 

[Huggy]

I was just sitting here reading, and I wa thinking why not have them come to you?  Have a school field trip to BMQ or something like that. back in the day of grade school, and high school trips always had a good turn out (sign a release fourm, to cove your butt)

 

[Tpr.Orange]

one problem ...bmq's in toronto aren't going on during the normal school hours

 

[Dogboy]

you want people to go into combat support services now days why not got to the Trade schools and the such
tell people that the CF needs welders and linemen and plumbers and such.

 

[Tpr.Orange]

We do, infact I'll be at the liaison school for cooking in the next month
police foundations college and several trade shows

 

[Huggy]

Something school setup a weekend trips were the students leave Friady and get back Monday \ Sunday Night.  That should be long enough, I would think. charge the students a small fee to cove food\'what nots' show them a good time and keep them asking questions.
Back in the day, I would have loved this. heck I would go for now.

 

[BDTyre]

When I was in high school, there was one day a year where all the senior students would have to look at post-secondary options.  RMC was one of them.  No other aspect of the military was ever looked at; my high school did not have a "job" or career day.

However, in university, it is different.  At the beginning of the fall semester every year the school (Simon Fraser) runs a week long job "fair" in one of the buildings.  One end of the hall to the other has various companies and organizations set-up at tables.  The CF had a Navy person and an Army person with a huge slew of pamphlets and a video.  The only table to be more popular than the CF one was CSIS, and really these are both surprising considering the general attitude, both historical and current, of students at SFU.

By far, the set-up at my university was much better, especially when those staffing it were not told to discuss only one option.  (Besides, at this point, it was really too late for RMC to be an option.)