Best Practices: Alternative Events

Army JROTC Unit Alternative Events

Purpose: Provide USACC Brigades and their DAI staffs and JROTC units guidance to identify alternative events to execute if they are unable to conduct regularly planned activities such as drill competitions, Raider Challenge, JCLCs, Air Rifle competitions, etc due to local, state or regional restrictions (COVID-19, natural disaster, pandemic,…etc).

Guidance: JROTC Instructors should identify events which require detailed planning, maximize Cadet Involvement can be conducted in a more virtually-oriented environment without major use of facilities, space, personnel, and funding resources. Brigades are encouraged to develop a system of using some of these selected events as alternatives to regularly scheduled selected events, i.e. planning, coordinating, and conducting a virtual Run/Walk event for the community rather than conducting a drill meet competition in an unsafe COVID-19 environment. They are intended to expand our units’ repertoire of activities in which they can conduct and develop some degree of expertise, and record their participation for unit report activities.

Alternative Events:

Conduct a food donation or food drive with Feeding America or similar organization.
Conduct a clothing drive for those in need with Good Will or a similar organization.
Conduct a blood donation event with the American Red Cross or other organization authorized to collect blood and plasma donations.
Conduct a donation and support mission with your city’s or county’s Union Mission or a similar organization.
Conduct a donation campaign with organizations as the Samaritan House, Purple Heart, Veteran’s Center or similar organizations.
Coordinate a Veteran’s Support project with the VA Hospital or other organization supporting Veteran Affairs and care.
Coordinate with the Habitat for Humanity to assist with one or more of their projects in the local area.
Conduct an area or street clean-up project in the local city or county area.
Coordinate with area colleges and universities to develop and conduct STEM or Cyber related projects. Many of these can be conducted virtually throughout the school year and the Summer.
Coordinate and conduct clean-up projects for local Veterans cemeteries or other significant area, i.e. local park or wildlife sanctuary.
Coordinate with local Help organizations to assist in the donation and distribution of cleaning materials, masks, hand sanitizer products, etc.
Develop a JROTC Newsletter to inform the school, community, other schools, and local leaders about great things the JROTC unit is doing to improve the quality of life for others, and to highlight Cadets who excel in academics, co-curricular events, sports, achievements, and other outstanding citizenship events.
Coordinate with the school to assist in a school clean-up campaign.
Coordinate with the school to research and develop a “how to” project booklet on virtual learning media and present tips on best practices for conducting and facilitating classes and/or briefings.
Use the JROTC Global Awareness Curriculum/Books to develop and conduct projects on the impact of the pandemic on the world (economy, travel, transportation, trade, etc.) as well as the local area.
Coordinate through the school to contact, coordinate and develop a mentorship and/or Adopt-a-School program for Middle School students.
Coordinate and conduct virtual dining-ins or military balls.
Coordinate with the American Red Cross, Military Services, and other organizations to plan and conduct a toy drive for needy children.
Coordinate with local nursing homes to plan and conduct a food drive and short-time delivery service.
Plan and develop a pictorial history of your unit and highlight significant events .
Conduct other Service Learning events.
Team-up with elementary schools to do a “virtual book reading” or age appropriate “how to” crafts program (paper airplanes, or bird houses from popsicle sticks).
Adopt a highway cleanup program.
Provide tutoring services to youth.
Walk dogs for the elderly.
For the older Cadets, they could even do grocery shopping for the Elderly/immune deficient persons.
Help at an animal shelter.
Develop an anti-bullying campaign.
Participate in a Red Cross IHL Youth Program.
Participate in the Cyber-start Program .
Participate in the Bowling for Kids’ Sake program.

Process:

Identify the projects you may want to use as alternate events.
ID the primary team leaders.
Establish contact and coordination with participating organizations, and develop a contact roster.
Conduct initial planning and coordination meetings to establish goals (200 cans of food, or 300 bottles of water, or 100 pints of blood, or 100 toys, etc.) and develop objectives and timeline milestones to get there.
ID additional team members and develop a project work booklet.
Conduct a risk assessment and establish safety guidelines and mitigation techniques.
Conduct periodic coordination meetings and IPRs.
Schedule and conduct coordination meetings with the other participating organizations.
Plan, develop, and implement details to reach your goals (pick-up and delivery schedules, packaging, photography and video requirements, etc).
Annotate/record the project details and accomplishments.
Record the activities using detailed work booklets and pictures.
Conduct After Action Reviews/Reports.

Note: These are just some of the projects and events that could be used as alternatives to activities normally conducted by JROTC units. JROTC Units are not limited to the above list. Rather, they are encouraged to think outside of the box and continue to move their units forward to achieve the JROTC mission and raise the quality of life for others. Moreover, JROTC units are still encouraged to conduct virtual drill competitions, Air Rifle events, Raider Challenge competitions, and JCLC activities. If you have other ideas for activities, please share them with us so we can post them on this website and share with others.

POC: Training & Operations, Army JROTC Directorate (As of 16 September 2020).