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Background
The Army Cadet Force (ACF) is a nationwide voluntary youth organisation supported by the British Army. The ACF can trace its beginnings to 1859 and was later maintained and developed by social reform pioneers such as Octavia Hill due to the enormous personal development opportunities the organisation could offer. The current conception of the ACF is a voluntary youth organisation, helped and inspired by the Army. The motto of the ACF is “to inspire to achieve” and the emphasis is very much on personal development through teamwork, self-reliance and leadership. I must make it clear that cadets are placed under no pressure to join the armed forces nor can a cadet ever be forced to fight in the armed services in any way. There are over 50,000 cadets in 1,600 detachments nationwide that all benefit from the opportunities available but only a very small proportion choose the join the armed forces when they leave.
