Meet the Military

Return to Track Grid

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010

Helping Our Own: Partnerships/Collaborations for Service Members and Families of the National Guard

Presenter(s): Janet Richards, Dwight Hall, Nizelky Genao, National Guard Bureau; Joel Bennett, Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems

Description: The National Guard has often played an integral part of local coalition development. However, many coalitions do not know that guard members (and their families) are also at-risk for problems that coalitions themselves can help to address. This workshop/panel discussion will introduce the Partnership and Collaboration strategy within the Prevention, Treatment, and Outreach (PTO) program that has been in place since 2007 in the National Guard Bureau office of Substance Abuse Programs. With prevention coordinators established in over 30 states, coalitions have the opportunity to partner and collaborate with the guard to help service members and their families as part of community mobilization efforts. As a participant, you will also learn how the 12 core components of the PTO and the "Access to Recovery" (ATR) initiative interfaces with guard members in your community. This includes family outreach, referral for services, social marketing, and delivery of prevention education. Panelists will discuss how the program works, how it can help coalitions, research findings, and success stories from prevention coordinators in the field. Through an interactive panel and audience discussion, the session will show you many ways to develop partnerships with the guard in your communities to better serve the needs of a high-risk and underserved population.

Learning objectives: (1) Identify the three performance goals for community partnerships and collaborations that are part of the mission of Guard outreach; (2) Identify three strategies that your coalition can pursue to help coordinate your efforts to better serve guard members and families in your state/local area; (3) Know how to locate contacts within the National Guard to enhance community mobilization and effectiveness for substance abuse prevention

Level: ALL Levels

Building Community Support Networks for Military Kids and Families in Our Own Backyards

Presenter(s): Mona Johnson, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Darrin Allen, Operation: Military Kids, Virginia Tech - Army Youth Development Project, U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center

Description: Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is a national initiative designed to support geographically dispersed National Guard and Army Reserve children and youth currently impacted by the Global War on Terrorism. Under leadership provided by the USDA/Army Youth Development Project, state and local partnerships comprised of key school and community personnel are working together to create replicable and sustainable support networks for geographically dispersed military youth in schools and communities before, during and after the deployment and reunion of a parent or loved one. Operation: Military Kids goals include building capacity within existing networks of school, community and military personnel to increase awareness and create linkages that support youth and families of deployed and reunited soldiers. National OMK project components to be discussed specifically in this training include Ready, Set, Go! Awareness Training, Speak Out for Military Kids Youth Speakers Bureaus, Hero Packs Initiative, and Mobile Technology Labs.

Learning objectives: (1) Learn about the unique developmental impact of the current Global War on terrorism on “suddenly military” children/youth of National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers; (2) Receive information on a wide variety of national, state and local resources available to assist coalitions in building partnerships and increasing community capacity—including OMK Ready, Set, go! Awareness Training, Speak Out for Military Kids, Hero Pack Initiative, and Mobile Technology Labs; (3) Identify specific strategies to assist coalitions in actively linking with the Operation: Military Kids national initiative in their state as a part of their overall local prevention efforts

Level: Intermediate

Supporting Communities, Empowering Youth

Presenter(s): John Dyer, J3 Counterdrug Division, National Guard Bureau

Description: For more than 15 years the National Guard has been bringing its unique resources to community coalitions and other prevention partners to help provide the best opportunity for America's youth to make the commitment to be drug free. This session will share some of the ways in which the National Guard and coalitions are working together and also explore future opportunities for partnering. Join us to learn what's happening now and to explore what's possible tomorrow.

Learning objectives: (1) Identify the force multiplier qualities and skills that the National Guard (NG) brings to them and their coalitions; (2) Learn more about what the NG is doing currently to improve prevention in communities; (3) Describe the NG's effective, outcome-producing programs and relationships as a result of community and state-based collaborations.

Level:

Presentation: Download (1.0MB)

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

Medical Reserve Corps: Volunteers Building Strong, Healthy and Prepared Communities

Presenter(s): Brad Austin, Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps

Description: The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a United States-based national network of local groups of volunteers committed to improving the health, safety and resiliency of their communities. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as others interested in improving the public health and response infrastructure of their local jurisdiction. MRC units identify, screen, train, and organize the volunteers, then utilize them to support routine public health activities and augment preparedness and response efforts. The Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (OCVMRC) is headquartered in the Office of the United States Surgeon General. Its mission is to support local efforts to establish, implement, and sustain MRC units nationwide. In order to carry out this mission, the OCVMRC serves as the national voice of the MRC network, promotes MRC participation in response efforts at all levels, supports the growth and maintenance of the nationwide network of MRC units, and strengthens its internal capacity to support MRC units.To date, the MRC program has grown to more than 850 MRC units in 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Palau, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and more than 190,000 volunteers nationwide. This workshop will explore key MRC principles and promising practices. The developing collaboration between MRC and CADCA will be highlighted during this session.

Learning objectives: (1) Gain an understanding of how the MRC Program operates and its overall program goals; (2) Cite specific examples of how to successfully recruit, motivate and engage volunteers to carry out public health initiatives; (3) Understand the importance of identifying and collaborating with new community partners (with an emphasis on the CADCA - MRC partnership).

Level: ALL Levels

Prevention Treatment and Outreach Program for National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and Communities Working Together

Presenter(s): Deborah Rose-Spangler & Candice Frazier, TN Counterdrug Task Force, National Guard

Description: The purpose of this workshop is to illustrate how the new Prevention, Treatment and Outreach program initiative within the Tennessee National Guard has decreased the number of drug positives by percentage over the last year. We have worked with community based organizations, Dept. of Veteran Affairs, the Dept. of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse providers across Tennessee. The objective of our program although targeted for soldiers and airmen is to be a model for communities nationwide. The Tennessee National Guard is working hard to ensure that soldiers/airmen families are drug free and receive the services they so well deserve. The program has only been in effect for 1 year but has drastically effected the professional prevention community. The program conducted immersion training for substance abuse/mental health providers so they could experience a taste of military life and better relate to military personnel and their families. This program benefits all members of communities, military personnel and their families.

Learning objectives: (1) Definition of the Prevention, Treatment and Outreach Program; (2) Provide examples of best drug prevention practices for civilian and military communites; (3) Provide prevention tools to enhance collaborative efforts within your respective communities.

Level: ALL Levels