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NEWS | Nov. 3, 2016

Resilient Workforce Summit Changes Culture in Singapore

By Petty Officer 3rd Class Madailein Abbott, CTF 73 Public Affairs

 – (November 02, 2016) Navy Region Center Singapore hosted a Resilient Workforce Summit (RWS) for its active duty military members and civilian Department of Defense employees Oct. 31 - Nov. 1.

The two-day conference, which focused on building a stronger workforce, allowed Sailors throughout Singapore the opportunity to interact with subject matter experts (SME) for campaigns essential to the 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, Sailor 2025 Enriched Culture Pillar, and the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) Navigation Plan 2015-2019.

Operational Navy and fleet program directors and guest speakers during separate sessions presented to a target audience of triad leadership, officers and chiefs, E4-E6 Sailors, and command ombudsmen and family readiness group leaders.

 

The theme for this year’s summit, “Change the Culture,” focused on reframing a state of mind to help service members and civilian employees see how they can pave the way for a safer and more comfortable environment for tomorrow’s Navy by changing the way society accepts certain behavior.

“These segments offer different approaches to the trainings that Sailors have received many times before,” said Lt. Rebecca Miranda, a licensed clinical social worker attached to Navy Region Hawaii and one of the presenters at the summit. “It allows us to talk openly about topics like sexual assault, alcohol abuse and suicide in a safe environment. I’ve been presenting for five and a half years and the core message has remained constant, that it is always ok to ask for help.”

 

On the first day, discussions on ethics and effective partnering, suicide prevention, operational stress control, physical readiness, and equal opportunity were held for each group. Presentations and updates on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, fleet career counseling, transition assistance, and the chaplain's role in resilience, were discussed by presenters and audience members.

Sailors used the discussion panel time to ask questions about various changes to policies, such as the rating modernization policy and Body Composition Assessment (BCA) standards.

 

On the second day of the conference, Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC), spoke to all hands about the importance of active leadership and helping fellow shipmates in need.

 

“The admiral's speech was really interesting, I felt it was an eye opener for all Sailors from the most junior to the most senior,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Juliet Florney assigned to Military Sealift Command Far East (MSC FE). “He mentioned that the more senior you become the harder it can be to ask for help and I believe that can be true. That’s why it’s so important to know where you can go for help and to have a mentor to guide you when you need it. I myself have a mentor on both the east coast and the west coast, they’re always there for me when I need help.”

 

Following Rear Adm. Gabrielson’s segment, Sailors participated in group presentations and individual breakout sessions for command program advisers. These included sessions for Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor (DAPA) and Urinalysis Program Coordinators, Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPC), Command Fitness Leaders, Navy Career Counselors (NCC) and Career Development Team (CDT), Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs), Sexual Assault Prevention Response (SAPR) PoCs, Victim Advocates (VAs) and SAPR Officers.

 

“It was good for us to come to Singapore in order to really get in touch with the unique stressors the service members and DoD employees deal with on a daily basis,” said Miranda. “It’s so much more beneficial than just another online course everyone rushes through. We really get into the thick of it and offer those attending to ask questions about anything and everything. We want to make sure they leave feeling confident and knowledgeable.”

 

Leaders expressed hope that the summit would have a lasting effect on Sailors to continue to propel the Navy in the right direction.

“We learn a lot from our leaders,” said Florney. “Getting leadership involved and rallying around these programs can only be positive for everybody. All Sailors can benefit from these training topics fleet wide, I hope everyone can get an opportunity to attend this summit at least once in their career.”

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