News

Green Dot training to start in February

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aaron J. Jenne
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The new Green Dot training courses start here Feb. 7, 2017.

This year’s course combines a refresher of the material covered last year with a new suicide prevention discussion. The same small-group size and peer-to-peer guided group discussions that were paramount to Green Dot 2016, will continue in the new program.

All Airmen and civilians assigned to the 436th and 512th Airlift Wings will be required to complete this training. Members who completed last year’s Green Dot training, at a minimum, must take the 60-minute overview course. Those newly identified as bystanders will complete the four-hour course.

Greed Dot courses will be held every Tuesday afternoon at the Chapel 1 Annex. To sign up for a session, visit https://booknow.appointment-plus.com/6brmtd82/10. Those who did not take the training last year, including those who are new to the Air Force, must contact the Primary Prevention of Violence office at (302) 677-2611 to schedule training.

Last year, 99 percent of the Airmen and civilians assigned to the 436th and 512th AWs completed the training. This year, the goal is 100 percent course completion by Dec. 31, 2017.

This new program is in line with the Air Force’s intent to limit ancillary and computer-based training. Last year’s course combined Human Relations – Violence Awareness and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Frontline Supervisor Retaliation. This year, the class also encompasses Suicide Prevention.

While at first glance, power-based violence and suicide prevention may not appear to be very similar, there are several benefits from consolidation, said one of Team Dover’s Green Dot implementers, Tech. Sgt. Melinda Hayes, 436th Medical Support Squadron NCO in charge of diagnostic imaging. There has been a recent drive to limit ancillary training requirements, so it makes sense to combine two courses into one setting. Potentially more important though, is the broad picture approach Green Dot brings to the table.

“Green Dot is designed to empower you,” Hayes said. “It gives you a realistic expectation of action, identifies some things that might hold you back from acting and gives you ways to sidestep those boundaries so you can still act. When you’re talking about Green Dot, you’re just talking about being a good wingman. The same is true with suicide prevention. Not just, you’re in the Air Force so you’re my wingman, but what it means to truly care about your fellow Airmen and to be invested in them.”