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    Teen Resilience Training

    Teen Resilience Training

    Photo By Sgt. Ariana Cary | Brig. Gen. Todd McCaffrey, 25th Infantry Division deputy commanding general-support,...... read more read more

    SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, UNITED STATES

    11.03.2013

    Story by Sgt. Ariana Cary 

    25th Infantry Division   

    SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Teens of the 25th Infantry Division participated in the first pilot class for teen resilience, Nov. 3, on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The goal of the class was to teach resilience to military children, sixth through 12th grade, while getting their feedback to improve the program before making it available to posts throughout the Army.

    The Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness, or CSF2, program teaches skills to build resilience for soldiers and family members, and at the beginning of the class, many of the kids had no idea what resilience was or what the class would entail.

    “When my mom first told me about the class, I thought it was some sort of workout training,” said Sara Eifler, one of the 40 students in the class. “But I’m glad I came. I learned a lot of good things that’ll help me later in life.

    The Army trains soldiers to be resilient when dealing with life’s challenges and setbacks. The program’s intent is to bring the same training to adolescents.

    “The great thing about this program is that we’re teaching the teens the exact same materiel as the program being taught to all soldiers,” said Eric Schrager, manager and trainer of the CSF2 course. “So the teens are going to be learning the exact same skills and using the exact same language that their parents are. So the hope is that, once we’re all speaking the same language, we’ll be able to interact a lot more effectively and take care of a lot of issues before they come up or become major problems.”

    The focus of the class was how to strengthen the mind using the theme of superheroes and the “mental powers” each possesses, such as spirituality, positive perspective and ingenuity. The kids took a quiz to determine which popular superhero they could relate to most.

    “We tailored the presentation of this class based on suggestions from the parents,” said Schrager. “So we came up with this superhero theme and it seems to be going really well. The kids are responding to it.”

    The long-term goal is to bring the Teen Resilience Program to all posts across the Army.

    “I can’t give a specific date, because it’s all currently being developed,” said Schrager. “But it shouldn’t be too long before the program becomes wide spread. I would say within a year. My team is very excited to be here and presenting this curriculum to the teens here on the island. We really look forward to continuing this.”

    The first lesson taught to the teens was how to “hunt the good stuff,” which means to find all the positive things in one’s life. The kids were taught to ask themselves important questions, such as “why did this good thing happen” and “what does it mean to me.” In doing this, the teens learn to think positively, rather than focusing on the negative.

    “One of the reasons this is so important for our teens is that these are basic life skills that everyone figures out as they go on through life,” said Maj. Chris Haynes, the 25th Infantry Division CSF2 program manager. “It’s something I wish someone would have told me when I was their age. I know I stumbled a lot through these skills and I learned along the way. But having that knowledge upfront at the high school level gives them an advantage that we didn’t have. It’s very important that we reach down to them and start teaching them these skills.”

    By the end of the six-hour class, the teens received certificates of completion as well as volunteer hours and left with a far better understanding of what resiliency is.

    “I learned that how you think and how you react to certain things is what determines how your life is going to turn out,” said Sarah Hawley, one of the teens in the program. “It’s your thought process that matters the most.”

    Another class is scheduled for spring. Each class will have a different lesson geared toward making Tropic Lightning teens stronger individuals.

    “If we have strong families then we have a strong Army,” said Sherry Eifler, one of the volunteer trainers and a mother of a student, “and that’s the ultimate goal.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.03.2013
    Date Posted: 11.06.2013 19:28
    Story ID: 116410
    Location: SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US

    Web Views: 323
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN