Photo By Staff Sgt. Richard Wrigley | Master Sgt. Jeff Fenlason, director of the Raider's Initiative Group, trains a group...... read more read more
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Note: This is part two in a series of three stories about Bystander Intervention, a new program within the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart / Hunter Army Airfield.
FORT STEWART, Ga. - Last week the concept of Bystander Intervention, what it meant, and why it was important to the Dog-Face Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division was examined.
In brief, it is the belief that the vast majority of people are good, yet even so they have to contend with many factors which inhibit them in some way when presented with a situation which would benefit from the intervention. Instead many end up standing by when they should help.
Bystander Intervention Training is training which gets to the root of this problem, and attempts to give people the tools and motivation to step in and stop a bad situation from getting worse.
Although the purpose of the training is pretty self explanatory, how it is being accomplished is something pretty unique to the Army.
Up until now, most mandatory training for Soldiers takes place in a class room environment, or worse, it is completed individually online. Almost all of it consists of large slide-packs of power-point presentations, which are commonly referred to as “death by PowerPoint.”
“Having had to go through a lot of the standard Army training, it can get pretty dry - it is a one sided discussion, where they give you the information and you are trying to absorb it,” explained Staff Sgt. William Diederich, the noncommissioned officer in charge of quality control/assurance for the Raider’s Initiative Group, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID.
The Raider’s Initiative Group is the small group of Soldiers from the 1st ABCT who first began development of the Bystander Intervention Training more than two years ago for their brigade.
According to Master Sgt. Jeff Fenlason, director of the RIG, 1st ABCT, once Maj. Gen. John Murray, commanding general of the 3rd ID, heard what the 1st ABCT was doing he had the RIG expand the program to another brigade. After this, the program was met with so much positive feedback that it was almost immediately expanded to the entire division. Now the RIG is on track to ensure all Soldiers within the 3rd ID are trained in their program, and they’re even spreading their training module to other units and installations across the Army.
The training itself is roughly five hours, and it is unique in the Army as it is based on scenario development and discussion.
Classes are held in civilian attire so as to foster a more comfortable, open environment. During the training block, scenarios are presented to the students, and a question is asked. This leads to a discussion amongst the students which is guided by the facilitators.
“With our training, it’s more interactive, there is no answer given, it is for the individual, the student, to identify what the right answer is,” explained Diederich. “It’s interactive and keeps the individual constantly and cognitively interacting with what is going on.”
While the five-hour training block was originally facilitated by the RIG personnel, this model became unsustainable when the program was expanded, so now the RIG offers a week long course designed to train Unit facilitators so that they can take the training back to their respective organizations.
Part of this effort also included establishing facilitators within the Marne Reception Center, the facility that all new Soldiers to the Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield process through before being assigned to their new unit.
“So every new Soldier coming into the 3rd ID will receive this training,” said Fenlason. “They are introduced to this training on day one, so it is a very powerful message on the first day of your arrival that this is how we intend to do business in this Division.”
Having everyone trained in Bystander Intervention seems to be a good idea, especially to Staff Sgt. Jessica Prankienas, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the labor and delivery division, Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart Medical Department Activity, who just recently graduated from the facilitator course and is planning to take the training back to her organization.
“I think everybody should have this class at some point, Soldiers, civilians, kids in high school - everybody,” said Prankienas.
The 3rd ID is on track to be 100 percent trained in Bystander Intervention by October 2015. Fenlason hopes that this causes a decrease across the board in Serious Incident Reports within the installation, and that overall the training affects a positive change in the climate and culture of the 3rd ID, as he notes that most people who go through the training seem to come away changed.
“[I believe] Soldiers will tell you that they come away with a lot of self awareness ... I think it is a very impactful course,” said Fenlason.
One of the most recently trained agreed.
“This class makes you open your eyes, and look at yourself, and shows you that mirror of who you are, who you were, and who you could be,” explained Prankienas.
What few could deny is the ultimate result of the Bystander Intervention Training, which Diederich summarized well.
“With everyday we give this course the Army gets a little better, the climate changes within that unit - it really is all about making the Army better.”
In the weeks ahead, look to the Frontline, where the last installment of this three part series will highlight Dog-Face Soldiers and their real life experiences with Bystander Intervention.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2015 13:08 |
| Story ID: | 167133 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 421 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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