Photo By Staff Sgt. David Beckstrom | Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Dale (right), an aviation plans noncommissioned officer with...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Soldiers throughout the U.S. Army Central area of responsibility participated in an Equal Opportunity Leaders’ Course on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Jan. 11-16.
The instructors taught Soldiers the importance of dignity and respect in combating these injustices and discrimination. This is the first of four EO courses planned for 2016.
The Equal Opportunity Leaders’ Course encourages Soldiers to take personal responsibility for ending discrimination.
Master Sgt. April Millington, an EO course instructor with U.S. Army Central, said equal opportunity leaders are ”change agents” in their organizations. They provide effective training to create a positive environment, aiding in cultural awareness and inclusion.
“Understanding that everyone is significant to the organization and brings a valued skill set for the success of the mission and to treat people with dignity and respect is the goal of the EO program,” said Millington.
According to the Army’s EO policy the program’s goal is to ensure that all service members will be “treated with dignity and respect.” The program mandates that units conduct EO awareness training to help achieve this goal.
Sgt. 1st Class Varinia Duranronco, an EO adviser for USARCENT, said leadership that is actively involved with their unit’s training allows the unit to have a better mission readiness posture. Adding that the EO program is a tool that creates a healthy climate of respect.
Instructors taught people how perceptions can create unintentional barriers. They also taught techniques on how to counteract them in the workplace.
People have diverse histories and understanding that allow EO Advisors to accomplish their duties more effectively, said Millington, a native of Willingboro, New Jersey.
The Army has regulations in place to prevent discrimination by race, creed, sex and sexual orientation. These regulations are used to help create an environment of understanding.
“We should all be given the same opportunity to excel,” said Sgt. Mercedes Moran, an EO Advisor with Task Force Sinai – Egypt and a native of Riverside, California. “Being discriminated [against] based on physical appearance is simply wrong and is not what the Army is about, at least not in my Army. I want to be able to lend a voice and make a difference.”
The military uses team building exercises to build esprit de corps within its ranks, to facilitate mission success and mutual understanding.
“By building relationships with each other, trust can be established,” said Duranronco, a native of New York City. “Each of us will be better and can accomplish great things with the help of the EO program.”
One of the main focuses of the EO program is to enable the unit to have an environment of mutual trust and respect that is free of discrimination, which can facilitate unit cohesion.
“Bonding with your peers will directly affect the mission success,” said Sgt. 1st Class Vipulkumar Patel, the operations noncommissioned officer-in-charge with Information and Signal Company, USARCENT and native of Rockwall, Texas. “Trusting each other to do their part is vital to the mission. Lacking such connections can hinder our progress in achieving our goals both professionally and personally.”
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2016 09:28 |
| Story ID: | 186616 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Hometown: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Hometown: | RIVERSIDE, CA, US |
| Hometown: | ROCKWALL, TX, US |
| Hometown: | WILLINGBORO, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 353 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Equal opportunity: Dignity through respect, by SSG David Beckstrom, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT