IWTC Students Participate in Interactive SAPR Training

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Taylor Jackson | 160727-N-FI568-110 PENSACOLA, Fla. (July 27, 2016) Sailors and Soldiers assigned to Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station watch sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) training performed by Pure Praxis, a theater group contracted by the Department of the Navy's SAPR Office, aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola's Corry Station. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor L. Jackson)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

07.27.2016

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Taylor Jackson 

Center for Information Warfare Training

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Students assigned to Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station engaged in interactive Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training in the chapel at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola’s Corry Station, July 26-27.

NAS Pensacola’s SAPR team at Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) arranged for workshops with Pure Praxis, a socially adaptive theater group contracted by the Department of the Navy's SAPR office. The actors use improvisational theater to encourage involvement and intervention in real-world situations.

"The training provided to our IWTC staff and students was not your typical SAPR general military training, but rather an empowerment training for service members of all pay grades,” said Chief Information Systems Technician (IW/SW) Bryan Hamel, SAPR point of contact for IWTC Corry Station. “Our students walked away from the training with new tactics on combating reprisal and condemnation. They learned they have a voice that can change lives.”

Throughout the performances, Navy, Army and Air Force students were asked to give their thoughts on the situations portrayed and occasionally joined Praxis actors on stage to show how they would respond to potentially harmful behavior by fellow service members.

“I thought the training was both informative and appealing,” said Seaman Apprentice Felix Castillo, who actively participated in the training performance. “We got to see firsthand what could potentially happen when you step in and learn what techniques work best for you.”

Anne Ballensinger, sexual assault response coordinator for FFSC, said they hosted a total of nine shows in three locations over three days, including NAS Pensacola, Naval Hospital Pensacola and Corry Station.

“Events like this increase individual and collective awareness about how we can support survivors of sexual assault,” said Ballensinger. “This focus on recognizing retaliation, reprisal, and ostracism and the active participation in how to intervene in these situations that our service members practiced during these shows is what is needed for more survivors to come forward.”

Cassandra Babcock, a Pure Praxis actor-advocate, said that engaging in the topic of sexual assault as a conversation rather than a lecture helps to break down the taboo surrounding the subject and allows for more open communication about what can be done to prevent sexual assault and improve advocacy for victims.

“The interactive aspect of the training is key to its success,” said Cmdr. Christopher Eng, commanding officer of IWTC Corry Station. “By immersing the junior Sailors into the scenarios with the actors, it tested their techniques and allowed everyone to evaluate their approach to the situation.”

Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training enterprise, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ceninfodom/, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

• Date Taken: 07.27.2016
• Date Posted: 07.29.2016 13:09
• Story ID: 205474
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US