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Editor’s note: This feature is the third of a five-part series intended to detail the four wellness domains of Comprehensive Airman Fitness (physical, mental, social and spiritual) and how each applies to well-balanced, resilient Airmen.
When you think of someone with strong social skills, what comes to mind? Do you think of an awe-inspiring speaker, a car salesman or perhaps the soothing voice of a closer?
Recognized as one of the four domains of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, the Air Force describes social wellness as “the ability to engage in healthy social networks that promote overall wellbeing and optimal performance.”
“Some people think they can live this life by themselves,” said Master Sgt. Kevin Burke, 436th Airlift Wing CAF and Resilience Program manager. “That’s really not the case. You can exist by yourself, but you can’t thrive. You can’t really enjoy life without other people. That’s why social fitness is so important.”
Taking a closer look within the domain, the Air Force categorizes four main tenants of social fitness: communication, connectedness, social support and teamwork.
Communication is the ability to express oneself effectively, Burke said. An important part of communication is identifying the audience to present the most compelling case for the intended message.
Connectedness relates to individuals’ desires to feel loved and accepted, Burke said. This is achieved through strong interpersonal communication skills, which make a person valuable to those around him.
Social support refers to a network of trusted advisors who can provide support during trying times or provide advice during difficult decisions, Burke said. Close friends and family members are often large contributors of social support.
Teamwork is largely influenced by the social fitness of the constituent members, Burke said. People don’t always get to choose who they work with, and even the best of friends don’t always see eye to eye. Teamwork requires people to push past human nature, embracing a mature and professional attitude to ensure the mission gets done each and every day.
“When you find people that are socially fit, those are the people you want to be around,” Burke said. “Those are the people you want to work with. They’re the people you’ll talk about ten years from now. ‘Yeah, I had this boss, and he was great. I wish I had him right now.’”
Conversely, Burke said people who lack social fitness are the ones who create toxic environments, give in to rumors and gossip and drag teams backward.
“There is no demographic that correlates with social fitness,” Burke said. “Poor social fitness can affect anyone in any job. I’ve seen it from the lowest level Airmen all the way through the highest level officers. They walk into the room and don’t want to be bothered.”
The up side, is that anyone can work on improving their social fitness, Burke said. From the most deficient individual to the fittest, nobody has completely mastered social fitness, and nobody ever will.
“No matter what your age is, you’ve got to make a choice at some point that you’re going to be social, you’re going to be open to others, and you’re going to learn,” Burke said. “You’ve got to make a choice to develop social resilience. It’s not just going to happen overnight. It takes hard work and dedication, but after time, you’ll look back and realize how much you grew. The payoff is when you notice yourself growing as a person.”
One trend opposing social fitness today is disconnectedness caused by an overreliance on technological advances and the ability to become immersed in social media, the internet and video games, Burke said.
“I have an 18-year-old stepson, and what does he do when he gets home?” Burke asked. “He locks himself into his room and he goes straight to his computer. It’s part of our culture now. Computers have taken over everything. If you look around, everyone’s on a phone. There’s always something to look at on the internet. There’s always some question on your mind or something you want to buy, and you can find it all on the internet. That’s causing people to disconnect though. Instead of talking to somebody, they just go online and find an answer.”
This is a unique obstacle facing Airmen today, and leaders are trying to address it.
The Green Dot course and other training seminars are deviating from traditional PowerPoint presentations. Now the focus is on encouraging conversations about the material, whilst generating genuine thought and interactions.
Additionally, organizations like the fitness center and Outdoor Recreation host dozens of events each month for Airmen for either free or greatly reduced costs.
“There are so many things happening on this base,” Burke said. “It’s amazing. We get 25 emails a day about what’s happening this weekend. If you’ve never attended one of these events, I highly encourage you to. There are so many resources provided to everyone on this base, and nobody’s using them. The excuse is always, ‘well, I’ve got to work,’ but when have you ever asked a supervisor if you could go? Unless there’s some sort of critical mission going on, you’re probably going to be able to go. Your supervisors want you to grow. They want you to connect.”
Many of these events are provided through Air Force Services Activity funds at a reduced cost to Airmen. Outdoor Recreation, for example, hosts trips to season-specific outdoor activities year-round.
“We do our best to make sure we’re advertising these events well,” said Chris Yaeger, 436th Force Support Squadron marketing director. “We exist because you exist, and we want to take care of you. Outdoor Recreation and the fitness center are hosting events all the time, and participation is low. My challenge to everyone is to attend at least one event, and see how they like it. We’re constantly bringing people together on these events.”
The AFSVA organizations, whose purposes are to provide morale wellness and recreation activities to Airmen, are facing new challenges as fewer and fewer Airmen are participating, Yaeger said.
“I’ve seen the military change over the past 30 years,” Yaeger said. “We used to call it ‘esprit de corps,’ but you don’t really hear that phrase very often anymore. The Enlisted and Officer clubs were always full, but now they’re being shut down across the Air Force. We want to make sure morale and welfare stay high throughout the Air Force, but that’s only possible with feedback from the Airmen. Let us know how we can meet your needs. What do you like doing that we aren’t providing? We’ll try to put something together.”
Another avenue that encourages social involvement is participation in a fraternal organization. Airmen can join one of several such groups, including the Airman’s Council, Group 5/6, Top 3 and the Company Grade Officers’ Council. Each is composed of members of like rank and goals. These organizations focus on developing devoted Airmen and fostering installation and community involvement.
“Being a part of a private organization, you are a part of a fraternal group,” said Tech. Sgt. Chad Hardesty, Group 5/6 president. “It develops a sense of camaraderie, unit and enthusiasm for common interests and future goals. Individuals get to develop amongst a team who is closely associated to the same mission. Here at Dover AFB, that mission is to ‘Deliver Excellence.’ The ‘esprit de corps’ developed across the private organizations here creates a unique bond that promotes strength, unity, reliability and support for all Airmen. When managed properly, we are able to network, not just here in Dover, but with our local and state community as well. This empowers the private organizations to maximize teamwork, bring out the best in each team member and focus where the sum is greater than the parts.”
Burke considers participation in these organizations to be not only a great way to develop a strong social network and make connections, but also a strong career choice.
“Most of these organizations are full of people who are driven,” Burke said. “They’re trying to serve Airmen and help the community. Yeah, you’re going to go to a meeting and there’s going to be a little bit of formality, but after the meeting, what do you think happens? Everybody gets up and starts socializing. All those little conversations start happening. Those organizations are a great tool, and attendance is down. We need to get attendance up.”
Making meaningful connections has become difficult recently, not only for organizations and offices, but in all aspects of Airmen’s lives, Burke said.
“There’s a real challenge we’re starting to see, not just in the military, but in America,” Burke said. “We’re starting to disconnect. We’re starting to see the effects of it. It’s hard for those who are trying to fix it. It’s almost like an uphill battle, but I think it’s really important for us to address the issues affecting social fitness and disconnectedness. We need to grab our Airmen and keep ahold of them before they isolate themselves. We need to focus on empathy and see our wingmen as our family. I think that’s the key to ensuring a socially sound Air Force.”
For more information about upcoming base activities, download the My Military Communities Mobile Application (MyMC2) from the Apple App Store or Android Market.
To leave feedback on an AFSVA event, please visit http://ice.disa.mil.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2017 16:00 |
| Story ID: | 229621 |
| Location: | DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, US |
| Web Views: | 118 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Comprehensive Airman Fitness: Socially sound, by TSgt Aaron Jenne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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