JBER Airman's Advisory Council serves junior enlisted Airmen

Photo By David Bedard | Chief Master Sgt. Bryant Roy, 3rd Operations Group superintendent, offers advice to members of the Arctic Warrior Airman’s Advisory Council Jan. 31, 2018, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Senior noncommissioned officers offer their mentorship to the council. (U.S. Air Force photo by David Bedard/Released)  

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES

02.08.2018

Story by David Bedard 

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson   

The Arctic Warrior Airman's Advisory Council provides professional development, volunteer and recreational opportunities for junior enlisted Airmen at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The council is run by and serves those in the ranks of airman basic through senior airman.
“We focus on building resilient Airmen,” said Airman 1st Class Andrea Steffen, AWAAC president. “We give them opportunities to volunteer and get outside of their comfort zones.”
The AWAAC is part of the informal professional development continuum at JBER, which includes the Arctic Warrior Rising 5/6 for staff sergeants and technical sergeants, and the Arctic Warrior Top 3 for senior noncommissioned officers.
A featured professional development opportunity for AWAAC members is a mock below-the-zone promotion board for advancement to senior airman. Senior Master Sgt. Shane Holtz, 673d Force Support Squadron career assistance advisor and AWAAC mentor, said the mock board makes participants more competitive in pinning on earlier than the statutory promotion time-in-service and time-in-grade requirements.
Holtz said senior NCOs of the base volunteer to sit on the board; they also help Airmen learn how to do the paperwork and prepare to be competitive get to the board.
“Going to the mock board will definitely give those Airmen a leg up versus someone who doesn't come and get some education on how a board works,” Holtz said.
Steffen said other professional development and educational opportunities offered by AWAAC include evaluations and award bullet-point writing, personal finance and investing, pursuing higher education, and fitness.
“[Professional development] isn't necessarily about making that next rank so much as it is about becoming a well-rounded person and tying into the Whole Airman Concept,” Steffen said.
Holtz said AWAAC also gives junior Airmen a collective voice to communicate with wing leaders.
“They get to address actual Airman issues directly to senior leadership,” he said.
Steffen, a native of Appleton, Wisconsin, said though she was accustomed to cold temperatures, she was negatively affected by the dark Alaska winters. Lying in bed all day and suffering isolation was the end result. Socializing with other Airmen eventually got her out of her seasonal funk.
“Reaching out to your peers is something I encourage,” Steffen said. “Coming to our meetings will help in the sense you're meeting new people every time, and we always have something to offer you.”
Besides the social outlet offered by AWAAC, Holtz said Airmen learn how to network with people outside their career field and to build relationships that will prove valuable as long as they serve.
“As you go through your career, networking is one of the best things you can have,” Holtz said.
During the council's January meeting, several senior NCOs representing 673d Air Base Wing and 3rd Wing attended and participated in teaching classes. Though the council is run by junior Airmen, senior NCOs serve as mentors and teachers.
Holtz said the perspectives offered by experienced Airmen representing a number of career fields prove valuable for junior Airmen to understand their wing and the Air Force.
“It gives them a wide-open view of what leadership sees, what they think, and what their vision is across the wing,” he said.
Steffen said AWAAC also offers recreational opportunities in partnership with JBER Outdoor Recreation and other base services. She is always seeking input from AWAAC members in an effort to offer free events that don't look like what she terms “mandatory fun.”
A big event planned for this year is an Airman appreciation event to be hosted during a duty day. AWAAC leadership is still canvassing membership for ideas of what the event will be, and ideas include everything from paintball to an obstacle course.
Regardless of what AWAAC decides, the event will leverage the unique recreational opportunities afforded by JBER and the state to give junior Airmen an outlet for fellowship.
“To be a resilient Airman in Alaska, you have to adapt to change and take every new opportunity,” Steffen said. “There is a lot to do. Don't just stay in the dorms.”
For more information about AWAAC, visit the AWAAC social media page at www.facebook.com/jberawaac.

• Date Taken: 02.08.2018
• Date Posted: 02.08.2018 21:50
• Story ID: 265314
• Location: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US
• Hometown: APPLETON, WI, US