MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – Marines gathered aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Jan. 21, to begin creating a new way of teaching sexual assault prevention, not through power points, but by the power of acting.
Stacey Willis, sexual assault response coordinator for 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, brought in volunteers from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., and MCAS Miramar, to form an improvisational group to better reach service members receiving the training.
“This will be a new approach to something that hasn’t changed in such a long time,” said Willis. “We will be able to reach those that need to hear this much better than a power point could.”
Maj. Gen. Steven Busby, 3rd MAW commanding general, sees this as a great opportunity to significantly reduce the number of sexual assault cases.
“As Marines, we take this subject very seriously,” said Busby. “It’s up to us to bring down incidences to zero, and we can do it.”
Col. Adam Holmes, 3rd MAW chief of staff, led the group discussion, held in the commanding general’s conference room and described what the volunteers should expect as participants in this new project.
“We can bring in so many new ideas that will improve sexual assault prevention training Marine Corps wide,” said Holmes. “The [commanding general] is really pushing for this initiative, and I know he has the right idea.”
Volunteers from 3rd MAW will train to act out different scenarios to give a more real experience for target audiences receiving sexual assault prevention training.
The volunteers are scheduled to practice multiple times a week and are scheduled to start presentations in February.