Luke trains new Green Dot implementers

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Devante Williams
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  To minimize incidents and raise awareness of sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and other types of cruelty, Luke trained a group of Airmen as Green Dot implementers. The Air Force Green Dot training began in 2016 and helps prepare organizations to implement a strategy of violence prevention that can reduce power-based interpersonal violence.

“The training will increase their awareness of the environment and provide them with a variety of tools to utilize when they observe a situation that could negatively impact someone motivating them into action,” said Sandy Browne, 56th Fighter Wing violence prevention integrator. “A secondary impact will be to consider their own behaviors and challenge them to be a change agent within their work center, promoting proactive safe environments.”

The goal of Green Dot is to eliminate acts of power-based personal violence from the Air Force.

“While we strive toward that goal, the first step to prevention is to create a resilient force that recognizes the precursors to suicide and interpersonal violence,” Browne said. “At the same time we need to provide a robust response system that avails survivors the full range of assistance needed.”

The new implementers are ready to share the information they learned during their training.
“My overall experience with Green Dot has been rewarding,” said Tech. Sgt. Renee Nelson, 56th Maintenance Group lead quality assurance specialist. “We are setting a legacy for future generations to be safer in domestic and work relationships.”

As part of the beliefs of the 56th Fighter Wing, ensuring Airmen feel safe in and outside of work is essential to the mission.

“Over the years I have seen a culture of harm being done to our Airmen,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Edwards, 372nd Training Squadron Detachment 12 F-35 Lightning II avionics instructor. “The training showed me that speaking up can truly change the situation in a good way and stop something bad from happening to someone.”