FORT IRWIN, Calif. — During the month of January, the 1916th Support Battalion hosted the first “REEL Talk” listening sessions targeting the CSA’s “three corrosives” of racism/extremism, Sexual Harassment Assault Response Prevention (SHARP), and Suicide. The acronym, REEL, stands for Readiness Enhanced by Engaged Leadership.
The concept was to engage in these topics utilizing facilitated listening sessions with everyone in a circle, rather than a traditional PowerPoint-centric class setup. Leaders created a safe space for soldiers to engage with each other, in civilian clothes, using first names to remove the stigma of rank and remind everyone that they are all ‘people’ first.
This enabled a less rigid atmosphere to encourage discussion and allowed soldiers, as people, the opportunity to share personal experiences candidly and without judgment. The last topic was a discussion of the most recent Command Climate Survey with the Battalion Command Team and an outline of the Battalion initiatives to create a better climate.
To make this happen, the unit elicited outside support from the 916th Unit Ministry Team and SARC, Fort Irwin Behavioral Health office, and the National Training Center Military Equal Opportunity Office, without whom the event would not have been as successful.
The unit also utilized this forum to promote the Trial Defense Services, Family Advocacy Program, Military and Family Life Counselor and Financial Services, so soldiers are more aware of the resources available to them on post.