Interpersonal violence prevention training comes to Wright-Patt Published May 6, 2016 By Amy Rollins Skywrighter Staff WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO -- Preventing all forms of interpersonal violence is the focus of the Green Dot training program that will be implemented throughout Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, starting this month. April Barrows has been working since December to begin implementation of the training, which utilizes "unexpected messengers" to deliver the information through an evidence-based, peer-to-peer format. The program's first year goal is to have 100 percent of military and civilian personnel trained by Dec. 31. "It's a very different training approach," Barrows said. "Its focus is on what individuals realistically can do to stop interpersonal violence, whether that is witnessing and addressing a possible domestic dispute at the mall or calling the police when neighbors are fighting. It provides tools on how to do that." The Air Force contracted the nonprofit Green Dot organization to provide violence prevention tools and training to the total Air Force over the next three years. The training is part of the Department of Defense's five-year strategy to prevent interpersonal violence. The three-tier training system starts with leadership and began May 2 with Col. John Devillier, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, and all 88 ABW leaders. Then leaders of other units will be trained. Fifty percent of all base leaders have to be trained before the program moves to the second tier. Tier II begins May 17. It is a four-hour-long bystander training for people who are "socially influential" - the informal leaders of a unit. More than 70 people are signed up so far. "We've picked members from all different units on base, from A1Cs to GS-15s, that will do the training," Barrows said. "It's more of a peer-on-peer influence rather than SAPR (Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program) or another organization delivering a briefing." Ten percent of the installation - or roughly 2,000 people - has to undergo the training before the final tier begins, which are overview talks of 50 minutes on Green Dot's strategies to all remaining base personnel. "We're not talking about victims and perpetrators and what they look like; this is about all those people - the bystanders - in between, which is 99.9 percent of our base," she said. "This gives them tools to make this change possible. If everyone does just one little thing, it changes everything." A key aspect of Green Dot is its focus on training in small groups. "It's focused on changing people's thinking, rather than checking a box that training has been accomplished," Barrows said. "We don't want the message lost in a large group presentation. "It's not activities or 'death by PowerPoint'; rather, it familiarizes people with Green Dot, its meaning and strategies," Barrows commented. "The Green Dot implementers hope many of those people will choose to undergo the four-hour training course." The training message is modified according to the unit and demographic rather than a blanket briefing for large groups. "We'll be giving out scenarios and situations that do apply to the audience," she said. Training can be used in personal life Barrows said the training is something that each person can use in their personal life and take back to their home environment. "I've passed it along to my 8-year-old son: 'When you see something bad happen, then you step in.' This philosophy works with everything from bullying to witnessing a huge fight break out. It's about taking care of individuals not worrying about repercussions. "It is an overall approach - wherever you're at, wherever you go, being mindful and looking out for individuals," she said. "It goes way beyond the uniform and the gates here at Wright-Patt." Carmen Schott, sexual assault response coordinator and SAPR program manager, said she is excited Green Dot training is coming. "It's only going to improve our prevention of not just sexual assault but of all of the culture that allows sexual assault to happen," she said. "It's going to spread the word. It's going to be very effective." Green Dot training already has been affecting organizations, Schott said. For example, college campuses have been implementing it for several years, and they've seen dramatic reductions in interpersonal violence. Like everywhere in society, the Wright-Patterson AFB community has instances of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. "We've received overwhelming feedback so far from other bases where it's been rolled out, from leadership and deployers who have seen it in videos," Barrows said. "The people who have gone through the training shared a similar reaction. We left the training feeling like we were going to change the world." "We're looking forward to seeing how the Air Force is going to change prevention for SAPR," Schott said. "Interpersonal violence prevention specialists are being hired, and we're excited about the integration of a lot of the base agencies to work together to prevent all aspects of violence." Wright-Patterson AFB served as the Air Force's initial Green Dot host training site in March due to the high quality of its facilities, including the Wright-Patterson Club. Personnel from bases all over the world will attend the May training. According to David Perkins, the base civil engineer and director, 88th Civil Engineer Group, who attended the inaugural Green Dot Leadership training, "The training was much more interactive; we engaged in different scenarios and shared our thoughts about how we would respond." Perkins saidd there are many challenges to eliminating interpersonal violence and the new Green Dot training is a step in the right direction. Barrows is enthusiastic about all she is doing to coordinate the trainings. "It's easy to do all this work when it's something you believe so strongly in," she said.