JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Thirty-one youth coordinators from across all Air Mobility Command bases were part of a week-long Boys and Girls Clubs of America advanced leadership training recently at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
The training, sponsored by Headquarters AMC, was led by Ed Brown, director of military outreach for BGCA. The purpose was simple - to move youth programs from "being good, to being great," he said.
"We asked every (participant) to take a look at their programs before coming here. We asked them to assess their center and determine what things they could do to move it from a good to great youth center that attracts every (youth) on the base to want to participate in the programs."
Each participant arrived with a project that was approved by their supervisor, said Mr. Brown, who has been with BGCA for more than 30 years, of which he's spent almost 20 years supporting military children.
Among the students was one of Charleston's own, selected from the staff of Joint Base Charleston-Air Base Youth Programs to attend. Alicia Davis, school-age program assistant, has worked at Youth Programs a little more than two years, but she's a Charlestonian through and though.
An openly admitted "Air Force brat," she said she's spent her whole life in Charleston and even attended the base's Child Development Center, although, she recalls it somewhat differently.
"It's a lot smaller than I remember," said Ms. Davis with a smile.
She said she knew she wanted to work with military families early on in life and now has the opportunity to do it every day. It has become her passion, she said.
"I feel we are a vital part of the families - an extension of what they value - working with children to support their developmental needs," Ms. Davis said. "It's very rewarding work to have that impact on their lives."
One of the main goals of the training at Scott AFB was to learn how to take that impact even further. Ms. Davis and her classmates learned how to advance local projects into fruition where the end result is the growth from good to great programs, and each of them had something new to offer their bases.
"It's a good feeling to know you are working with people who have the same passion that you do," she said.
Jake Lindquist, teen coordinator for the 319th Force Support Squadron's youth center at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., said the training for him and those attending brings a renewed focus on BGCA programs in AMC youth centers.
"What we're learning is how to bring Boys and Girls Club programs back to the youth center and to be able to serve military families better," Mr. Lindquist said. "Quite frankly, this goes back to when the Airmen are deployed - they'll know their children are being taken care of."
Mr. Lindquist also said the training provided an opportunity for networking. "The one thing that is great about this training is meeting people from other AMC bases and youth centers," he said. "It offered an opportunity for us all to get on the same page."
Steve Stutts, a school-age program assistant with the 6th FSS from MacDill AFB, Fla., said his project, to improve the Fit Factor program at the MacDill youth facilities, should get a jump start thanks to this training.
"I've gained not only a lot of great ideas to further improve the Fit Factor program, but also I've learned how to be a better leader with the staff and the program," Mr. Stutts said. "My goal is to take our Fit Factor program and grow it from a school-age program to one that supports children of all ages and abilities."
After their week-long session in Illinois, the director of military outreach for the Boys and Girls Club said he will maintain contact with all of the participants to further coordinate their projects.
"I will be setting up conference calls and sending them forms to fill out to tell me where they are at with their projects," Mr. Brown said. "I say eight weeks, but really this is an on-going process and we'll work together for however many weeks it takes. It's a constant follow-up. We want to see change and we want them to be successful."
For Ms. Davis, joining her team back at Charleston came with overwhelming excitement. The empowerment she felt, combined with increased confidence, gave her much to offer from the experience, she said - especially when it came to organization actionable plans and acquiring funding to make them happen.
Although the Air Force provides very adequate funding, there are avenues to be explored for additional funding, she said - one simply needs to know the way. At times, it's what can make the difference between starting a new program or waiting years to see it come to pass. Ms. Davis is using the training she received at Scott AFB to acquire grant funding to start a garden and greenhouse project at Youth Programs. She said the staff hopes to install the greenhouses by the end of the year and break ground on the garden in February.
With Ms. Davis' interest in science, the environment and her years of teaching skill from home-schooling her own children, she plans to engage children's minds in the greenhouse, learning about the life-cycle of plants. In the spring, they will have the opportunity to grow their own vegetables in the new garden. The vegetables are planned for use by the Youth Programs cooking club and for donation to a local food bank. The garden will be nourished by composting through the recent purchase of a composting kit, Ms. Davis said.
"This training really took us to another level of professionalism," she said. "I wish everyone had the chance to attend this type of training ... I really do."
(Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs, contributed to this article.)