Joing Base Charleston, S.C. –
“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” - Theodore Roosevelt
The Community Action Team (JBCARES) is comprised of agencies that work together to track program trends and develop potential action plans that impact our Joint Base Charleston community – our collective goal is to always create and sustain a thriving connection culture.
People programs that leverage and build “critical/soft skills” sometimes take a back burner to the prioritized programs that build the “hard skills” necessary to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. The Air Force excels at progressive upgrade training for the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the essential components of jobs and finding efficiencies for processes to streamline those jobs. I believe people are the critical component of mission accomplishment – and their deliberate development in skills that make them a consummate teammate and leader is equally important.
The Racial Disparity Report, Protect our Defenders Reports, Executive Orders for Race, Sex, and LGBTQ community, and proposed Vanessa Guillen Bill have brought the Equal Opportunity program to the forefront of many discussions. The 628th Air Base Wing Equal Opportunity and Negotiated Dispute Resolution office can help optimize the social domain (how people connect, communicate, and maintain social support and teamwork) through our standard programs: the Air Force military and civilian equal opportunity complaint processing, acting as a referral agency, conducting alternative dispute resolution, leading human relations education training, managing and analyzing unit climate assessments, and visiting on and off base informal out and abouts to check the pulse of the human relations climate. At Joint Base Charleston, we can also provide True Colors personality and emotional intelligence assessments, team building, communication, conflict management, and other ad hoc specialized training as requested.
Unlawful discrimination and harassment are contrary to good order and discipline and detract from mission readiness. These actions erode trust and cohesion and can lead to absenteeism, avoidance, and high turnover. Additionally, the military community is made from the society we serve, so we are not immune from the race, sex, and national origin tension being felt, or the anger, fear and frustration over the continued pandemic and stress that comes with adjusting to a “new normal.”
The heartbeat of our office centers on authentic connection and a culture of people being treated with human dignity and respect. Everyone can impact, and is empowered to ensure this culture exists. We encourage you to educate yourself, feel empowered to enforce and improve policy as necessary, and engage Airmen (military and civilian) at all levels to be connected and included. It is a privilege and honor to serve this community with you. For any EO questions or concerns, please call 843-963-3662 or email 628ABW.EO.EqualOpportunity@us.af.mil.
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” - John F. Kennedy