By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua Karsten,
U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
PHILIPPINE SEA (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet staff
kicked off their sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) training month
by focusing on bystander intervention while underway aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet
flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) March 24.
During the 2-hour training session Sailors interacted with
each other in two-way group conversations, discussing scenarios seen in various
thought-provoking videos. Discussions included issues that Sailors encounter
first hand such as peer pressure, stress, drinking, fraternization and sexual
advances in the workplace. The training was broken into rank based sessions so
the discussions following the videos could reflect the various levels of
leadership interaction based on each peer group.
"The end result is that we want Sailors to take
ownership, be active bystanders and get involved in their peer group to
eliminate other Sailors from making bad decisions that could have a long term
negative effect on their lives," said Chief Cryptologic Technician
Maintenance Michael Horton, command SAPR. "The training focuses on
understanding that it should be a culture of change to want to do better for
their peers and ultimately better for themselves."
Bystander intervention training is often associated with
sexual assault prevention, however this new training goes beyond just stopping
a potential sexual assault. It covers the entire range of destructive
behaviors, from sexual harassment to alcohol abuse to hazing, harassment and
suicide.
"Intervention is not just sexual assault, we want
Sailors - when they see something that's out of the ordinary - to feel
comfortable to come forward to their chain of command or to approach the
situation from the lowest level to find a resolution to whatever the conflict
is," said Horton.
Bystander intervention training is a direct result of
Navy-wide Sailor feedback asking for more interactive and hands-on training.
The new style of training highlights that any Sailor, regardless of rank, is a
leader and focuses on starting the trend that stepping up and stepping in will
be the "in" thing for the Navy of the future. The training was led by
rank based peers and has removed the older style power point sessions.
The Navy-wide mandatory training was introduced during the
fall of 2014 and all Sailors are required to complete by September 2015.
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