DOD Website Connects Military Kids

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2012 – A new Defense Department website is connecting military children -- whether it’s across town or across the world -- who are dealing with a loved one’s deployment.

The website, Military Kids Connect, offers military children an online community where they can learn about deployments, recognize and share feelings, and develop coping skills.

Psychologists from the DOD’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology developed the site to build on military kids’ strength and resilience, especially as they deal with the unique stressors of military life.

“We felt by connecting military kids with each other, through providing peer-to-peer support, they’d be able to build on the resilience they have already and learn new coping skills to deal with deployments,” explained Kelly Blasko, a psychologist from the center, dubbed T2.

The site features tools for all stages of the deployment cycle -- from predeployment through reintegration.

To help prepare kids for an impending separation, the site includes an interactive map that offers information on numerous deployment locations. The aim here is to “give them positive information, rather than the negative information they hear on the phone or on the news,” Blasko said.

“We tried to focus on the fact they get increased responsibility at home [during a deployment], as well as new routines, because their parent is gone,” she said. “We developed activities around that.”

The post-deployment section deals heavily with the reconnection process upon the service member’s return, Blasko added.

While the sections share a common theme, site developers customized information and activities to best suit children’s age-specific needs. They created tracks for three different age groups: 6 to 8, 9 to 12 and 13 to 17.

“We wanted to develop content around the different challenges that these kids face during the different phases of deployment,” Blasko explained.

Kids react to deployment-related stress in different ways, she noted. Teens may isolate more, act out, and may even get involved with drugs and alcohol. Tweens often rely on their parents for feedback and acknowledgement, and when a parent is absent, that can create a void. And younger children may regress due to anxiety, she added.

“The focus really is on the kids and providing them with coping skills for the different challenges they face,” she said.

Blasko said they came up with the idea for the site after noting a marked gap in resources for military kids dealing with deployments. T2 offers a deployment website called afterdeployment.org for troops, veterans and their families, with a module for parents helping children with deployments. But that wasn’t enough, she said.

“We realized that helping children with deployment was actually larger, and that particular module didn’t really address the issues that military children face,” she added.

Experts believed a site dedicated to aiding kids through the deployment cycle “would be an incredible contribution to help kids with this challenging time,” she said. To gain ideas from a military kid’s perspective, they hosted a series of focus groups with children 9 to 17 about what they’d like to see on the site.

“One of the things they felt was missing was an online military kids community,” Blasko said. “We developed an online social network forum where [teens and tweens] can post comments and get replies -- where they can share things about deployment.”

To further the dialogue, the site features videos with military kids and their parents discussing situations they’ve dealt with and the coping skills they’ve employed.

In one video story, a soldier talks with her three daughters about their feelings when she deployed to Afghanistan. They discussed how they felt when she left and their experiences while she was gone.

“I felt kind of sad at first,” one of her daughters said, “but I knew she was helping other people, so it kind of eased away my pain inside.”

Other popular add-ons include sections where students can create scrapbooks, participate in instructional and video vignettes, and in interactive games that wrap around the deployment cycle.

One of the site’s most-popular features is a section where kids can select the weather and time from among the six most common deployment locations. Once selected, the information always shows up on their home page. This enables the kids to feel a connection with a parent deployed, for example, to Afghanistan, Blasko noted.

As kids progress through the site, they can earn passport stamps in a virtual passport by completing games and activities.

While the site is geared for the younger generation, adults shouldn’t hesitate to log on, Blasko said. A parent module explains behavioral changes they should keep an eye out for and parenting strategies they can employ to help their kids through tough times.

The site also features a module for educators to raise awareness of military children’s challenges and to help educators recognize in-school behaviors that may indicate deployment-related anxiety.

Blasko acknowledged concerns regarding Internet safety for the online kids community. Developers kept this in mind throughout the process, she said, and have exceeded security requirements. For example, parents must give permission for children to use the message boards.

“We have been working really hard to provide a safe online community for these kids,” she said.

With the site’s first iteration under way, experts already are forging the path ahead. For the next version, they’d like to focus on three areas, Blasko said. First, they’d like to improve the online parent-child interaction, perhaps by having parents provide a stamp of acknowledgement when their child is on the site. They’re also hoping to engage deployed parents more by offering a game the deployed parent and child can play together.

Next, they’d like to focus on post-deployment, which is often the most difficult time of the deployment cycle, Blasko noted.

“So many changes occur during deployment for the kids and parents,” she explained. “When they come home, just getting back to the family routine gets very difficult and even more difficult if there’s been post-traumatic stress disorder or some type of problem that results from deployment.”

Finally, they’d like to enhance the site’s teen content. “We really think it is certainly an at-risk population, and [we want to] be sure we give them as many skills to deal with anxiety as possible,” she said.

Blasko said the project has been rewarding both professionally and personally. “I really admire military kids and the strength that they have given the different challenges they face,” she added. “It really is an honor to serve them some way through the website and connecting them with other kids, and parents.”

One of the nice things about the website, she noted, is that it teaches coping skills now. “They can carry that through their whole life and deal with things that come up that we can’t even anticipate,” she said.

George H.W. Bush CSG Homecoming Goes Social: Streamed Live on Internet

From U.S. Fleet Forces Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- When the nearly 6,000 Sailors of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWB CSG) return from a seven month deployment to their homeport of Norfolk Dec. 10, Navy friends and families will be able to see it live on the internet.

To enhance the homecoming experience, the Navy is using social media to allow individuals to participate virtually, while encouraging those present to share their experience from the pier.

Navy family, friends and fans may view the homecoming of USS George H.W. Bush live via the U.S. Navy Facebook page (www.facebook.com/usnavy) or on the Navy Livestream channel directly at http://www.livestream.com/usnavy on Saturday beginning at 10 am EST.

Livestream is a web based platform that the Navy and other government agencies use for real time audience engagement by streaming live video and chat over their social media properties. The Navy has found this type of technology useful in sharing events and experiences predominantly located near the coast with interested viewers who are unable to attend in person.

A Foursquare event entitled "George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group Homecoming" has also been created for in-person attendees to "check-in" to. Foursquare, is a location-based social networking site for mobile devices where users "check-in" at events or venues by selecting from a list the program locates nearby. The Navy intends to use this type of engagement platform for fleet events like deployments and homecomings as well as community outreach events like Navy and Fleet Weeks during its upcoming bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812.

The homecoming, as well as the seven-month deployment supporting operations with the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th Fleets, will be highlighted and discussed on Navy and command specific Facebook and Twitter accounts as well. The Twitter hashtag for this event will be #GHWBCSG.

Pentagon Official Addresses WikiLeaks, Social Media

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2011 – The WikiLeaks episode underscores the need for government-wide laws and policies that address the unintended consequences of “technology at the intersection of national security,” Douglas B. Wilson, the Pentagon’s lead communicator said yesterday.

WikiLeaks.org group posted more than 90,000 documents, many that detailed field reports from Afghanistan as well as Pakistan’s relationships with the Taliban.

Wilson, assistant secretary of defense for Public Affairs, spoke about Wikileaks and social media issues with interviewer Vago Muradian on “This Week in Defense News.”

“I think the most significant lesson to come out of this is that technology -- and particularly technology at the intersection of national security -- has outpaced the policy and the law necessary to address the unintended consequences,” Wilson said.

“Classified information is classified information, and releasing that information is illegal,” he said. “But I think that we have a lot to do in government to understand that we need to be focusing much more on policy and much more on the laws that we need to think about to address what have been very unintended consequences of technological advance.”

Even as social media revolutionizes information-sharing, the Defense Department’s communications strategy boils down to the responsibility of being transparent and timely without jeopardizing the safety and privacy of service members and their families, Wilson said

“The issues that we face every day at the Pentagon involve two factors,” he said. “One, how do you deal with the press and public openly, credibly, in a timely manner and honestly? How do you provide facts and the truth, by the same token understanding that we’re responsible for our men and women in uniform who are in harm’s way in many places? How do you make sure that there is not unintended consequences of information which can put them further in harm’s way and affect their safety and the privacy of their families?

“Those are the issues that frame everything that we do,” Wilson said.

These enduring principles apply regardless of the communications format, and whether it’s through traditional or evolving media, he said.

Wilson said he recognizes how the advent of social media revolutionized the way people around the world -- including those in the Defense Department -- communicate.

Social media “provides instantaneous, real-time ability to reach broad numbers of people and to communicate quickly and effectively,” he said. “When everybody is equipped with the social media tools, it’s a very effective means of communication.”

Wilson noted the use of social media as an organizing and messaging tool in the Middle East in recent months.

“We’ve seen that in terms of sectors of societies in the Arab world which had not had that kind of communications across those sectors before being able to mobilize very quickly,” he said.

Unlike in that past, where a finite number of elites around the world defined messages, social media provide a voice to anyone, regardless of what they have to say and whether they are friend or foe.

“You can have religious extremists from Florida to Yemen say things and do things that are going to have international impact,” Wilson said.

That makes it an imperative, he said, for communicators at the Defense Department -- and across government as a whole -- to be able to explain policies in ways that people find credible.

Twitter, Facebook and other social media, Wilson said, are among the many communication tools that DOD employs, including print and broadcast media, the Internet and personal communication.

Social media “is not an end in itself. It is a tool of communications,” Wilson said. “It’s a way to communicate, and you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the tools of communications in order to be effective … I don’t believe that there is any panacea in communications.”

Navy Moms Website Earns Top Award for Social Media

By MC2 (SCW) Michael B. Lavender, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command Public Affairs

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Navy Recruiting Command's (NRC) "Navy For Moms" website was awarded the Optimas Service Award for 2010, at a ceremony held in Chicago, Ill., March 24.

Rear Adm. Craig Faller, commander, Navy Recruiting Command; accepted the award citing the benefits of using the web as a platform for people to share their Navy experiences.

"Our families are passionate about the pride they have in their sons and daughters serving in America's Navy," Faller said. "This passion shared through social media has grown beyond anything we could have imagined. Families of current Sailors sharing information with families of future Sailors really helps answer many of the questions about life in the Navy. Our recruiters are always available to answer questions, but when parents or even grandparents share their own experiences, it's really powerful."

The service award is given to the organization whose workforce management leaders have created an initiative to help another constituency within the organization meet its business goals. The U.S. Navy won for an outreach program to mothers, to help recruiters meet their enlistment goals.

The Optimas Award was created by Workforce Management and recognizes initiatives that create positive business results for organizations.

Since March 2008, when it was established, the website has attracted a network of 36,000 mothers who talk about subjects ranging from fear and loss to birthday gifts.

NAVYForMoms.com was created for the mothers (and loved ones) of those who are currently serving or considering serving in the U.S. Navy. Since its establishment in March 2008, more than 36,000 members have used the website to discuss issues with others who share common concerns.

The content on the webpage is member-driven. Questions are asked and answered. Moms share with fellow moms their fears, dreams, personal experiences and even birthday gift ideas. The ultimate goal is to provide an environment of understanding, comfort and belonging to all involved.

"I am overwhelmed by how much this website has meant to me," wrote one Navy mom. "It carried me through boot camp … and most importantly, stood in my shoes when my son was seriously hurt last March, in Florida. I went on the site and put out an SOS for moms to be with him until I could get there from Connecticut. The response was unbelievable. I am forever grateful to the moms and dads who rushed to his side. This forum is what has been needed for so long. We've had our group on Yahoo for about 19 years, but this is the type of thing that was needed most."

"I'm proud of what we've been able to do with this social media community, because it's an important part of our global force for good," Faller said. "In this case, the 'good' comes from shared experiences by our Sailors and their families. We often hear about Sailors helping Sailors throughout the Navy. Well, NavyforMoms is literally families helping other families."

NRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy recruiting regions and 26 Navy recruiting districts which serve hundreds of recruiting stations across the country.

With 70 percent of the world covered in ocean, 80 percent of the world's population living near coasts and 90 percent of the world's commerce traveling by water, America's Navy is very much a global force for good. NRC's mission is to recruit the best men and women for America's Navy to accomplish today's missions and meet tomorrow's challenges.

Social Media and Law Enforcement

Editor's Note:  While specifically geared toward law enforcement organizations, military organizations will find much of the information valuable and applicable.

On February 18, 2010, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with Lauri Stevens on Social Media and Law Enforcement.

Program Date: February 18, 2010
Program Time: 1700 hours, Pacific
Topic: Social Media and Law Enforcement
Listen Live: http://www.americanheroesradio.com/social_media_law_enforcement.html

About the Guest
Lauri Stevens “is an interactive media professional with over 25 years of media experience. She is the Department Chair of Web Design & Interactive Media at The New England Institute of Art (NEiA) in Boston, a position she's held for over ten years. During her tenure at NEiA she has written several bachelors’ programs, served on NEASC accreditation review committees and visiting teams, and chaired several groups to further the college's mission.

Lauri is passionate about the Internet, the web, social media and helping law enforcement leverage these tools to help them do their jobs, connect with their communities, and promote their departments. Having used the net since the mid-80s, before the web existed, makes her one of the first fraction of a 1% of people in the world on the net.

She holds an MBA in eBusiness from Bentley University, an MS in Mass Communication/Communication Technology from Boston University, and a BA in Political Science from Clemson University.”

About LAwS Communications
LAwS Communications has been providing web design and interactive media advice to law enforcement since 2005. They “offer media expertise at all levels, traditional and interactive. LAwS Communications specialize in offering consultative services in the world of web 2.0 (and beyond) to law enforcement agencies. Web 2.0 and Open Source communication technologies available today allow organizations to efficiently gather and distribute information like never before. Many law enforcement agencies are catching on to and using the new social media technologies. LAwS Communications can help make sense of the tools available, help your agency craft a plan and social media policy as well as provide the training needed to get your organization running. LAwS Communications can help law enforcement organizations not only understand why your organization should take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies, but also how to leverage these vast resources.

The agencies that are effectively using these tools are shrinking their communities, improving communication with citizens and enhancing their reputations through the transparency provided. Other agencies are developing sophisticated methods for investigation, crime solving and prevention. Police departments, in particular, have an opportunity to better educate their communities about who they are and what they do and to therefore increase and improve communication with the public they serve.”

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
http://www.americanheroesradio.com/social_media_law_enforcement.html
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530