New Green Dot program in effect at Dyess

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shannon Hall
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A new program was implemented across the Air Force at the beginning of 2016 to help reduce instances of Airmen being harmed.

Green Dot is an interpersonal power-based violence prevention program designed to shift the culture of Air Force installations and communities in order to reduce, and ultimately, eliminate violent situations some Airmen face. This includes not only sexual violence, but also domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse and bullying.

“This program equips Airmen with tools to recognize warning signs, develop intervention options and proactively change norms,” said 1st Lt. Michael Billups, 9th Bomb Squadron scheduling officer and Green Dot trainer. “It’s the first step in a long-term, comprehensive primary prevention strategy.”

The Air Force began implementation of Green Dot in February, with leadership receiving their initial training in June and a base-wide overview and bystander training beginning in August.

“It is a great feeling to help our Airmen understand the importance of stopping violence,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Ly, 7th Logistics Readiness Squadron deployment and distribution flight commander. “We are having real conversations and helping people see a different perspective, so that we can improve how we handle these situations.”

Green Dot is also used at universities, high schools, municipalities and other Department of Defense agencies and has proven to be effective according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There has been a 17 percent reduction in violent attacks at universities, 50 percent in high schools and the program has saved 1.1 million man-hours in training.

“This training allows everyone the chance to intervene, even if they have barriers and do not want to be directly involved,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Sedilko, 7th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operations supervisor. “You are shown how to delegate someone else to step in or create a distraction, that way you still stop a moment in time where someone could’ve been hurt. This training is beneficial for everyone.”

Losing an Airman to a violent act affects an entire base, and the entire Air Force. Airmen should coordinate with their unit training managers and unit deployment managers to schedule Green Dot training.

“Airmen will always be the critical component of successful mission execution,” Billups said. “When we create a culture where Airmen operate without fear of interpersonal violence, we enhance their ability to focus on mission execution.”

For more information on this new violence prevention program contact your group Green Dot representative.