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NEWS | March 20, 2019

New Resilience Curriculum

By Senior Airman Anthony Nin Leclerec 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Neuroplasticity, as defined in MedicineNet, is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. It allows the nerve cells in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.

Throughout life, people experience personal and professional challenges on a daily basis. These challenges can escalate into serious problems if not overcome in time.

Resiliency skills assist leaders at all levels to identify challenges and provide the tools to overcome them.

“The old term used to be ‘bounce back,’” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert Berman, Langley Air Force Base lead master resilience trainer. “Well even Chief Master Sgt. Of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright said last year in his conference that resiliency is a skill that needs to continue, but his thought process was that instead of bouncing back, which is reactive, use resiliency skills to push through.”

According to Berman, most people are capable of overcoming major life obstacles; the issue lies in the day-to-day tasks that bring us down. The skills from this resiliency training help people analyze themselves in the situation and push through.

“Something I’ve had to teach senior leaders is that we’re going to pay if we don’t help our Airmen be the best that they can be across all the domains of their life; you’re going to pay one way or another,” said Otis West, MRT facilitator. “I can promise you, if we pay on the front side it’s a lot less costly than if you pay on the back side after some mal-adapted behavior transpires.”

During a resilience training March 19 at Joint Base-Langley Eustis, Virginia, West explained the new resilience curriculum to a group of master resilience trainers. The new curriculum focuses on giving Airmen tools that, through daily practice, will help them self-calibrate and overcome challenges and hardships.

“The most important thing that an individual sitting in a resilience class can walk away with is the skill,” West said. “If that is not what they walk away with, we are failing as MRTs, because my story is not what’s going to help them deal with whatever challenge or adversity they’re facing in their life, it’s their ability to apply that skill.”

According to Carole Barton, Langley AFB installation resilience manager, these skills are going to help Airmen perform better, be healthier and make better decisions. The direction the Air Force is taking with the new curriculum is to not just be reactive but also proactive.

“Let’s say you and I work together, knowing these tools and these trades. If you’re having a bad day, as a supervisor I should be aware,” Berman said. “I have the tools to identify some of the issues and help you reprocess some of the things you’re going through. We’re all a team, with green dot and suicide prevention, we all work hand in hand and if you look at the new Air Force instruction, we are all together for a reason.”

According to West, these tools will help Airmen build self-awareness about how different events drive their reactions and take advantage of the brain’s neuroplasticity to retrain and take control of said reactions and how they’re affected.

For more information on the new resilience curriculum, call 757-225-6082.