JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The Army Family Team Building program celebrated its 21st birthday at the Army Community Service at Fort Eustis, Virginia, Dec. 16, 2015.
According to Nikiesha Virgil, the AFTB program manager, the program is open to all members of the Joint Base Langley-Eustis community, and is a volunteer-run program designed to teach family members the skills and resources needed to become self-reliant, self-sufficient and resilient members of the military community.
"The purpose of the AFTB is to help Soldiers, family members and civilians become better well-rounded individuals," said Virgil. "We teach family members about military life and how they find their place in that life. We also teach them how they can become a part of and function in a military environment, and how to better leaders, not only, in terms of a professional environment but also in their families, communities and organizations, in which they belong."
Beginning in 1992, the AFTB concept started between senior leaders and spouses who saw a need to educate family members on military life. A policy letter was signed by the then U.S. Army Chief of Staff, General Dennis J. Reimer, and Sergeant Major of the Army Richard E. Hall, Dec. 19, 1994, declaring the AFTB as an official Army program.
Organized in three different levels of classes, the first level teaches basic information about the Army. Family members, civilians and some Soldiers are taught how to maneuver through daily challenges by learning acronyms, utilizing community resources, attaining financial readiness and understanding the mission of the Army.
In the second level, the module teaches participants how to not only improve personal relationships and communications, but the importance of stress management. Dealing with crisis, grief and unexpected change is also very important in this set of classes, said Virgil.
The third and final set of classes helps participants tap into their leadership skills through effective communication techniques and the ability to mentor others.
"Soldiers have access to [many] resources that enable them to really understand their place in the military," said Virgil. "This program is designed to give an in depth focus on the family members' needs and how those needs change."
For the last 21 years, the AFTB has remained flexible in its teachings as a way to consistently meet the needs of family members by undergoing periodic reviews and updates. Changes in duty location, job stressors and deployments can all take a toll on one's family.
The classes, which can be taken more than once, help family members and Soldiers understand change in not only in their personal lives but in the military as well.
"People often need the skills to deal with that ever-changing, constantly evolving environment," said Virgil. "Our courses not only help people understand change but also adapt to it. This great service given to our family members is to essentially help them grasp what the Soldiers might go through."
Whether it is a Soldier who already knows the rank and structure or the mission of the Army, to a new spouse who is coming in, most say they have learned something, said Virgil.
"In my opinion, the goal of the AFTB is to enable the individual to thrive in not only a military environment but as a citizen of the world," concluded Virgil.
For more information, to volunteer or to sign up for classes, call the ACS at 878-3638.