AIRMEN & FAMILY READINESS COURSE AT MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE
ByKate Abbate
The purpose of Military REACH is to mobilize research and promote family readiness by making research accessible and practical. One way Military REACH aims to mobilize research is by engaging the professionals who have direct contact with military families. Last week the Military REACH team was invited to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL to speak at the Airmen and Family Readiness Centers (A&FRC) Course. The A&FRC Course is a required training for recently hired Family Readiness Consultants to ensure they are well informed about the resources available to them while working with Airmen and their families. The REACH team spoke with Consultants about the purpose of Military REACH, ways to access research (e.g., MilitaryREACH.org, Monthly Newsletter, social media), and the importance of linking research to practice. At the end of the session, the group collaboratively brainstormed tangible ways to promote a culture of evidence-based practice at A&FRCs.
Two examples they came up with were:
1. starting off team meetings by discussing a key finding from a particular TRIP report and
2. ending e-mails with a key finding they learned during the week.
Military REACH is thankful for opportunities to share our mission and vision for bridging the gap between research and practice with professionals like Family Readiness Consultants. To learn more about Military REACH, visit our website at MilitaryREACH.org.