PLT Airmen Support ADAB Community, Bolster Violence Prevention

  • Published
  • By MSgt Dan Heaton
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing

A team of volunteer Airmen at Al Dhafra Air Base are working to ensure their fellow Airmen have the tools they need to maintain a positive environment during their deployment.

“I know the stressors I have and I want to help ensure that people have the tools they need to deal with those stressors in a positive way,” said Airman Rachel Liverman, a volunteer on the Peer Liaison Team, or PLT.

The PLT brings together volunteer Airmen from around the base, including officers and enlisted personnel from dozens of units around the base. The organization operates with support and guidance from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Mental Health, Chapel, and Equal Opportunity offices.

The PLT’s objectives are:

• Proactive engagement rather than passive tolerance. PLT members are doing many little things in this regard, including actively trying to engage people in conversations to ensure that Airmen are heard.

• Setting, respecting, empowering, and modeling boundaries to create a better climate of dignity and respect.

• Helping Airmen get the right help at the right time. This includes ensuring that Airmen first know what help is available.

• Keeping track of the pulse of the ADAB community.

• Creating proactive efforts and events for the prevention of interpersonal and self-directed violence, also known as ISDV.

“I think of it like sharing all of the positive that might come out of a briefing, without having to sit through the briefing itself,” said Liverman, a member of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Air Control Wing and a member of the Emergency Management office at ADAB.

Meghan Root, SARC at ADAB, said the PLT is working to engage with Airmen and to ensure that every Airman is heard and has the tools they need to have a successful and safer deployment.

“While we are developing events and outreach that we hope will allow people to have fun, this isn’t just about boosting morale,” she said. “We want people to know the resources that are available to them and build prevention skills. Someone may be dealing with an issue from their past, or maybe there is tension at the workplace. The PLTs can help people connect and learn skills to address concerns before they escalate.

For information on how to become a member of the PLT, or for assistance with an issue, Airmen can contact Meghan Root at 380aew.sarc@adab.afcent.mil. Direct contact links for the SARC, Chapel, Mental Health, and EO offices are also available on the 380th Wing App.