Leaders issue Green Dot Challenge

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The office of the specialist for the primary prevention of violence here will collaborate with local commanders and directors Jan. 18 to kick off the Green Dot Chip Challenge.

Organizers hope the locally devised challenge encourages and inspires Hanscom employees to do a proactive Green Dot action before Jan. 25.

“A proactive Green Dot action is something you say or do to make it clear to people in your life that power-based personal violence is not okay with you; and, on our installation, we look out for each other and get involved,” said Dawn Andreucci, Hanscom’s prevention specialist.

The goal of the Green Dot program is to engage each of us in the effort to create a safe community, free from violence, she added.

Beginning when employees arrive Jan. 18, commanders and directors will hand out Green Dot chips to employees. Employees are then encouraged to accept the chip and perform a proactive Green Dot action.

Andreucci said a few examples of proactive Green Dot actions include but are not limited to the following:

• Displaying an awareness poster in a work center
• Sharing a Green Dot message or relevant link to social media
• Initiating a conversation with a mentee, friend or family member about violence prevention
• Having something from the Sexual Assault Prevention Response office displayed at work
• Volunteering at a local social service agency
• Having a conversation with a coworker about ways to look out for each other
• Sharing a Green Dot success story
• Saying “good morning” to a coworker, smiling or asking how their day is going
• Displaying a positive or hopeful message at work or at home

Those who participate are encouraged to post their Green Dot action on the prevention specialist SharePoint site at https://org.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/66ABW/PS/Lists/Join%20the%20Discussion/AllItems.aspx. Users can click on “Green Dot Challenge,” then click the “reply” button on the far right to post their Green Dot action.

“We hope that the posts on the SharePoint site will inspire people to live in a way that supports the value that violence is not accepted,” said Andreucci. “Together, one individual at a time, with one small action by each of us, we can re-set cultural norms and lead the way in social change.”

Andreucci said she hopes to receive more than 100 Green Dot action posts on the SharePoint site.

The office of the specialist for the primary prevention of violence was created last year with the mission of integrating violence-related primary prevention programming across the installation. Green Dot is the cornerstone of the Air Force’s new strategy.

Andreucci highlighted that Green Dot is different from past prevention strategies.

“Instead of focusing on what not to do, we focus on what we can do,” she said. “We’re given realistic tools that empower us to take action within our own comfort zones. This challenge provides examples of ways we can continue that dialogue and make a difference in our community.”

To learn more about the Green Dot program, or the Green Dot Chip Challenge, contact Andreucci at 781-225-2753.