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National Conference – 2009 (NACON)Article & photos by Mel Borofsky, Editor, SITREP |
NACON 2009 – Training Sessions
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Student Training |
Chicago, August 28 and 29. Training is the backbone of our organization. Most Auxiliarists joined the organization for this purpose. NACON presents a venue where many different and, quite often, training programs that are not available elsewhere. Quite a few 1st time attendees said that the training opportunity was the big draw for them.
It is impossible to go into detail the seventeen different workshops presented over a two day period. It should be noted that each workshop was presented twice so Auxiliarists could attend up to four these two days.
Briefly these workshops were:
ICS 210 This is a required workshop for operational Auxiliarists. It delved into the Incident Command System and some of the required paperwork A mandatory test followed the instruction.
Exploring Alternative Revenue Sources A presentation on how different public education courses can be used in lieu of standard PE courses.
Grant Writing for the Auxiliary Unit Experts presented the means for flotillas to use grants to subsidize income for operating programs and special projects.
Recruiting: Best Practices Always needed in any organization, obtaining new members. The means to insure that members get full benefit of their membership in the Auxiliary and other means to retain members was discussed.
New Member Symposium Discussions on Auxiliary career paths, uniforms, basic courtesy and protocol and the many benefits of membership were presented.
Leadership Development Senior leaders presented a workshop laying the foundation for a path of leadership. Questions including, what is expected in terms of time and commitment, training, and what Coast Guard and Auxiliary courses are available were answered.
Social Media Discover An introduction to the “what is it” and the usage of services such as Skype, blogging, U-Tube, Moogle and more was presented.
Meet the Directorates and National Staff A workshop that described what the National staff is working on and developing to assist the Auxiliary at all levels. Attendees were able to interact with the National staff on what support is needed and clear the air of potential problems.
Crisis Communications A workshop and discussions on how to communicate with the public when decisions must be made quickly with limited information.
Diversity within the Coast Guard Family This training is a requirement for all new members and a refresher for other members who sat in for the workshop.
Introduction to AUXCHEF An overview explaining how we can support for specialized Coast Guard missions, including the preparation, planning and procurement of food in large quantities was presented.
OPSEC Mr. John Goebler, Coast Guard Office of Security Policy and Management presented program applications from routine radio communications to computer security concerns, including email and Web requirements.
Public Affairs Interaction with the Media The session was conducted to re-enforce knowledge of Coast Guard and Auxiliary procedures while talking to news media.
Spills, Thrills, and Chills: Hazardous Materials Management This session addresses what to do if you find materials that have the potential of becoming dangerous to water supply and or persons who come in contact with them.
National Weather Service Professionals were on hand to introduce the latest about the National Weather Service Marine and Coastal Services programs.
Interpreter Workshop Members of the International Directorate instructed bilingual members on how they could offer their linguistic skills to the US Coast Guard and other agencies of Homeland Security.
~GJA