In Partnership with the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and the Arizona Coalition for Military Families
Prescott, Arizona — Are you a military veteran and life weighs on your shoulders? Do you have difficulty adjusting to civilian life or do you experience heightened stress or frustration?
Yavapai College wants you to know you are not alone. You can "Be Connected."
VET Services with Yavapai College reports that the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and the Arizona Coalition for Military Families have partnered to develop a statewide network known as "Be Connected."
This is to ensure veterans really are helped by schools, businesses and organizations which claim to provide support to veterans, service members and military families in our communities.
"Veterans nationwide have a much higher suicide rate than the overall national average," says Scott Nardo, manager of Yavapai College's VET Services. "This indicates their need for a variety of social support is great."
The Arizona Veteran Supportive Campus (AVSC) certification is in place to ensure that institutions of higher education have a basic level of knowledge, training and support in place. That way military-affiliated students have a greater chance of success in attaining their educational and career goals.
"With this certification, and the legitimacy that accompanies it, Yavapai College is included in the 'Be Connected' network as a vetted source of support for veterans seeking to improve higher education," Nardo points out.
Through the AVSC certification, Yavapai College provides a single point of contact for veterans and service members: the VET Services office.
"The staff is knowledgeable about the various types of education benefits available to veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as where to go in the community for other kinds of benefits and support and how to leverage college and community resources for the success of veterans and their dependents," Nardo said.
In addition, military sensitivity and awareness training is offered through the Arizona Coalition for Military Families and is required for both staff and students at a certified VET Services.
"Awareness training is a key component of the AVSC certification, and for good reason," Nardo said. "In most cases, military personnel are recruited at a young age and so make their psychosocial transition to adulthood while in the rigid, hierarchical, and mission-centered culture of their service branch."
For some veterans, when they get out of the service, then they must learn “adulting” skills for civilian life, which does not have the same mission, structure or supports.
"This transition from military service to civilian life can be overwhelming," Nardo said. "In many cases, they are simultaneously facing this transition while also facing monumental changes in their family relationships, loss of peer connections, learning how to navigate college or university rules and expectations, and just figuring out a direction for their lives outside of the military."
That is not even considering possible traumatic experiences vets may have faced during their period of service, and the visible and/or invisible wounds from which they might be suffering.
Veteran and military awareness training provides a foundation of mutual understanding for veterans and nonveterans to understand each other.
"We stress that each individual brings not only challenges but also unique and significant strengths to the learning environment," Nardo said.
The four elements that comprise C.A.R.E. (Connect, Ask, Respond, Engage) guide institutions in supporting military and veteran students. The C.A.R.E. framework provides guidance to training institutions in how best to listen to and respond to the needs of their military-affiliated students and communities.
"It ensures that Yavapai College has ways to elicit feedback and hear about the needs of its military-affiliated students," Nardo said.
It helps them maintain connections with veteran-related support in the community such as federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, health and mental health services and basic needs.
"The goal is to foster a culture of support at the school that ensures each student has access to the help they might need when things get tough, before that need becomes a crisis," Nardo said.
Resources:
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.
