Sexual Harassment/Discrimination Training Needed

[majdomke]

I've been looking and looking from something official from CAP that has sexual harassment and discrimination training for cadets. Zero... The only training appears to be for the adult side of the program. While this is important, we are leaving off a huge portion of our members. What I'm seeing more and more are cadets who don't understand the legal boundaries of what is inappropriate touching or dealings with the opposite sex. This goes for both male and female cadets. I'm also seeing discrimination play out with regards to females in a position of authority or due to age. While these may seem to be trivial adolescent issues that will "work their way out eventually", I feel we are setting our cadets up for future issues in the workplace or military by not addressing this now. Now I can sit down and talk with cadets one-on-one or as a group, but there really needs to be training materials at the national level for these issues. I'm talking about training materials intended for the teenage audience, not adults. I work for a major corporation and we are required to attend sexual harassment/discrimination training annually. These are online courses and they last 2-4 hours with no way of skipping through them. They have real world situations with videos scenarios to enhance the training. I think a lot of what the cadets need is just some real life training to help open their eyes. Because of their home environment, upbringing or school experiences, they may not realize their actions are wrong. If they keep it up, they are going to end up being fired or court martialed in the future. If anyone has some training materials they use or know of, intended for teenagers, please share it with the group. If anyone at the national level is reading this, please understand there is a serious need for this type of cadet training. I certainly don't want to reinvent the wheel or spend months of my own time creating this training if someone else out there has it already or national is working on their own. Thanks for your advice and support on this issue.

[EMT-83]

Per CAPR 36-1...

Familiarization with CAP's Equal Opportunity program will be included in all new-member orientation/training programs (i.e.: Level I for senior members and phase 1 for cadets).

[notaNCO forever]

Per CAPR 36-1...

Familiarization with CAP's Equal Opportunity program will be included in all new-member orientation/training programs (i.e.: Level I for senior members and phase 1 for cadets).

That's more for discrimination than harassment.

[majdomke]

Per CAPR 36-1...

Familiarization with CAP's Equal Opportunity program will be included in all new-member orientation/training programs (i.e.: Level I for senior members and phase 1 for cadets).

You've seen that EO training right? I took it as required in April but it really isn't geared towards younger audiences nor does it have the breadth of training younger adults need. For the majority of adults, we have had numerous training classes over the years by various employers and the military. For the cadets, this will most likely be their first time... They need something stimulating, all-encompassing and engaging to reach them.

[Eclipse]

The last thing we need is more time wasted in training no one will pay attention to.

Our cadets, per the program, are children, adolescents at best.  The responsibility for their behavior, up to the day it no longer says "cadet" on their ID card, lies with the seniors in their AOR.  Adolescents do not reason before most actions, while most adults do.  That's why there's a legal differentiation in the outside world as well as a regulatory one in CAP between adults and children.

Kids these days are hammered left and right about behavior, touching, etc., and in a lot of cases the disparate programs don't even agree - preschoolers are taught to "hug it out" when they fight, then they walk into a public school, try to hug it out and get in trouble for "inappropriate contact".

If a child has not learned what sort of touches are inappropriate by the time they are 12 years old, little we can do is going to make a difference in an online course.  The discipline instilled in a properly run program should go far enough and not provide too many opportunities for nonsense.  If the commanders are running a program that is more like a rec center than a paramilitary program, that's on them.

As far as discrimination goes, its still a mans world, and run by the older kids - that's a fact of life, again not something you're going to fix in CAP.  In fact, if anything, our program encourages participation in leadership roles by female members, both cadet and senior, and more so than most similar non-military programs (BSA, GSA, etc.).  The facts of the universe are that female cadets generally have to push harder and louder than their male counterparts, partially because the rest of their world does not reinforce the alpha-"male" mentality required for command. 

Our program is objective in everything required for progression, so if you are seeing discrimination in your ranks, again that's a local issue, and since command and staff slots are generally subjective appointments by the seniors, training cadets in EOT isn't going to mean much.

If you've got an issue in your unit, perhaps some reinforcement of customs and courtesies training, or several focused Character development sessions on the specifics you're concerned about.

Kids are kids, and it will work itself out, except for the legit hard cases who probably don't belong in CAP anyway.

[majdomke]

Thanks Eclipse... I wasn't really looking for online training... I agree that isn't going to work. I was looking more for training videos, PowerPoint presentation, etc that can be taught in a classroom environment with the cadets.

[Eclipse]

We don't need those, either.

[sparks]

Lt. Domke, check "Required Staff Training" contained in CAPR 50-16

http://capmembers.com/cadet_programs/library/required_staff_training.cfm

[Eclipse]

RST is specific to encampments for those in positions of authority, and in general is discouraged from being presented to rank and file cadets.

[majdomke]

RST is specific to encampments for those in positions of authority, and in general is discouraged from being presented to rank and file cadets.

Agreed, while the training covered is valuable, it geared towards encampments or other training lasting 4 days or longer. And then, staff only. It also only covers Hazing although harassment is mentioned.

[FW]

Ok, some times I feel I shoudn't read this stuff.....

For cadets, we have something much better than Sexual Harassment/Discrimination Training.  It's called Character Development. (Moral Leadership for you older folks).  That and, the general harassment cadets are under from their peers is usually all which is needed for somewhat normal life as a cadet

Adding all the "other stuff" is, IMHO, not worthy of consideration.  Cadets have it hard enough already.

[majdomke]

For cadets, we have something much better than Sexual Harassment/Discrimination Training.  It's called Character Development. (Moral Leadership for you older folks).

To quote CAPChap from a different topic regarding sexual harassment:
"By its very nature, the Moral Leadership program is values-neutral, and designed to help cadets learn to think through moral and ethical decisions."
There's no chapter there for sexual harassment.

[jeders]

For cadets, we have something much better than Sexual Harassment/Discrimination Training.  It's called Character Development. (Moral Leadership for you older folks).

To quote CAPChap from a different topic regarding sexual harassment:
"By its very nature, the Moral Leadership program is values-neutral, and designed to help cadets learn to think through moral and ethical decisions."
There's no chapter there for sexual harassment.

No, there's no "chapter" for sexual harrasment, but you already have the solution to your dilemma. If your ML/CD program is working properly, then a cadet should know the right decision to make when they're in a situation where sexual harrasment (or any harrasment/discrimination for that matter) might take place.

I hardly think that we need to do more touchy-feely let's all get along and sing cumbaya (sp?) type training.

[majdomke]

So let me get this right... somehow the 45 minutes spent each month on the ML training will turn ALL the cadets into fine upstanding citizens? So, sexual harassment is unimportant and doesn't deserve special training? I'm sorry but the touchy-feel and cumbaya crap is demeaning. If you have nothing productive to add to my post, and I didn't ask for dissenters, then get off it. I asked for what people are already doing... read the post or find some other poster to harass.

[majdomke]

For those who need further clarification... I'm sorry to vent like this but I've been on this site for some time now and I get sick and tired of people who have nothing better to do than ridicule or demean someone else's post. I see this time and time again with cadets who take their chances and post here. They are generally ripped to shreds by these forum vultures. I'm an adult and I won't sit back and take it. I made a post because I needed advice from fellow CP people. I didn't ask for debate my need for materials. I've been CAP for some eight years now and I'm fully aware of what's out there from NHQ. I asked for constructive information and most importantly, I asked for people to contribute what they already have. If you have nothing nice to say, find some other forum to post to. It's odd that I need to address something I would characterize as harassment on a post about dealing with harassment. Enough said.

[jeders]

For those who need further clarification... I'm sorry to vent like this but I've been on this site for some time now and I get sick and tired of people who have nothing better to do than ridicule or demean someone else's post. I see this time and time again with cadets who take their chances and post here. They are generally ripped to shreds by these forum vultures. I'm an adult and I won't sit back and take it. I made a post because I needed advice from fellow CP people. I didn't ask for debate my need for materials. I've been CAP for some eight years now and I'm fully aware of what's out there from NHQ. I asked for constructive information and most importantly, I asked for people to contribute what they already have. If you have nothing nice to say, find some other forum to post to. It's odd that I need to address something I would characterize as harassment on a post about dealing with harassment. Enough said.

And you got it. You got information on what was out there and what other squadrons are doing. I personally don't believe that we need to spend more time on a subject that is already, IMHO, taken care of through ML and the CP in general. And if you don't want dissenting opinions, then perhaps you should go down to the Carribean and buy yourself a little island and name yourself Generalisimo Supreme. If no one here ever gave a dissenting opinion, then we would have far more problems. I can't tell you the number of things that I have gotten help on just from reading dissenting opinions and the debate that insues on here and on CS.

If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry, but to say that we're harrasing you is a bit much. And if we are going to teach about harrasment and discrimination, then let us first teach what true harrasment and discrimination are, because I can tell you that no one here is being harrasing.

So let me get this right... somehow the 45 minutes spent each month on the ML training will turn ALL the cadets into fine upstanding citizens? So, sexual harassment is unimportant and doesn't deserve special training? I'm sorry but the touchy-feel and cumbaya crap is demeaning.

I never said that it would turn every single cadet into a fine upstanding citizen, but, combined with the various other aspects of the CP that we are teaching, it will make every cadet capable of making the decisions that lead to becoming a fine upstanding citizen. If after we teach and train, they still make bad decisions, there's nothing that a harrasment specific course will do to stop them. That's why we have laws and jails.

And you're right, wasting time on touchy feely stuff is demeaning.

[FW]

For cadets, we have something much better than Sexual Harassment/Discrimination Training.  It's called Character Development. (Moral Leadership for you older folks).

To quote CAPChap from a different topic regarding sexual harassment:
"By its very nature, the Moral Leadership program is values-neutral, and designed to help cadets learn to think through moral and ethical decisions."
There's no chapter there for sexual harassment.

There is no chapter on murder either.  However, the program is designed for cadets to understand moral and ethical standards/behaviors which should be held by all.  So, neither harrassment, unlawful discrimination, or other unacceptable behavior will be expressed or tolerated.

And, even though a squadron is expected to provide 45 min./month, the program should be followed 24/7.  We expect much from our cadets.  Just ask Eric Boe or Hilla Levy next time you see them.