Erin Mezek
2020-2021 National Mentoring for Leadership Ambassador
Feeling Safe and Welcome
Being an Auxiliary Member should be a fun, exciting and fulfilling experience of serving our veterans and their families. However, we have Auxiliary members, both new and legacy, leaving and not looking back because of the way they were treated or made to feel, either through words, lack of words, actions or social media posts.
This is a hard topic to address and even more so to talk about – the cliques, bullying and/or harassment that goes on in our Organization. We, as members, do not want to believe this type of behavior is happening, or we may not even realize it is going on, but we can make a positive change and a difference. Not just for our Organization, but for our communities.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. It was created by PACER in 2006 as a one-week event which has now turned into month-long effort to encourage everyone to take an active role in encouraging personal and community responsibility to prevent bullying.
Auxiliary meetings, events and social networking sites should be free of the following:
- Intimidation
- Humiliation
- Hostility
- Harassment of any sort: verbal, physical, visual
- Other unpleasantness
Have you ever felt any of these things? Has it stopped you from attending meetings or functions? Say something – return to meetings; I can bet you are not alone.
Auxiliary meetings, events and social networking sites are places where we should:
- Feel Included/Welcomed
- Make Everyone’s Ideas Matter
- Show Kindness
- Give Respect
- Be Free from Retaliation
Remember your “WHY” and remember the veteran you joined under. It is our responsibility to make everyone feel safe and welcome in our Organization. Set an example for future generations that will carry on our legacy. By doing our part and showing kindness, we will be better people and a better, stronger Organization.
