SD Military Family Collaborative

For those who call San Diego their new Duty Station, military families often come in with excitement ready to explore their new surroundings, meet new people, and hit the beach! But what some families may not be aware of is that this duty station can come with its own set of unique challenges in terms of knowing where to turn for support when times get tough and understanding how to navigate life off base as most live within different pockets of San Diego. So, the number one thing that service providers hear from military families when faced with a challenging situation is, “I don’t know where to start…”. As often is the case, it can be overwhelming coming into this region, experiencing the high cost of living, and knowing where to turn to if you run into a snag. This may include needing emergency financial assistance, identifying childcare, seeking food assistance/diapers if in a pinch, or the many more situations that arise as a result of military family life. These reasons sum up why the San Diego Military Family Collaborative (SDMFC) was created.

SDMFC’s STORY:

In 2010, SDMFC came together as a grouping of 6 military service organizations, led by nonprofit SAY San Diego, who felt that they all could do more to support military family life by coming together to share resources and information allowing military families to easily gain access to services. Over time, SDMFC has grown to represent over 150 active participating organizations dedicated to supporting San Diego’s Military Community through SDMFC’s mission of “Education, Advocacy, and Engagement” in an effort to “Build a Stronger Military Community.” In this effort, SDMFC convenes a community of Service Members, Military Spouses, DoD Partners, Government Reps, and Nonprofit Organizations who together collectively reach over 1,000 individuals annually through workshops, convenings, and communications.

CONVENINGS:

How is all that possible? Well, through collaboration, no pun intended. SDMFC utilizes monthly convenings to discuss issues impacting the military community like “Spouse Employment, EFMP resources, Relationship Building, Mental Health Services, and Youth-Centric Programs/Activities for Military Youth!” For these topics, we bring in “Boots on the Ground,” organizations that can share trends from what they are seeing among military families in need of their services. Through expert panels, networking, and activities SDMFC’s audience forges interconnections and collectively amass support so that when a family is in need, they are better informed of who to turn to for support and easily get plugged into a resource or program. A first-time Service Member Participant shared, “I had no idea that all of this existed.” All are welcome to attend convenings on the 4th Friday of each month from 1000 - 1130.

WORKSHOPS:

Not only does SDMFC convene monthly, but also offers workshops for military family engagement related to two primary fields: Transition from the Services, an Mil teen/parent forums to discuss “tough to talk about issues.”

SDMFC’s transition workshop called, “Military Transition: the Spouse Edition,” is intended for military spouses to learn the “Roadmap of Transition,” so that the family can be prepared for all decisions regarding their transition to civilian life as service members do not transition alone. SDMFC creates a virtual workshop with speakers from DoD partners and community members to help families navigate the challenges of transition so that more conversations occur prior to hanging up the uniform. Participants have tuned in from all over for this virtual program offering including up the coast from duty stations in Central/Northern California, Washington, to East Coast including Virginia and Florida, and spanning as far away as Pacific Samoa. One military spouse shared, “Glad I started the learning process early. This will be a lot to move through and having enough time to not be overwhelmed/miss something is comforting.”To register, visit:

www.sdmilitaryfamily.org/transitions

SDMFC’s mil teen/parent workshops are called, “What I Wish My Parents Knew,” and is a way for teens to share insights into their world and express how topics like, “Relationships, Stress, and Next Steps Following Graduation,” impact their lives. There, parents can better understand how these challenges present themselves in their child’s life and allow them to learn from student leaders who voice concerns, insights, and successes. Community experts on the topics also share new st rategies and approaches to communication for parents. These listening sessions for parents can open new doors to communication channels that may have been closed by their child so that conversations can once again occur at the dinner table instead of being caught behind their smartphone. A parent participant shared, “Student presenters speaking from their own personal experience are quite articulate and very insightful.”

COMMUNICATIONS

Finally, SDMFC offers a great opportunity to learn more about community programs and resources from our bi-monthly newsletters and social media platforms. To get connected, visit: www.sdmilitaryfamily.org/sdmfc-newsletter/ or follow our handle on social media: @sdmilfam.

All are welcome to participate in all program offerings at no cost, so connect with us TODAY to experience and support a “Stronger Military Community” together!