Marine Corps Family Team Building

Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB) offers training opportunities to help Marines, Sailors and families successfully meet the challenges of the military lifestyle. Registration is required for MCFTB programs. For more information or to register, visit mccsokinawa.com/mcftb.

Family Readiness Program Training

Family Readiness Program training includes classes and workshops for all Family Readiness Command Team members, including appointed volunteers. These classes offer foundational information on the Personal and Family Readiness Program. OPSEC and PII training workshops are also available. Deployment and Uniformed Readiness Coordinators serve as the unit’s primary point of contact for nominating and registering participants for workshops.

For commands to meet mandatory training requirements from HQMC, Family Readiness Program Training classes and workshops are offered on a monthly basis as well as by unit request. LifeSkills Training and Education

LifeSkills Training and Education Program provides the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges of everyday life, the military lifestyle and heightened operational/deployment tempo. LifeSkills trainings enhance personal and professional development and include workshops such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Leading at the Speed of Trust and Unconscious Bias—all from the wellknown Franklin Covey series. Service members and their families may also attend workshops that are a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense series, which provide participants with an opportunity to become certified briefers, instructors or facilitators. The LifeSkills Training and Education Program also includes workshops focused on communication, teamwork, emergency preparedness and building healthy relationships, to include the monthly premarital seminar and PREP workshops.

These workshops can be tailored for family members as well as for units (by request).

Readiness & Deployment Support Training

Readiness and Deployment Support training provides resources and support for Marines and their families during each phase of the deployment cycle, from pre-deployment through the reintegration process. Pre-deployment workshops are offered at the unit level and to Individual Augmentee (IA) Marines and Sailors deploying from Okinawa. Mid-deployment programs include Beyond the Brief— a series of workshops that focus on finance, stress management and nutrition—and Kids and Deployment, designed to help children and parents cope while a service member is deployed. The post-deployment Strong Military Couples workshop highlights important problem-solving and communication strategies to assist with the reintegration process. Readiness and Deployment Support also serves as the point of contact for managing the MCCS Okinawa benefit program known as the Deployed Spouse Benefits Card Program and IA Welcome Home packages for Marines, Sailors and their families who are deployed in support of ongoing operational commitments.

L.I.N.K.S.

Lifestyle Insights, Networking, Knowledge and Skills (L.I.N.K.S.) is a mentoring program for Marine and Navy family members in a “by spouses, for spouses” atmosphere. L.I.N.K.S. workshops provide insight into military life, giving family members a place to network with other military families while

discovering available resources and ways to thrive in the military lifestyle. L.I.N.K.S. sessions are available for kids, teens, spouses, Marines, parents and Japanese spouses. Classes are offered as one full-day session or two half-day sessions. For more information about any of these programs visit mccsokinawa.com/mcftb or contact MCFTB at 645-3689.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering is not only a meaningful and enriching experience; it is also a good résumé builder. MCCS Volunteer Program Coordinators match volunteers with volunteer opportunities on island based on volunteers’ schedules, interests, skills and goals.

The Volunteer Program is open to all military personnel, families, spouses, youth, veterans and civilians. It includes one-time, shortterm and long-term opportunities on and off all camps Okinawa-wide. A sample of the opportunities available includes coaching youth sports, helping at special events, beach and park clean-ups and volunteering at local orphanages and homeless shelters. The Volunteer Program Coordinator helps track and verify hours, and hours logged online could earn a volunteer (13 years or older) a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

To learn more or to get plugged in, please contact the Volunteer Program Coordinator at volunteer now@okinawa.usmc-mccs.org or 645-3749. Support for Navy Personnel and Families

MCFTB actively supports and provides outreach to all U.S. Navy personnel aboard Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa (CFAO) and their tenant commands, Commander Task Force 76 (CTF-76) at White Beach and the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa on Camp Foster. Outreach includes support to IAs and sectional briefs in areas such as Deployment Readiness, Deployment Support, Homecoming and Reintegration, Return and Reunion, Ombudsman Training and L.I.N.K.S. for Navy Spouses. For more information about these programs, email mcftbokinawa@ okinawa.usmc-mccs.org or call 645-3689.