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Airman's Council: Leading on our level

By Airman 1st Class Caleb Buenconsejo, Airman's Council President / Published February 27, 2014

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MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The Airman's Council is possibly one of the most influential private organizations at Malmstrom Air Force Base. It is a resource for base-wide and community volunteer events, self-development for Airmen in the pay grades of E1 to E4 and improving the quality of life for Airmen.

The 5/6 Alliance Mentorship Committee director, Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Ayala said, "The Airman's Council is one of the most active private organizations on Malmstrom Air Force Base."

As the "eyes and the ears for Airmen," we are proactively operating to fulfill the needs of our Airmen. One of the things we have identified as a problem is the lack of direction or person of advice (mentor) to guide an Airman through their career. That was when Airman 1st Class Angela Smith, Airman's Council vice president, created a self-improvement program called Speed Mentoring.

Speed Mentoring is similar to speed dating. Except instead of potential dates, we have mentors from E-5 to E-9. The idea is for Airman and NCOs to talk and ask any questions they feel they could not ask their Airmen/supervisors. It allows an Airman to see what the cream-of-the-crop NCOs look like and what they do. This interaction generates a driving force for Airmen to improve their career/experience, and also serves as a motivator for the seasoned NCO's to enjoy their lives at Malmstrom. This past January, 18 NCOs and 22 Airmen were paired up for quick mentoring sessions. The response from both Airmen and NCO's was substantial enough for us to continue this on a quarterly basis.

One of our goals was to increase the frequency of volunteer events and increase the overall participation across the base. The way we accomplished this is by teaming up with other private organizations. Some events we have done are quarterly midnight bowling with the Airmen Dorm Council; trick-or-can (canned food drive), coat drive, Wing Sports Smackdown with the Company Grade Officers Association and quarterly BTZ and Beyond classes with the 5/6 Alliance.

Quality of life is important to us and we always look for things Airmen can do to have good quality fun. Some of the things we have done to improve quality of life are a Halloween party, pool party and a 90's themed party.

Our monthly meetings are the last Tuesday of every month. The next one is scheduled for March 25. We will be electing a new council at the end of the meeting. We are looking for a few motivated individuals who want to jump-start their careers and make a difference on base and in the community of Great Falls. Any Airman in the pay grade of E-1 to E-4 is able to run for the following positions: president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, events coordinator and assistant events coordinator. Candidates will be elected by their peers.

If you have a troop or are an Airman that wants to make an impact on this base, please contact the Airman's Council president at (808) 551-0215.
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