Fort Leavenworth's new SHARP Academy held its first graduation of the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and Victims Advocate (SARC/VA) Baseline Certification Course Friday in the Grant Auditorium of the Combined Arms Center's headquarters.
This milestone marks the first time that the seven-week SARC/VA certification course has been conducted at Fort Leavenworth since being relocated from Fort Belvoir, Va. Four Noncommissioned Officers and 28 Army Civilians received their certification in the course.
The SHARP program is a comprehensive integration and transformation of the Army's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) training efforts. The mission of the Army's SHARP Program is to eliminate sexual harassment and sexual assault throughout the force. It is a mission that both students and cadre of the SARC/VA course take very seriously.
"The Army recognizes that to provide compassionate and effective support to victims, it is important for professionals such as SARC/VA specialists to complete all required training and receive official certification," said Robert Lewis, one of the course facilitators and narrator for the graduation. "Knowing that the SARC/VA specialist is certified will provide a level of assurance to victims that they are supported by trustworthy professionals who understand their needs."
Students in the class reiterated that while understanding the administrative steps involved in providing for victims is stressed, the most important aspect of their new certification involves understanding the emotional needs of those who have been harmed by sexual assault and sexual harassment.
"Being new to this program, this course prepared me to not only understand the forms and administrative details, but I now know how to best provide support to victims going through the most difficult circumstances," said Master Sgt. Natasha Hoyle, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) for Aviation Missile Command, Letterkenney Army Depot, Chambersburg, PA. "The class provided me with all of the tools I need to go out and do this job."
Another theme that is key in the minds of the graduates is trust, both as a key ingredient to an effective Army, but more specifically as a trusted asset to both commanders and those who have been harmed.
"What we are asking you to do, with compassion and professionalism, is vitally important and it will make our Army stronger," said Kirby Brown, the Deputy to the Commanding General of the Combined Arms Center and guest speaker for the class graduation ceremony. "These kinds of negative actions [sexual harassment and sexual assault] destroy the moral fabric of what we do in defending our nation…they strike at the fabric of trust and it is trust that makes our Army Strong."
Graduates of the course said they feel empowered to go out and take on this responsibility knowing that they now have a toolkit of information and a network of support to help in their fight against Sexual Assault.
"This course included students from both CONUS and OCONUS, and now I have access to teammates worldwide who I can share best practices with," said Jeffrey Lopez, victims advocate for Fort Huachuca. "The Army needed weapons in this fight against sexual assault and we, the graduates of this course, are those weapons."
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