enrichment program aimed at increasing the awareness and appreciation of
the U.S. Army mission in the hearts and minds of the Italian professionals.
The program focuses on Am... VIEW ORIGINAL
application forms with Wesley A. Leisinger, USAG Italy deputy garrison
commander, and Romina Chemello from the Directorate of Human Resources, for the host-nation workforce enrichment p... VIEW ORIGINAL
In an effort to better integrate Italian civilian employees into Army culture, U.S. Army Garrison Italy is sponsoring a competitive workforce enrichment program focusing on American Military Italian Civilian Integration, called AMICI.
"AMICI, which means 'friends' in Italian, is a pilot project that aims at increasing the awareness and appreciation of the U.S. Army mission in the hearts and minds of the Italian host nation employees," said Wesley A. Leisinger, deputy to the garrison commander, who is spearheading the initiative for USAG Italy.
"We do a great job in the Army developing Soldiers and civilians to take on various challenges associated with service to our nation," Leisinger said, acknowledging though, that, "What is often overlooked is the host nation workforce overseas and how critical they are to the Army mission."
Hence, a desire to think out of the box and test a new program focused on Italian professionals. Program creators are hopeful the opportunity will engage local national employee motivation to drive positive change within the Army community.
"The program is open to all permanently assigned, appropriated and non-appropriated funded host-nation employees of the U.S. Army in Italy working within the Vicenza and Darby Military communities, including tenant organizations," said Cara Panzarella-Tarr, AMICI program coordinator for Army Community Services.
Applications are being accepted from Jan. 16 thru Jan. 30. More information may be found at www.italy.army.mil/amici.asp.
"Interested candidates will submit a self-nomination packet that includes an application form, updated resume, statement of interest and supervisor endorsement," she said.
Panzarella-Tarr added that applications will be evaluated by a review panel that will screen for the best participants, with seven to 10 Italian professionals selected to participate in the pilot program.
AMICI is slated to debut around mid-March when selected employees start engaging in fun, knowledge-building activities for 10 days spread out over a four-month period. The hands-on training and real-time, real-life understanding of the Army mission in Italy requires participation in activities taking place on Caserma Ederle, Caserma Del Din, Longare, Aviano and Camp Darby.
The program will challenge participants to get out of their comfort zones and engage in tasks outside their current job assignments, said Panzarella-Tarr. They will tackle activities in four categories: Warfighter Training, Warfighter Readiness, Soldier and Family Support, and Community Connections.
One goal of the AMICI program is for participants to experience a "Day in the Life of a Soldier," where they will gain valuable insight on the needs of their customers. Having the chance to learn what happens in other organizations allows attendees to get a better understanding of the "big picture" and see how they fit in it.
"For many of us who work the daily grind, we may lose sight of how our efforts link with other components to complete a piece of the mission puzzle," Panzarella-Tarr said.
Italian employees will experience firsthand how the services they provide make a difference in the way the Army takes care of its Soldiers and their families. Ultimately, Leisinger added, they will see how their contributions sustain the mission of the U.S. Army here and support warfighter readiness.
"This is critical for communities overseas," he said, "where traditionally the continuity of the mission has relied heavily on the hard work and commitment of the host nation workforce. They are truly the backbone of the American military abroad."
Panzarella-Tarr said the ideal AMICI pilot project participant possesses integrity, a strong motivation to understand the Army mission, a genuine enthusiasm about their job and an aptitude for critical thinking.
"If a potential participant and his or her supervisor sees the candidate as fitting several of the aforementioned descriptions, I highly recommend applying for the AMICI program. It will definitely provide interesting and fun moments which will last for a lifetime," she said.
Italian Base Commander Col. Umberto D'Andria said the initiative calls for stakeholder support from U.S. units across the community, as well as from the Italian military.
"The project is a modern and forward-thinking idea," he said. "The actual integration between the Italian and American community is a shared priority, and this initiative fully meets that challenge and will allow us to achieve goals that were unthinkable before now."
D'Andria added that the path to integration goes through exchange opportunities and requires an open mind. "I believe the way the project has been structured will bring results that are both significant and enduring because they are based on effective sharing and understanding of different roles and activities."
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