Washington, D.C., Sept. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Star Families (BSF), a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting military families and strengthening communities, will host a two-part Campaign for Inclusion (CFI) Report Release and DEPLOY (Diversify and Expand the Pipeline Of Leaders Of Your Military Community) Graduation event. This event will showcase the release of pivotal findings from the 2024 Blue Star Families CFI Research and the graduation ceremony for the 2023-2024 DEPLOY Fellows, Cohort 3. The Unity in Diversity: Fostering Inclusive Communities for Veterans & Military Families event will take place at The Helix, Booz Allen’s Center for Innovation, on September 10, 2024 at 2 PM ET.
The DEPLOY Fellowship Program is a dynamic one-year, task-oriented paid program designed to build a pipeline of diverse and talented leaders within military and Veteran service organizations. Existing research indicates that military families of color, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and people from a lower socioeconomic status are less likely to hear about support and resources for challenges by which they are disproportionately affected, like financial distress, housing insecurity, and food insecurity.
Culminating their work in the program, each fellow will present innovative capstone projects highlighting their contributions to enhancing the support network for military families. The graduation ceremony will honor their dedication and achievements in advancing the goals of CFI in terms of DEI and community integration.
“Blue Star Families remains deeply committed to advocating for change through our Campaign for Inclusion. Our research, which has informed more than 100 stakeholder briefings with more than 2,000 attendees at various levels — local, state, national, and military — continues to drive important conversations and actionable solutions. Blue Star Families is dedicated to integrating these findings into our internal operations, organizational strategies, and community programs as we continue our work to foster a more inclusive military community,” said CT Moss, Director of the Campaign for Inclusion at Blue Star Families.
The highly anticipated CFI Research Report, Unity in Diversity: Fostering Inclusive Communities for Veterans & Military Families, will also be presented, providing a comprehensive overview of key findings related to the experiences of diverse military families, with a particular focus on bridging gaps between civilian and military communities and actionable recommendations in each community to cultivate and nurture inclusive environments for all. The release will feature a rich panel discussion with community leaders from each community, as well as distinguished speakers from Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs officials, and corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) partners. This dialogue will address how civilian and military communities can collaborate to support diverse military families and bolster the overall strength of the armed forces.
“A sense of belonging is critical for military family resilience, but it can be harder for diverse military families to feel a sense of belonging in communities that lack diversity. This report uncovers the strategies and resources military families use to connect with others and build that sense of belonging, and what communities can do to set the conditions for connection and belonging for all military families,” said Jessica Strong, Senior Director of Applied Research at Blue Star Families.
The importance of this research series is further highlighted in policy change as a result of findings. A significant outcome of the 2021 Campaign for Inclusion report was the inclusion of new language in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act, requiring ROTC programs to collect race and ethnicity demographic data. This policy change, driven by our findings that students of color are underrepresented among ROTC scholarship recipients and officer corps accessions, is a crucial step toward addressing these disparities at their roots.
We invite stakeholders, including community leaders, military representatives, and DEI advocates, to join us for this pivotal event as we work together to strengthen the bonds between civilian and military communities and enhance support for all military families. Register here to attend the event.
Adriene Engstrom Blue Star Families (844) 202-7827, ext.4 media@bluestarfam.org
