The Director of the Navy's 21st Century Sailor Office, Rear Adm. Karl Thomas, hosted more than 70 command climate specialists at this year's Navy Military Equal Opportunity Professional Development Training Summit at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI), July 25-27.

During his remarks Wednesday, Thomas highlighted the important roles command climate specialists play.

"You cannot underestimate the significant role you play in the Navy's effort to eradicate destructive behavior from our service," said Thomas. "You must foster a culture of prevention, response, and accountability. None of this is easy, but you won't be alone as this is a leadership team priority."

The theme of this year's summit is, "Policy, Prevention, Performance," and highlights policy changes, best practices, workshops, and introduces One Love and Sailors Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (S.A.S.H.A.).

"The foundation of the Military Equal Opportunity program is treating others with dignity and respect," said Mr. George Bradshaw, Director, Navy Sexual Harassment Prevention and Equal Opportunity. "The One Love workshop uses peer facilitators to lead small discussion groups based on a video scenario in order to learn potential warning signs and discuss actions that could have been taken. By equipping the Command Climate Specialists to be facilitators of One Love, we believe they can be "change agents" to help reduce relationship violence."

The One Love workshop, inspired from the One Love Foundation, begins a conversation about healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors by creating social consequences for abuse and empowering individuals to help themselves and their friends. The workshop has been instituted at over 400 colleges and universities, including the U.S. Naval Academy, and is being piloted to the Fleet with the goal to provide young Sailors with the tools to create a movement that changes the statistics around relationship violence and ultimately save lives.

S.A.S.H.A. is a grass roots organization created in 2013 by Master-at-Arms 1st Class Michael Campbell and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Shasta Campbell when they were stationed in Sasebo, Japan.

"It is great to see our bright young Sailors getting involved and making a difference," said Thomas. "Part of prevention is to create a climate where offensive and crude behavior, unwanted sexual attention, coercion and sexual harassment are not tolerated, ignored or condoned. These two Sailors present a sterling example of stepping up to educate and help their fellow shipmates."

The Navy's 21St Century Sailor office integrates the Navy's objectives for equal opportunity, Sailor personal and family readiness, physical readiness, alcohol and substance abuse prevention, suicide prevention, sexual harassment prevention, sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR), hazing prevention and transition assistance.

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