The North Dakota National Guard presented its first ever Passport Toward Success (Passport) program on Saturday, Oct. 6, aided by community volunteers and guided by Military Family Research Institute staff and consultants.
While their parents attended a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration event, 29 North Dakota children and youth ages 5-17 gathered at the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties to experience the day-long interactive program specifically designed for youth who have experienced a parent’s deployment.
Passport aims to build resiliency skills such as communication, feelings management and stress management, and offers families options to build family resiliency skills after the event is over.
“The dedicated North Dakota National Guard staff, including Robyn Keller, the state family program director, and Beth Sandeen, the lead child and youth program coordinator, showed great enthusiasm about providing Passport Toward Success,” said Kathy Broniarczyk, director of outreach at MFRI. “Bringing the program to the state was a clear priority for them. More than 20 volunteers — many of whom received college internship credits – helped to make the event a great success.”
Saturday’s Passport marked the first time another state’s National Guard had offered the program. MFRI tailored it to North Dakota’s needs, conducted face-to-face, pre-event training for volunteers, and offered further support onsite. MFRI Outreach Coordinator Christy Flynn, and consultant Chris Urbanowski, a Passport master facilitator, both attended the event and aided volunteers as they worked with the youth during the day.
MFRI wwweloped Passport with input and support from the Indiana National Guard and Lilly Endowment Inc. Since its creation, more than 500 children and youth have attended Passport events. North Dakota National Guard will present a second Passport Toward Success event Oct. 27 in Bismark.