MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Low unit morale is extremely costly, resulting in poor work performance, missed work time, burnout and eventually military separation.
Investing into morale and comradery events can be beneficial to the mission but sometimes pricey. What if this ultimate goal of making work more rewarding and enjoyable free?
The Unite program, initiated in 2018 by the Air Force Services Center, helps accomplish this goal in creating unit cohesion by offering and funding team building events and community-based activities for members on base.
“The Unite program provides commanders with funding to initiate events and activities that benefit their unit,” said Ronald Stark, 35th Force Support Squadron community cohesion coordinator. “This program benefits all active duty, reserve, civilian (appropriated and non-appropriated employees) and local national (Master Labor Contract and Indirect Hire Agreement) directly assigned to the unit.”
Unite funds can be used for activities and food but must be recreational and cohesive in nature. They can be used on events that focus on morale and comradery, developing new skills or competency, providing an opportunity for fun and relaxation, improving physical fitness, and promoting interaction between team members and cohesion within the unit.
“The Unite program enables us to create a wide variety of events to participate in,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jud Magat, 35th Fighter Wing first sergeant. “I’ve seen units do paintballing and snowboarding, to events like the beach cookout and volleyball competition we’re hosting. These resiliency events allow us to improve the teamwork and comradery we share across our unit.”
The amount of Unite funds distributed across the Air Force are based on the number of personnel assigned to each unit.
“Each unit has its own funding available and our goal is to always spend 100% of it by the end of the year,” Stark said. “At the end of the day it’s free money given to the commanders for Airmen resiliency and team building, so I always advocate for people to spend it.”
Stark expressed that Misawa Air Base was able to make major strides in utilizing this program for the past two years and hopes to maintain the high participation in the future.
“We were able to use 75% of our funds in 2020 and 95% in 2021, making Misawa the number one biggest Unite spender for the past two years,” Stark said. “I hope we continue to maintain these numbers and take advantage of this resiliency and team building opportunity.”
The recreational activities available through the Unite program allow Airmen to take care of each other's comprehensive mental, physical, social and spiritual fitness.
“I see how hard everybody on this base works to get the mission done,” Stark said. “The dedication and effort everyone displays motivates me to reach out and try to get everybody involved in this program.”
For more information on the Unite program, individuals may contact their Unite representative or call the program manager at 226-9158.
Visit, https://35fss.com/unite/ to submit a request.