301 FW teen leads support network

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Samantha Mathison
  • 301st Fighter Wing
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  Fifteen-year-old Elie Chavez, a member of the Air Force Reserve Command Teen Leadership Council, invited teenagers of Airmen across the 301st Fighter Wing to attend a bowling party here Oct. 3, 2015.

Chavez coordinated the event to connect teens of military families to one another and show the support available to them.

"I help with awareness for Air Force teens and hopefully I'm going to start doing a support group," she said. "My role is to make teens aware of the benefits they have for the Air Force and the teen summit camps that we get to do."

A Teen Leadership Summit is how Chavez started on her journey to become an AFRC Teen Leadership Council member.

In 2013, Chavez attended the Teen Leadership Summit in Estes Park, Colo. The summit focused around leadership development and informed teens about services and programs available to them as Air Force dependents.

"We talked about the teen council," she said. "They already had the council set up for that year, so I did the application for this year. At first, I wasn't convinced I would get in, but I took a shot and they accepted me."

The council consists of 14 to 17 Air Force Reserve teenagers from across the nation, according to Chavez. They meet every third Thursday to discuss events and come up with ways to help AFRC teenagers through deployments and military moves.

"One of the ways we're trying to work out is when students transfer. They don't know anyone in their new public school, so we're trying to see if we can get them in contact with a teen at the new school before they come," she said.

Chavez has personally faced some challenges as a teen dependent. Her mother, Capt. Stacy Chavez, 301st Operations Support Flight intelligence officer, had been absent for a total of three years due to deployments and temporary duty assignments away from home.

"During those absences, she has learned how to cope," her mother said. "I think it's great she wants to share those experiences and educate other teens on programs designed to support them. I am very proud of her."

Chief Master Sgt. Terry Goines, 301 FW Command Chief Master Sergeant, understands the importance of family health within a unit.

"Elie's work is crucial at the 301st Fighter Wing. Teenage children of military members face unique challenges that can be difficult for families to handle. If our Airmen are worried about their kids, it means they're not as focused on the mission as they could be. The work of the Teen Leadership Council helps to relieve that worry, which then bolsters the mission," he said.

Chavez strives to do just that.