Q&A
Strategies for engaging younger veterans
0:43:44
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137 sec
Commissioner James Hendon outlines various strategies to engage younger veterans, focusing on early intervention and digital outreach. He emphasizes the importance of connecting with veterans during their transition from military to civilian life.
- Efforts to contact veterans immediately upon indication of separation from the military
- Use of D-214 separation paperwork to identify and reach out to new veterans
- Increased focus on social media and digital communications, resulting in a 54% surge in platform impressions
- Diversified outreach strategies including direct mail, text messages, and traditional media
Kristy Marmorato
0:43:44
I just want to know, what what are you doing to outreach to younger veterans?
0:43:47
Because I feel like as I go to these organizations and the legions and the the veterans organizations, I feel like the medium age is kind of a little bit higher up there.
0:44:01
And I was just wondering how how what are we gonna do to get the younger veterans involved?
James Hendon
0:44:06
Well, I think one piece of it is it's that one year when someone leaves a military If they're not tethered, you know, that's something that, you know, it's called a deadly gap as far as the incidence of suicide in our community are significantly higher in that 1 year post leaving the military with them.
0:44:25
If no one grabs them as they transition from military to civilian life.
0:44:29
And so we're trying to route more of those folks.
0:44:31
And so that's why it's so important as far as those were just transitioning that literally as of this morning now when someone indicates, and it's a d d 2 648 form.
0:44:39
It's a pre separation checklist.
0:44:40
When they indicate, I'm getting out of the army, the navy, air force marines, etcetera, and I'm going to New York.
0:44:45
We get that information, so we can start to communicate with them right away.
0:44:48
So this is a way for someone to not fall into the shadows.
0:44:52
So that's one thing that we're doing.
0:44:53
Another thing is, you know, we we do have the d 214, as I mentioned, So once the the separation paperwork is actually processed, as soon as it's processed, each week, we get that information.
0:45:02
So we're able to try to put hands on folks who are just coming to us.
0:45:06
Another area of penetration for us is trying to reach out to more veterans through social media.
0:45:10
And so just wanna, you know, call out the efforts of our comms team, our press secretary, our digital communications manager, Chuck Rivera and Curtis O'Val, who, you know, looking at just the most recent MMR report, a mismanagement report that's gone out, that the impressions across various platforms have surged by 54%.
0:45:26
From f y 23 to f y 24, more than 4 74,000.
0:45:31
And just things that they've done to just expand outreach and marketing efforts digitally and through other memes, which we've seen move the needle.
0:45:39
Even online site visits to the DBS website is a 21% increase from the previous year.
0:45:45
And it's really about diversified strategies.
0:45:47
You know?
0:45:47
So when we say diversified, we are talking about direct mail, you know, traditional outreach, informationals, text messages, social media print newspaper.
0:45:56
But when it comes to online piece, we pray that that's a way for us to bring more of our younger veterans into the frame.
Kristy Marmorato
0:46:01
K.
