MilSpouses – Where were you April 27-29? If you weren’t attending the fifth annual Virtual Military Spouse Symposium, hosted by the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program and the Department of Defense, you can catch what you missed here: https://myseco.militaryonesource.mil/portal/archived/6!
Over 3,600 military spouses were challenged to ‘Reflect. Explore. Act.’ to find meaning, joy and ultimately career and relationship fulfillment. Spouses had this to say about the symposium:
- “It gave an overview of the many uses of Military OneSource. It offered support and encouragement for spouses. The panel discussion with spouses was wonderful in accomplishing peer-to-peer support and guidance.”
- “The community and the advice! To know we aren’t alone with the things we are going through and dealing with as we support our spouse who is serving or who has served is such an amazing thing!”
- “Interaction with the presenters and other participants helped me get over my feelings of being alone in my struggles.”
- “Learning about all of the resources available to military spouses (the self-care, financial, career and relationship resources). I am a new military spouse and this was very enlightening to me.”
- “I want you to help me prepare my resume. Listening to you makes me want to take on the world.”
MilSpouses joined from across the globe, representing locations in the United States, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Guam, Ghana, Peru and Italy. Military OneSource explored self-care and spouses learned to create their own unique brand. SECO career coaches focused on helping spouses find their passion, be their own boss and make it all happen. They also helped spouses understand and master the federal job search, tell their unique story with their resume and interview powerfully.
The highlight of this year’s event was the first ever Relationship Summit, dedicated to helping spouses learn how to manage work-life balance and use skill-building exercises to have candid conversations with their spouse. The military spouse panel, Real Relationships: The Voice of a Military Spouse, was the hit of the day! Take a listen when you get a chance.
- “This was a spectacular session! Good nuggets presented that will assist in my marriage. Thank you again.”
- “I personally loved everything the panel had to offer! Thank you so much for holding this!”
- “I really enjoyed hearing the spouses’ experiences and their insightfulness.”
- “The panelists were open and honest. Being a military spouse is challenging but with the right resources we can thrive.”
- “Thanks for the conversation today. It was an eye-opening experience. I learned new ways of communication and relating to my spouse.”
- “Absolutely loved today’s webinar! Would love more like this.”
- “This session was THE most important and most helpful I have had yet! This saved my marriage and gave me so much hope that I CAN do this! These panelists kept it real and they gave me some of the best insights into an otherwise unspoken of life!”
- “Really enjoyed meeting and hearing from these military spouses. Real life examples are so helpful! Appreciated their own personal experiences.”
- “I love this panel and the information they brought to the conversation. I wish I had this info years ago. Love it!”
Don’t forget to access the VMSS 2021 Participant Guide, designed to help you get the most from these sessions. This guide provides you with the opportunity to complete exercises to keep the momentum going!
