Twenty-two Veterans a day give in to their struggles and opt for suicide. You’ve seen people do push-ups to bring awareness to Veteran suicide. While “Red shirt Fridays”, “Cops Lives Matter” and other social media campaigns are great, they might bring awareness, but do they make a difference?

Trident Warriors primary purpose is to provide first and foremost, Combat Veterans and their Service Members, Veterans, their loved ones, and civilians, an opportunity to:

Relieve pressures veterans experience during transition or post deployment.
Instill or regain self-confidence by learning and advancing in a healthy activity of SCUBA diving.
Build a community with other divers.
Begin a lifelong activity that can be done with other veterans or as a connection point with family, friends, veterans and strangers. It is the one activity where few people focus on your title, social, religious or economical status and care mostly about where you have been in the underwater world and what you have seen. The social barriers are removed and make for a very inclusive environment.
Assist with coping mechanisms for anxiety and stress.

For the past 2 years, Trident Warriors has focused its efforts on changing lives one person at a time. Driven by committed partnerships with diving shops, creating diving related events, and inviting veterans and members of the public to participate. We have been working on reaching out to other organizations seeking ideas and advice. We are building on our public persona to become the leading dive club for members of the public that support our cause, Service Members and Veterans, working successfully to improve awareness, veterans mental wellbeing for not only these individuals but also their family members. We are new but already we have reached more people, including professionals, through training, presentations, the website, and social media. We are building a strong and dedicated team of supporters, volunteers and members.

Trident Warriors is proud of its work in the past 2 years. It has not been easy, there have been a lot of lessons learned and we are certain there are still a whole lot more coming our way. But as veterans we are used to obstacles and climbing over them, sneaking round them or going straight through them. We must celebrate our work, but we have a lot more to do. It is our duty to help to identify and fill in certain gaps that have stressed the mental health system. These challenges should not rest on the medical system, nor the government. Trident Warriors is ready, willing, and able to lift these public-private partnerships as we look forward to the next five years. In 2024 we feel that it is time to take the next step and look to the future to move us into the next phase of development.

In looking toward 2024, it became clear that our goal should be to deepen our commitment to our mission. By this, we mean expanding our membership, strengthening the voice of our members, building a stronger dive club, creating collaborative relationships and deepening our reach to diverse communities, and addressing the unique needs of specific populations. Trident Warriors will continue to be a leader in creating change, but we will also look to serve new people and strengthen our funding sources and hire staff.

Trident Warriors will continue to focus its work on THREE core areas:

Our THREE core areas of focus are to: 1-Support: provide program support to Service Members, Veterans and their families; 2-Educate: furthering an understanding of the benefits of diving, that builds resiliency and recovery; and 3-Organziational Development: set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure stakeholders are working toward common goals.

What sets us apart is that we are open to all generations of veterans from all nations, we provide free diver training to combat veterans and heavily discounted diver training to veterans with no combat history. We also open our program to civilians who have had no experience or exposure to the sacrifices that military life presents and this has proven to build strong connections and a sense of community where everyone is supporting each other. We serve those with seen and unseen scars as well as those who are transitioning from the service or returning from a recent deployment. We serve all regions, all countries and all armed forces branches,

We don’t just teach diving, we teach camaraderie and grow lifelong friendships. Everyone on our team is either a veteran, a member of the public that has an empathetic and supportive viewpoint to veterans, first responder, or transitioned service member and we all know what it’s like to feel the need for community, purpose, and camaraderie. We meet the veteran where others either can’t, won’t, or don’t know how.

Scuba diving provides a safe space for those suffering, from anxiety, PTSD, and hypervigilance, a community for those transitioning from service, relaxation from stress, and sense of mission for those who have spent their life serving others.

Policymakers, healthcare providers, and the general public recognize that recovery from mental illnesses is possible. Trident Warriors knows that recovery IS possible. The needs of people within special populations and during transitions are being addressed by all health care and mental health care providers. Trident Warriors strives to makes great strides in turning around entrenched issues, such as educational outcomes, high unemployment, high suicide, and homelessness for currently serving and retired military personnel.

KEY PRIORITIES, GOALS, AND STRATEGIES

The following are Trident Warriors key priorities, goals, and strategies developed jointly by the board and volunteers with significant input from the communities it serves. We will grow by 30%, to influence and build capacity globally, and to build up our expertise. Trident Warriors strives to advance the concept of recovery and the SAMHSA’s “eight dimensions of wellness”.

https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma16-4955.pdf

GOAL 1 – SUPPORT BY ENSURING ACCESS TO PROGRAMS OF TRIDENT WARRIORS & DEVELOP INFRASTRUCTURE

Establish a non-profit & financial accounts.
Promote effective Board governance and recruit Board members who have the requisite skills, cultural diversity and personal passion for the mission.
Develop documentation, collaboration infrastructure, process and procedures to support organization. *
Determine fund raising channels to provide this support.
Create online store front.
Create online photo album.
Develop master database and application for management or members.
Promote evidence-based practices. *
Target needed training and support to people from diverse communities, specific populations, and people who are in transition. *
Raise the funds needed to provide this support. *
Trident Warrior led diving trips *

GOAL 2 – EDUCATE TO RAISE AWARENESS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE BENEFITS OF PROGRAMMING OF TRIDENT WARRIORS

Create educational opportunities to share the Trident Warriors mission and vision. *
Develop and implement effective marketing strategies to build awareness of our support opportunities.
Develop a comprehensive psychological and biological medical backed study on the effects of Scuba Diving and PTSD under Operation Oculus Apertor.
Research and maintain a database to present to all veterans of all nations a resource library where they can easily identify what options they have and how to obtain them with regard to diver training and ongoing support post diver training. This will be Operation PathFinder.
Partner with community organizations to enhance our education and support.
Raise the funds needed to provide this education. *

GOAL 3 – ASSURE A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIZATION THAT BUILDS ON THE STRENGTHS OF TRIDENT WARRIORS

Develop Trident Warriors infrastructure, including updating the website, master database management, fine-tuning the communications plan, and improve on social media presence. *
Maintain and grow Trident Warriors financial sustainability through increased diversity in corporate sponsors, individual giving campaigns, planned giving, and major gifts.
Improve on membership, who, what, and how much?
Increase engagement, and training and have finely tuned volunteers.
Invest in staff and volunteers.
Loan programs for members?