Commodores:

I promised to provide an overview of my report for your use in passing the word on your return from NTrain.

Our focus is on building the image of the Auxiliary through media. Our internal media includes Navigator, SITREP, Enews, and the national and Public Affairs Department websites.

The deadline for the next Navigator is February 15. Please encourage your members to submit articles for this next issue. Of course, they (and you) are always welcome to provide content for the other media identified above, for which there is continuous coverage and, hence, no deadline.

We're trying to make it possible for every member to experience NTrain, even if they can't make it personally. This includes the welcome package on the national PA page here: http://www.auxpa.org/ntrain05/  This was release in Enews this week. In two days (Wednesday and Thursday), we had 1,000 hits on the page.

Even though the DSOs-PA could not be here, we distributed the PA Toolkit (on CD-ROM) to them so they have the tools they need to train new PA officers at the spring district conferences.

Our theme this year is "public affairs is everyone's responsibility". This means that every member can and should help us spread the word on the Auxiliary's contributions to recreational boating safety and maritime domain awareness. This is, of course, especially true for the elected officers, who represent their units to the public and the Coast Guard.

We have realigned the A Department to focus our efforts on enhancing communication in two directions: internally and externally.

Internal communications efforts include a deliberate and systematic approach to "rolling out" each national program, including consideration of each way in which we can communicate with people throughout the Auxiliary. This includes targeted email, websites, newsletters, and even snailmail. A key feature of this rollout strategy is communicating the program to the DCO early in the process, to obtain your input and your buy-in to these programs.

We have developed a new Public Affairs Officer Advancement and Recognition program, which includes training, a personal qualification system (PQS) for three progressive levels of competency, and a modification of the old Flotilla Public Affairs ribbon by adding a silver "A" and stars for advance levels of achievement.

We will hold 3 AUX-12 Auxiliary Public Affairs C Schools in February, April and May. Please identify and encourage your most promising public affairs officers to attend this course.  A flyer is attached for your use in communicating this opportunity to your staff.

To make it easier for members to provide us with story ideas, we have a "submit a story" link on the national PA website here: http://www.auxpa.org/dept/story.php Please encourage your members to use this feature to alert us to newsworthy developments in your district.  From these tips, we prepare news releases which are distributed to every Auxiliary PA officer as well as 5,500 media contacts.  These releases are approved by our department and can be customized by your PA officers for use in their area of responsibility. If they change the content, they are required to go through the normal district approval process.

We ask that your district historians contact DVC-AH Kay Larson if they need any assistance.  We are supporting the Coast Guard in a very exciting World War II oral history project, which is conducted at the local level with support from our department.

We also ask that you encourage your members to enter the public affairs, publications, and photo contests.  We will be publicizing these in the next few weeks.

We continue to conduct market surveys in Boater's World and West Marine stores, which are public education and RBS visitation opportunities for your members.

We are planning a community outreach initiative which will target business, civic, and youth organizations.  We will solicit your input when the basic template is complete.

Please let us know how we can better serve you.

Very respectfully,

Nick G. Tarlson
Chief, Department of Public Affairs (DC-A)
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
220 Sansome St Ste 900
San Francisco, CA 94104
ntarl@dictyon.com