Prepare for the Mission. Strengthen the Homefront.

The Pre-Deployment Workshop is a three-hour, film-assisted experience designed to help service members and their families prepare mentally, emotionally, and relationally for the stressors of deployment.

Built around short films directed and produced by Jake Rademacher, the workshop uses real stories to reach participants where they live emotionally. Those stories become the starting point for guided journaling and facilitated conversation about the pressures deployment creates — on the service member, the family, the unit, and the relationships left behind at home.

Led by trained facilitators, who have deployed multiple times themselves, the workshop helps participants identify the challenges ahead and make a plan to overcome them. Through reflection and discussion, participants explore communication, stress, expectations, family roles, resilience, and how to stay connected across distance.

Deployment is never easy — but preparation matters. The Pre-Deployment Workshop helps service members and families face the mission ahead with greater clarity, connection, and purpose.

What to Expect

• Powerful short films drawn from real military experiences

• Guided journaling for personal reflection

• Facilitated conversation about deployment stressors

• Practical planning for communication, family connection, and resilience

• A supportive space for service members and families to prepare together

The goal is simple: help service members and families name the stressors before they arrive, make a plan to meet them, and strengthen the homefront before the mission begins.