Teenagers make many decisions about their futures: education, careers, and life commitments. Parents, families, teachers and counselors provide support, encouragement and ideas. Other people talk with young people and tell them: enlist in the military. These people are military recruiters.
For a non-military recruiter view listen to an interview with two professionals "Should We End Military Recruitment in High Schools as a Matter of Child Protection and Public Health?"
Does it bother you that an 18 year old can sign a military enlistment contract that commits him/her to a term of 8 years (4 years active; 4 years reserve) without the consent of their parent or guardian?
Does it concern you that, unless parents instruct schools otherwise in writing, the No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to turn over to military recruiters the contact information of every 11th and 12th grade student?
Are you aware that military recruiters from each branch of the service visit every high school in Township District 214 (in the northwest suburbs of Chicago) every month?
Do you know that the Pentagon maintains a marketing database used for targeted recruitment of young people and that the information comes from the state driver's license bureau, marketing surveys, high school records and the Selective Service?
Do you sometimes think that the issue of peace has been completely eliminated from public debate and discourse?
If you care about these issues, you share the concerns of anti-war community members, students, parents, veterans and teachers in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and, specifically, Township District 214. We call ourselves counter-recruiters. In 2004, after the invasion of Iraq, a group of us came together to counter what we felt was the growing militarization of the schools in the Chicago area and the northwest suburbs. What do we do?
- We talk to students in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago about the realities of military life and war so young people will better understand what they're getting into when talking with recruiters . We encourage them to think critically, search for more information and then make up their own minds.
- We present career alternatives that show young people a way to learn valuable skills, find adventure, pay for higher education and serve others.
- We provide resources for young people to reinforce values of critical thinking, youth leadership, dialogue and non-violence.
- We inform and educate the public on issues of student privacy and militarism in the schools.
- We work with community peace activists to inform and educate the public and sponsor a lively debate on what's happening in the world.
Join with us and become a counter-recruiter.
