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Report from the National Counter-recruitment and School Demilitarization Strategy Summit

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    National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth | National Counter-recruitment and School Demilitarization Strategy Summit

Rick  Jahnkow - The Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft

During the weekend of June 23-24, 2018, a group of 28 activists gathered in Chicago to share the knowledge and lessons they have learned from organizing to counter the militarization of schools and military recruitment of young people. They came from various regions of the U.S. and met at the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center.

Sponsored by the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (www.nnomy.org), the gathering provided an opportunity for organizers to assess the context for their work under the Trump/Pence administration, identify individual and collective challenges they face, and evaluate possible strategies and best practices for increasing their impact.

The planning committee for the summit consisted of:

Pat Alviso, Recruiter Awareness Project (Long Beach, CA)
Michelle Cohen, Project Great Futures (Los Angeles, CA)
Kate Connell, Truth in Recruitment (Santa Barbara, CA)
Natasha Erskine, Veterans For Peace (Chicago, IL)
Libby Frank, Northwest Suburban Peace Education Project (Chicago, IL)
Rick Jahnkow, Project YANO (San Diego, CA)
Seth Kershner, Winsted Area Peace Action (CT)
Siri Margerin, Full Picture Coalition (Bay Area, CA)

The summit began with a panel presentation on the history of the counter-recruitment movement, its strengths and weaknesses. This was followed by an analysis of current and future recruiting trends. The rest of the weekend consisted of multiple stages of small-group brainstorming for the purpose of identifying possible goals, strategies and organizing tactics. At the end of the process, the long lists of ideas were boiled down to the most compelling ideas for improving our collective efforts.

Goals that were given the highest priority were:

  1. Establish a network of sympathetic teachers and counselors.

  2. Empower youth.

  3. Remove JROTC from schools.

  4. Restigmatize militarism.

  5. Build and sustain our groups with research, analysis, funding and networking.

  6. Grow counter recruitment activism through a focus on intersectionality, economic justice and impacted youth.

Strategies and tactics were attached to each of the goals. For example, for the goal of restigmatizing militarism, the strategies included marketing peace and denigrating militarism. Suggested tactics ranged from producing short videos to funding peace clubs as alternatives to JROTC.

As another example, for the goal of empowering youth, some of the strategies were: making the counter-recruitment movement more egalitarian, choosing non-boring methods, and developing social media presence. Listed among the tactics were: using mobile phone QR codes to direct young people to information, sharing resources, subsidizing internships, supporting peace clubs, and giving youth responsibilities for organizing tasks.

As these various ideas were discussed, representatives from groups that had never attempted such tactics were able to learn from more experienced organizers, and everyone benefited from the shared knowledge and wisdom.

Another event at the summit was the first showing of the updated, 2018 version of the video Before You Enlist. Using testimonials of veterans, including a former recruiter, it is the most effective video tool available for educating young people about the realities of military enlistment and war that are hidden in military recruitment propaganda. It’s been shown in hundreds of high school classrooms and used in workshops at many youth conferences. The 16-minute English video can be viewed at www.beforeyouenlist.org. The Spanish version will be updated in 2019.

For more information on the summit and outcomes of the discussions that were held, contact National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Source: http://www.comdsd.org/article_archive/C-R_summit.htm

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The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) is supported by individual contributions and a grant by the Craigslist Charitable Fund - 2021 Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. NNOMY websites are hosted by The Electric Embers Coop.

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  • Home
  • Who are we?
    • National counter-recruitment network forming (2003)
    • Committee and Staff
    • Contact NNOMY
    • Register for full resources access
    • NNOMY Newsletter Archive & Subscription Form
    • NNOMY on Social Media Networks
      • Twitter Followers
    • Subscribe Counter-recrutment activists list
    • Donate to NNOMY
  • What is militarization?
    • How can we counter it?
    • Why does NNOMY matter?
    • The Militarization of U.S. Culture
    • School Militarization
      • By Policy
        • JAMRS
        • No Child Left Behind
      • By Program
        • ASVAB Testing
        • Delayed Entry Program
        • DOD STEM
        • JROTC
        • Mission: Readiness
        • Shooting Ranges
        • and Lead Contamination
        • Starbase DOD
  • Resources
    • Classroom Resources
      • Before You Enlist 2018
      • Documentaries/Films
      • Peaceful Career Alternatives
      • Peace Pill Videos
      • Researching Pop Culture & Militarism - Selene Rivas
      • Video Reports
    • Considering Enlisting?
      • DEP: Just Don't Go
    • Counter-recruitment
      • 2018/9 Back-to-school-Counter-recruitment Kit
      • 2017 VFP Workshop
      • Equal Access
      • Guide to High School Leafleting
      • Opt Out/Student lists
      • Organizing Option 8
      • Recruiter Access
      • School Policies
      • Tabling Alternatives
      • Webinars
      • 2021 VFP TIR Working Group
    • Educating Activists
      • Glossary of Terms
      • NNOMY Reader
      • Pamphlets/Reports
      • Peace Activism
        • Careers in Peacemaking and Social Change
        • Cultural & Art Activism
        • Cultural & Art Activism / NYC
      • Recent Trends in Military Recruitment
      • Toolkits/guides
      • Webinars
        • Webinars: Countering Military Recruiting in Schools During the Pandemic
        • Workshop - Full Spectrum Counter-Recruitment
    • Downloads
      • NNOMY Bookshelf
    • NNOMY Blog
      • Pat Elder: Military Recruiting in the United States
      • Edward Hasbrouck: Registration Resistance
      • John Judge on Counter-recruitment
      • Article Archive
    • SEARCH
      • Advanced site search
  • Groups & Actions
    • National Directory of Youth Demilitarization Groups
      • National Organizations
      • Regional Organizations
      • NNOMY Groups in Photos
    • Campaigns
      • Divest Your Body Campaign
      • Desinvierta su campaña del cuerpo
      • School Marksmanship Training
      • Winning The Peace
      • VFP/Counter-recruiting
      • Women's March on the Pentagon
        • War: A Women's Issue
        • La guerra: un asunto de mujeres
      • Campaign: A National Call
      • Education for Peace
        • My Education for Peace PDF
    • On Facebook
      • Stop Kids Going to War
      • De-militarizing Youth
      • Sergeant Solomon
      • The Counter-Recruitment Team
      • Demilitarize Our Schools Group
    • NNOMY 2018 Strategy Summit Report
    • Community Action
    • International Networking
    • Social media Outreach
      • Social media Campaign Resources
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