counter-recruitment

Thu

May

2015

Call for Articles for the New Militarisation of Youth Bulletin

New translation available

Submitted by antimili-youth

Countering the Militarisation of Youth Programme (CMoY) at WRI is launching the first issue of its new periodical which will specifically focus on the issues surrounding youth militarisation. In the CMoY bulletin, you'll find articles addressing...

Mon

Oct

'War is the Antithesis of Motherhood:' A Voice From Puerto Rico

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 06/10/2014 - 11:29

Photo: Dr. Sonia Santiago, founder and director of Madres Contra la Guerra/Mothers Against the War. (Photo: Jovanni Reyes)

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, along with allies from various peace and justice organizations, congregated at the Woodbine Ecological Center in Sadalia, Colorado last month to attend the 2014 IVAW National Convention and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the post-9/11-era anti-war veteran led movement. Ironically, this date fell on the week after the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War—a war that devastated Europe and was supposed to end all wars—and coincidentally at a time when the Obama Administration authorized another round of aerial attacks on the people of Iraq. This brought ill memories of the last war on the people of Iraq by U.S. forces, leaving many of the combat veterans attending with mixed feelings, self-reflection and, for some, sentiments of despair.

Wed

Sep

Army Makes Case Against Enlisting

Submitted by hannah on Wed, 17/09/2014 - 10:08

Remarkably, the U.S. Army War College has published a report (PDF) that makes an overwhelming case against enlisting in the U.S. Army. The report, called "Civilian Organizational Inhibitors to U.S. Army Recruiting and the Road Ahead," identifies counter-recruitment organizations that effectively discourage young people from joining the military.

Army Makes Case Against Enlisting

Tue

Aug

Militarized Parenthood in Israel

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 26/08/2014 - 15:45

Image: In this ad, LG is announcing a special promotion wherein soldiers are invited to a shopping mall where LG representatives will do their laundry for them, so as to, quote "Take the load off of mom".This ad is invoking the role of mothers as supporters in order to align their product with the war effort.

Ad by Yarkoni, 2010

Recently I received a petition, created by a group of 40 mothers, stating very clearly, “We do not wish to hand our boys to the IOF” (Israeli Occupation Forces), and calling for social responsibility and the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. This document is uplifting1.

Fri

Aug

Five ways to counter military recruitment in your school district

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 15/08/2014 - 14:31

How can you help stop the intrusion of the military into people’s lives?

Here are five ways to take action:

Campaign for an ordinance for equal access in your school district.

Equal access mandates that for each military recruitment session done in the district’s schools, peace groups are allowed equal time and access to the students to offer alternatives to enlistment. See examples of other successful campaigns and how-to organizing guides.

Distribute opt-out forms at local high schools.

At the beginning of the school year, parents have the option to opt-out of allowing their children to be contacted by military recruiters. You can download opt-out forms to distribute.

Tue

Aug

Chile: Student movement blamed for fall in numbers of volunteers for the military

Submitted by hannah on Tue, 12/08/2014 - 12:18

Chile reformed its military service seven years ago, to focus recruitment for military service on volunteers. Ever since, Chile's armed forces were able to fill their ranks entirely with volunteers, although generally a process of conscription was started in October to select potential conscripts as a backup. In October 2008, 70,461 youth were chosen in the "sorteo general" (recruitment lottery) and had to report to the recruitment authorities, but in the end nobody was called up for military service against his will. This was repeated in the following years.

However, in October 2011, the military announced that only 14,127 persons had so far volunteered for military service, compared to 20,431 the year before. The military plans to recruit 11,340 soldiers by spring 2012, and according to the recruitment department they would need 2.5 times the number of volunteers.

Mon

Aug

Counter-recruitment in the United States

Submitted by hannah on Mon, 11/08/2014 - 17:36

With a seemingly endless war on terrorism gnawing away at the possibility for a lasting peace many activists in the United Sates are finding that they are drawn to a form of activism that deals with the relationship that young people have to militarism. The work is called, counter military recruitment or counter-recruitment for short, and it primary focus is to demilitarise a nation by attempting to first demilitarise the minds of its youth.

Fri

Jul

Cardiff recruiting office occupied

Wed

Jun

'Peace presence' at Armed Forces Day in Wales

Credit for all photos: V ertigogen

Wed

Apr

Campaign Against Arms Trade: Universities Network

The Universities Network is an informal collective of groups and individuals at universities across the UK - students and staff in higher education who are campaigning to break ties between their institution and arms companies. By linking campaigns across the country we can be inspired by each other, share successes and plan more effectively by pooling resources.

Wed

Mar

War College says Courage to Resist impedes recruiting

Submitted by hannah on Wed, 19/03/2014 - 11:36

Source: http://couragetoresist.org/news/1018-war-college.html

By Mike Mckee, Courage to Resist. March 17, 2014

A recently circulated academic paper from a U.S. Army War College research fellow demonstrates that organizations like Courage to Resist are having a substantive effect on the military’s ability to recruit and retain soldiers.

The paper, titled “Civilian Organizational Inhibitors to US Army Recruiting and the Road Ahead (PDF),” singles out Courage to Resist as a key example of its most formidable opponents that “aim to hinder, deter, or prevent United States Army Recruiters from presenting information and providing opportunities to their target market.”

Pages

Languages

Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.