Submitted by gdghirardi on Tue, 11/08/2020 - 22:25
Gamers with the Army, Navy, and Air Force are spending hours on Twitch with children as young as 13.
Jordan Uhl -
Have a nice time getting banned, my dude,” Army recruiter and gamer Joshua “Strotnium” David told me right before he booted me from the US Army’s Twitch channel. I had just reminded viewers of the United States’ history of atrocities around the globe, and helpfully provided a link to the Wikipedia page for US war crimes.
Was I undiplomatic? Sure. But if the military is going to use one of the world’s most popular platforms to recruit kids, then it shouldn’t be able to do so without some pushback. Right now, with the support of Twitch, gamers with the US military are spending hours with children as young as 13, trying to convince them to enlist.
Submitted by gdghirardi on Sun, 14/06/2020 - 20:07
How COVID-19 is impacting the Delayed Entry Program and threatening the health of recruits.
By Pat Elder / National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, NNOMY - June 8, 2020
COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the way the military finds new soldiers. The recruiting command was caught unprepared to face the pandemic and is facing a challenging new reality.
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.
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.
‘Countering the militarisation of youth’ is one of WRI’s major areas of work. In making this booklet, we set out to investigate one part of this activism: campaigns to counter the recruitment of young people by armed forces and armed groups.
A group of some of China's smartest students have been recruited straight from high school to begin training as the world's youngest AI weapons scientists.
The 27 boys and four girls, all aged 18 and under, were selected for the four-year "experimental programme for intelligent weapons systems" at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) from more than 5,000 candidates, the school said on its website.
The BIT is one of the country's top weapons research institutes, and the launch of the new programme is evidence of the weight it places on the development of AI technology for military use.
China is in competition with the United States and other nations in the race to develop deadly AI applications - from nuclear submarines with self-learning chips to microscopic robots that can crawl into human blood vessels.
KUBINKA, Russia — Often in Russia these days, what is old is new again or, to be more specific, what is Soviet is new again.
The Youth Army, open to both boys and girls, is a militarized throwback to the Young Pioneers of the Soviet era. Meant to instill a sense of Communist zeal, the Pioneers are mostly remembered for their summer camps.
The Youth Army jettisoned the Communist bits, emerging as a kind of hybrid version of the scouts and a reserve officers training program, with an emphasis on patriotism and national service.
The trademark red endured.
If the Pioneers knotted red scarves around their necks, members of the Youth Army sport red berets bearing a pin of the organization’s logo — the red star of the Russian Army superimposed on an eagle’s head.
Both Nik Cruz, the Parkland shooter, and Dimitri Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the Santa Fe shooter, were emotionally distraught because of girls who rejected their advances. They were both outcasts in their respective high schools. They both played video games that simulated war. In his Facebook bio, Dimitri showed interest in joining the US Marine Corps “starting in 2019.” Nik Cruz felt more at home with the Army.
This is not a cheap shot. The military recruits gamers from the virtual world.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 07/05/2018 - 15:01
On 12-18 November this year, activists from across the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns.
Join us this November in this global action with your own nonviolent actions and events!
The International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of, and challenge, the ways young people are militarised, and to give voice to alternatives. The week is coordinated by War Resisters' International.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 15/12/2017 - 20:34
In 20-26 November 2017, many activists from around the world took action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns. This was part of a global action: the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth.
Initiated by War Resisters' International, the week was held for the 4th time this year. Throughout 20-26 November, groups from South Korea, Greece, Israel to the USA and many other places, organised their autonomous actions, workshops, vigils and other events. Touching upon various issues, activists raised awareness on, and challenged, those many ways young people's minds and bodies are recruited into war and violence.
As part of the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth, we conducted this interview with Petra Frühbauerová who works for the NGO NaZemi, focusing on global education. Petra is part of the team preparing a permanent conference of educational associations on the way young people's education in the Czech Republic relates to defense.
Hana Svačinková: What brought you to the subject of militarisation of youth and related issues?
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.