 |
www.hopedance.org
|
| <back | home Counter-Recruiting Efforts in SLO County by Vivian Longacre Just a few months old, Alternatives to Military Futures (AMF) is working on counter-recruiting on the Central Coast. The group formed as a result of an interested group of CodePink SLO ladies. After some investigation, we found out that the local Quaker group was actively working on this in our county schools. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, we asked if we could meet with them and find out what they were doing and see if we could help. Many of you may be familiar with Nancy Ferraro and her group of Quakers and their work with Conscientious Objectors. We had no idea how much this small group was getting done! They have been providing thousands of peace book covers every year to local high schools where they have made what we call “friendly contacts.” They also put out packets of CO materials and informational brochures to young people about what they are signing up for if they choose a military career and to school counselors for students who come in with questions. Knowing what was being done currently, we decided to work together as a larger group and get the word out even more so that young adults could make an educated decision. We formed the AMF group with members of CodePink, the Quakers and other interested folks in the community with a goal of making sure that a decision to go into the military is an informed one. It is NOT our goal to keep young folks out of the military but to provide a forum that gives alternatives to a military career and a counter to all the recruitment in the schools. The No Child Left Behind Act guarantees military recruiters access to all public schools. We have found this access varies from school to school, with the most being granted at high schools with a large minority or low-income population, where many young adults feel they don’t have other options. Some of the Santa Maria [see their report on counter-recruiting on page 9] high schools have recruiters on campus all the time roaming the halls, passing out free goodies and talking to students at will. At some of the schools, such as San Luis High, recruiters don’t have a large presence. They are on campus for a defined time and do not roam freely. Unfortunately, the law as it is written now states that schools must grant access or risk losing federal monies. What to do? We have begun trying to reach the students in any aspect of their school life that we can. Late last spring we put informational ads in school newspapers. We currently have two versions that are short and easy to read; one dispelling popular myths recruiters tell our kids and telling them what they can expect, in reality, and the second is a short list of questions they should ask themselves before they sign on for their eight-year commitment. Eight years, you say? Yes, “four years” is one of the popular myths recruiters like to tell your children. The actual sign-up is an eight-year commitment; four years in active duty, and what they don’t tell them is that they are on “active reserve” for another four years. Now this isn’t a problem until we are engaged in a time of need, like now, when every reserve soldier is being called up. So this is critical piece of information these kids deserve to know. Okay, so now we are giving them information about what they can expect from a military career, but what are their other options? We have found a great number of websites that offer financing for college and a flyer that offers alternatives to a military career. It is our goal to get these pieces of information into career centers on campuses this year. We also plan to be at any Career Days that high schools offer and we can get into. The military comes to these with a flashy booth, video games, candy and all kinds of free items to give away. We want to come and show what else is out there besides the military. For instance, there are still opportunities for financing an education through a Stafford Loan and getting 100% of the loan forgiven if you promise to teach in under-represented areas, or become a nurse or physical therapist. If you go into the Peace Corp after graduation, 70% of your Stafford Loan will be forgiven. We need to offer real alternatives for those who think there isn’t anything else out there. We are busy researching technical schools and ways of creatively financing those options. Another item we are currently at work on is attempting to get a uniform Opt Out form for all the schools in the county. With the help of the Quaker group we collected examples of the Opt Out forms for several of our county schools. Currently, they range from a full sheet explaining the NO Child Left Behind Act and why the data is released to recruiters and the opt out process in both Spanish and English (great!), to a check box on a paper that has about 50 other questions on it, (bad!). We have begun meetings with County officials and have asked for a uniform form throughout the county. We are expecting to receive direction on where to go next with this process in early September. Last Spring we were able to donate many copies of the film “Arlington West,” to area schools along with a wonderful curriculum guide that the movie producers have put together for schools. We feel the movie is an excellent teaching tool for government, history, English and psychology classes. The movie is free to any teacher who would like to show it along with the curriculum guide, compliments of CodePink. We are hoping to get more showings in the schools this year via teachers and student activist groups. AMF will be attending a Counter-Military Recruiting in the Schools training session in mid-August that will give us even more tools as we go out into the schools. We want to be able to fully understand the rights of students, parents, teachers, administrators, recruiters and us in the role of counter-recruiters so we can educate the people we come in contact with. It promises to be a busy school year and there is a lot of work to do. If you would like to be involved please consider joining us at one of our meetings. Email: picky@slonet.org or cpinkviv@sbcglobal.net. Vivian Longacre is a new activist. Devastated, afterthe 2004 election, she decided never again to wonder if she had done enough. Her equally devastated and creative friend, Dian Sousa, suggested they start a SLO chapter of CodePink: Women For Peace. They did and will never again wonder if they didn’t do enough! <back | top^ |