In communities where recruitment rates are highest, we share information about what it means to enlist and the other options available to young people.

Host a Discussion around Military Recruitment!

We hold workshops for youth and adults, table at community events, and offer materials around issues of military enlistment and the alternatives available.

For more information, please contact Anne Durston, Project Coordinator, adurston@afsc.org
or  212-598-0964.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR

UPCOMING DATES

War Is Not a Game

This song was written by a VietNam combat veteran. It is dedicated to his son.

Verse 1:
When I was just a little kid my friends and I'd play war.
We'd shoot em dead and blow em up, didn't care what we were fighting for.
But whenever my Dad would see us playing he'd go and spoil our fun.
He'd say, "War is not a game, Son. War is not a game."

Verse 2:
When I turned eighteen I joined the Army. Our country was at war.
The recruiter said I was patriotic, it was peace I'd be fighting for.
I couldn't wait to tell my Dad, thought he'd be proud of what I'd done.
But he said, "War is always the same, Son. War is always the same."

Bridge 1:    
Then he put his arms around me and told me things I never heard before.
He told me what he'd seen and done when he was in the war.
He said, "Son, I'll always respect you for doing what you thought was right,
But the only way that there'll be peace is if we all refuse to fight."

Verse 3:
The Army sent me off to war. I was still eighteen years old.
They taught me how to hate and how to kill and just to do what I was told.
But I could hear my father telling me every time I fired my gun….
I heard him saying, "War is not a game, Son. War is always the same."

Verse 4:
I got back from the war alive. My body was intact.
I had a son and as I watched him grow, those old memories came back.
He was playing war one day with his friends, I didn't want to spoil his fun.
But I said, "War is not a game, Son. War is always the same."

Bridge 2:
I told my son right then and there things I'd never told him before.
I told him what I'd seen and done when I was in the war.
I said, "Son, I respect you for doing what you thought was right,
But the only way that there'll be peace is if we all refuse to fight."

Verse 5:
Before I knew, my son was eighteen, and our country was at war again.
A recruiter came knocking at our door and asked my son if he could come in.
He told my son he'd be patriotic and it was peace he'd be fighting for.
My son said, "War's always the same, sir." And then he closed the door.

WHERE WE'VE BEEN....

October 4: Parkeast High School	Students engaged in lively discussions around recruitment marketing strategies. Upon meeting with Other Options staff, teachers have decided to distribute and collect Opt-Out forms in class.
August 30: East Harlem Youth Fair	AFSC interns from East Harlem participated in the neighborhood's Youth Fair sponsored by Councilwoman Mark-Viverito, where they handed out Other Options materials to their peers.
August 21: John Jay College	John Jay student and AFSC intern set up an Other Options table at one of New Yorks most-recruited schools.
June 29: Orchard Beach, Bronx	Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, staff and volunteers distributed materials jointly developed with AFSC at a military fair in Orchard Beach.
June 5: Gateway High School	Students in history and social studies classes participated in interactive discussions on the Iraq War and how it impacts them as highly-recruited students.
May 25: Various high schools with intense recruiter presence	Other Options interns and staff surveyed high school students about their experiences with recruiters, contributing to a city-wide study by the NYCLU and Borough President Scott Stringer
May 24 : Parkeast High School	Other Options volunteer and intern presented to parents at a PTA meeting on the pressures to enlist that young people face.
May 22: Arts Millenium High School	Eyes Wide Open was displayed in the hall, and students participated in Other Options workshops. Letters students wrote afterward indicated that the workshops and exhibit changed many minds about the pros of enlistment.
March 27 : Youth Council, East Harlem	Members of the Youth Council in East Harlem were shocked to learn about recruitment strategies in their neighborhood and are considering a campaign to distribute Opt-Out forms to local schools.
March 27 : High School for Public Service, East Flatbush, Brooklyn	After seeing Eyes Wide Open displayed in the school entrance, students talked about the pros and cons of enlistment. Over 200 students participated in workshops throughout the day.
February 28 & March 25: Union Settlement, East Harlem	Junior high-aged girls and boys groups discussed the ways that military recruitment ads target young people and the realities of enlistment.
January 26 : Human Services Fair, East Harlem	Parent Coordinators, Guidance Counselors, and Principals from East Harlem schools received information about disproportionately high recruitment rates in their neighborhood.
January 11 : Community Board 8, Crown Heights Brooklyn	As a follow-up to previous conversations with the Youth Committee, over 100 residents at the general meeting were informed about recruitment in the Crown Heights area.
October 2: Banana Kelly High School, Bronx	Eyes Wide Open boots and shoes were displayed to represent U.S. and Iraqi deaths in the Iraq War, stimulating reflection and discussion among students about their interactions with military recruiters.
August 5 : Other Options tabling at Brooklyn Block Party	Other Options interns presented alternatives to militarism materials and talked with local residents in one of Brooklyn's most recruited neighborhoods.
August 4 : Youth Fair in Lower Manhattan
July 12: "Is This Neighborhood a Military Target?" discussion and EWO exhibit, Brooklyn College in Flatbush
July 8: Forum on the Iraq War and Immigration with Rep. Charles Rangel, Manhattan	Other Options and the Newark Immigrant Rights Program displayed a table of information that included biographies from Eyes Wide Open of immigrants who have been killed in the Iraq war.
June 17: Youth Forum, Washington Heights	An opportunity for young people to share their concerns and suggestions with public officials and community leaders. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer talked about recruitment in schools, and we passed out Opt Out forms.
June 3: Youth Empowerment Day, Washington Heights	Organized by Community Board 12, youth from the Washington Heights area were invited to learn more about the opportunities in their community (other than joining the military!)
May 20: Youth as Solutions Festival, Washington Heights	Over 300 young people attended this festival where Other Options presented a workshop on military recruitment.
May 7: Cinco de Mayo Festival, East Harlem	Volunteers from East Harlem helped pass out materials on alternatives to militarism. East Harlem, or "El Barrio," is a community with disproportionately high enlistment rates.
May 3: Meeting with Community Board 8, East Brooklyn	Members of the Youth Committee were interested to learn more about rates of recruitment in their neighborhood and to distribute counter-recruitment information.
May 2: Alternatives to the Military Career Fair, Manhattan	Hosted by the Youth Activists Youth Allies (Ya-Ya) Network, this fair drew over 300 youth to visit the more than 60 tables offering alternatives for financial aid, employment, service and travel.
May 1: Distribution of materials at Brooklyn Community College	We helped the Friends of William Blake pass out their hot-off-the-press "New Yorkers' Guide to Military Recruitment in the Five Boroughs."
April 29: March for Peace, Justice and Democracy	Other Options joined the national AFSC Youth and Militarism program to participate in the march and to display a table of information on emerging JRTOC programs.
April 3: Presentation to Community Board 12 Youth Committee, Washington Heights	After seeing a map of army recruits by zip code, a disproportionate number of whom come from the Washington Heights and Inwood areas, committee members decided to display "Do You Know Enough to Enlist" pamphlets in all public libraries in the area.
March 8: Workshop with Students Taking Action Toward Empowerment (S.T.A.T.E.) Program, Harlem	Students from the S.T.A.T.E. program shared their experiences with military recruiters and received information about how to avoid recruitment and find other options.