Get resources to help stop military recruitment in our schools.
Militarism especially impacts young people, not only because it takes away resources from schools and other programs that help them thrive—but because youth are the ones who are called on to fight in wars.
AFSC has decades of experience working to limit the influence of military recruiters on middle and high school students, helping these students make well-informed career choices, and providing them with information on jobs in peacemaking and nonviolent ways to afford college. We have raised awareness of the dangers of joining the military and the false promises made by recruiters.
As concerns persist over the potential for war, we’ve heard from people seeking resources to stop the military from recruiting their children and other young people in their communities.
Here are some counter recruitment resources from AFSC and other organizations that can help.
For students and families considering enlistment:
- Video: Before you Enlist: Veterans share what the recruiters won't, the real deal about joining the military. Available in English and Spanish.
- "It's My Life": A guide to alternatives to joining the military after high school.
- 10 Points to Consider Before Enlisting: Guidance for young people considering signing a military enlistment agreement.
- Alternatives to the Military: Available in English and Spanish
- The Military's Not Just a Job: Joining the military includes difficult living conditions, a lack of post-service job training, hurdles for college, as well as racism, sexism, homophobia, and the loss of basic rights.
- False Advertisement: A guide against military recruitment (in comic book form). Available in English and Spanish.
- Aviso a Los Padres de Familia: A guide for Spanish-speaking families.
- Financing College Without Joining the Military: A two-page brochure on alternatives to affording college.
For counter recruitment work in schools:
- Opt out form from military recruitment in 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. Download this opt-out form (in English or Spanish).
- The Poverty Draft: Exploring the link between poverty and military recruitment in the United States.
- High School Students' Rights: What every student should know about their rights while in school, particularly as they pertain to free speech and assembly and what to do if these rights are violated.
- Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC): Sending the Wrong Message About Weapons and Violence: How the military is delivering information on weapons and violence through the JROTC contrary to the message the schools are sending with their zero-tolerance weapons policy.
- War and the Draft: What students, parents, and community members can do about military recruitment in their area.
Questions? Contact youthmil@afsc.org.
