Ideas for Counter-Recruitment Action
Get opt-out forms to other students in your school!
- Virtually: Use school listservs/email, MySpace, FaceBook and I.M. to get the form and other counter-recruitment info out
- At School: Get your friends to help you print out forms to distribute, ask the school office to make copies for you if they haven’t provided opt-out forms to students or get a teacher to make copies to distribute in their classes or homerooms. You can also contact any peace and justice groups in your community to ask for help in making copies, distribution or support.
Get truth-in-recruiting info out!
- Ask your counselors to put materials – such as ‘10 Things to Consider Before You Enlist’ - in the career center, along with brochures of local job-training programs and social justice-oriented opportunities for youth.
- Table alongside military recruiters when they’re in your school. Keep a stockpile of flyers and info in your locker so you're ready to go whenever recruiters appear. Check out the CR resource page for flyers and other info. If you can’t get a table, stand nearby and pass out flyers.
Hear from the experts!
- Invite local Iraq Vets Against the War, and other veterans, to your school to talk about the realities of war. Contact IVAW@IVAW.org
Get people to discuss the war!
- In your school or community host a coffeehouse, open mic, concert or other event to bring people together to talk about the war. Discuss how this war is impacting our generation, ways we can creatively resist militarism in our schools by connecting our art to our politics, etc. and while you’re there have people sign petitions, write letters or call and leave messages to tell our legislators how you feel about this war!
Keep organizing!
- The National Priorities Project has analyzed the military recruitment data for 2004, 2005 and 2006 showing a pattern of recruiters increasingly targeting our peers in poor, rural and people of color communities. We have to help get the word out on how people can protect their information from recruiters and let our peers know what it really means to enlist as we continue our work to end this war. Organize people in your school, keep having events to discuss the war and current events, along with actions you can take for justice on a local and global level. Check out our tips for starting a sustainable group!
