Military Presence in Our Schools

My Education for Peace

This page can be also accessed at https://myeducationforpeace.org

 

A Campaign to form community in schools of Peace minded people

What does "peace" mean for NNOMY?

Peace is not merely the absence of war or armed conflicts. It is instead the possibility of living in a society in which we can all develop to the full extent of our abilities, and in which social justice ensures our collective well-being.

Why "My Education for Peace"?

Our current model of education, in ways that are equally apparent and subliminal, fosters the need for competition, individualism, and power, all of which serve as justifications for war. At NNOMY, we firmly believe that our peace effort begins through education: learning and teaching cooperation, solidarity, and tolerance. Only by creating an environment in which respect for the other and their differences becomes paramount can we surpass our culture's militaristic bent. "My Education for Peace" is a project that seeks to promote the discussion and dissemination of topics related to peace, war, and the consequences of militarism in society, as well as encourage peace-building within our schools. For NNOMY, it is of vital importance that we bring informational resources to students that can allow them to see the full width of peaceful career choices at their disposal. This is done through the Peaceful Careers directory.


What does it mean to be a Student for Peace?

A Student for Peace is one who hopes to widen the possibilities for their future through education, and wishes to counter war and school militarization through activism. One of NNOMY's key goals is to get students to participate in different activities that foster cooperation, solidarity, and the exchange of ideas, hoping to achieve peaceful coexistence in schools and communities.

 

 

What does it mean to be a Teacher for Peace?

A Teacher for Peace is one who seeks to instill the importance of cooperation, respect for the other, and peaceful coexistence in their students, thus making it possible for them to have the tools necessary for choosing to build a future away from war and weapons. At NNOMY, we firmly believe that teachers are very influential figures in their students' lives. Because of that, we hope to form alliances that allow us all to build a peaceful society from within our classrooms.


What does it mean to be a Counselor for Peace?

A Counselor for Peace is first and foremost an ally for students who sees properly informing students regarding the risks involved in military careers as a priority. It is also important that they point students towards future paths properly suited to their abilities, situation, and possibilities, that way offering them a sincere evaluation of their professional options.
 

 

What is Militarism?

We understand militarism as the imposition of values and dynamics inherent in military structures upon civil society, as well as their influence on state policy. It is a process that promotes hierarchy, as well as the use (and abuse) of power. Its propagation can use many compelling arguments, among them the need to instill military values on civilian society. Militarism carries with it consequences such as the loss of civil rights and the prioritization of expenditure on military projects over social ones, which hastens the deterioration of social services.

Why do we reject school militarization?

Through youth militarization and recruitment, the culture of war and violence is fostered in our schools; children and young people deserve a peaceful future, in which their options amount to much more than surviving armed conflicts that are fought for the economic interests of the few. We want to work towards a world free from war, which we believe possible if our efforts stem from peace education.

What is the Peace Pill?

"Peace Pill" is an audiovisual project in which we use short, four-minute videos to highlight events and people related to peaceful activism against war, as well as those in favor of human rights and social justice. War is seen as a social illness, and a consequence of militarism in our society, so we hope that our "Peace Pills" can be a form of medicine to raise awareness of and stimulate interest in activism. "Peace Pill" is an informational tool we are using to build our Education for Peace.
 

 

Resources:


Download this page as a PDF for printing and distribution inside your school to inform students teachers and counselors about this national project. Also consider sharing My Education for Peace with the Student Peace Clubs in your school.   

 

 

School Marksmanship Training

ENAC presenting to San Diego City School BoardOne way that concerned citizens can successfully address the issue of gun violence is to work locally for the removal of marksmanship programs and shooting ranges from high schools.

Such programs introduce gun culture into a school environment where zero-tolerance for weapons of any kind is supposed to be the standard policy. Over 2,000 high schools make an exception to zero-tolerance by allowing marksmanship training. It sends a mixed message to their students and puts them at risk for the potential promotion of school violence, as we saw in the February 2018 school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

To address this issue, the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY), in collaboration with Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities - Project YANO, has developed a new resource called, Guide to Removing Marksmanship Training from High Schools.
 
This guide documents the process and strategies learned by the Education Not Arms Coalition. Comprised of students, teachers, and parents, the coalition successfully lobbied for the removal of marksmanship training and shooting ranges from eleven high schools in the very militarized city of San Diego, California.



2/10/09 Board of Education debate and approval of marksmanship training ban.

NNOMY recommends this proven strategy for organizing a campaign for the removal of marksmanship training on a school district level thus accomplishing an important aspect of school demilitarization.

Here are some of the accomplishments of the Education Not Arms Coalition strategy:

  • School Board Voted to End Weapons Training in their school district.
  • Shooting ranges from eleven high schools in the San Diego school district were removed.
  • The practice of involuntarily placing students in JROTC was ended.
  • Marine Corps JROTC enrollment at one San Diego school fell so low that the unit was eventually forced to leave.

Download a PDF copy of the Guide  HERE 

This Guide includes:

1.   Strategy: why ban marksmanship training and not jrotc?
2.   Why focus on local action versus state or federal action?
3.   Administrative versus policy approaches to banning marksmanship training
4.   ENAC: an example of a successful organizing campaign
5.   Suggested steps for a campaign
6.   Sample organizing documents

 

 

Don't Accept the Militarization of Your School! Activate for Peaceful Learning Choices.

 

 

 Revised FC 10/10/2023

###

Counter-Recruitment Season

Kevin Young -

Army of None“Counter-recruitment,” alternatively known as “truth-in-recruiting” or CR for brevity’s sake, involves providing young people and their parents with information about alternatives to military enlistment (college, vocational training, job opportunities, scholarships, etc.). At the same time, CR campaigns can provide a sense of the terrible realities of war by exposing students and parents to the words of soldiers, veterans, and foreign war victims. Since most military recruits enlist 1) because they see no other option, and/or 2) because they have a deluded and romantic view of war, the military, and US foreign policy, CR efforts can fill two important gaps in young people’s knowledge.

One of the lesser-known aspects of the “No Child Left Behind” Act of 2001 is a provision requiring all public high schools to provide military recruiters with students’ private contact information. The only way to avoid the release of this information is to submit a signed “opt-out” form to school administrators every year by a district-specific deadline, usually sometime between mid-September and mid-October. School administrators are legally obliged to send the opt-out form home with students, but many do not, and often the forms get overlooked within the massive information packets sent home at the start of the school year. The months of August, September, and October are thus particularly crucial for CR efforts.

What follows is an analysis of the importance of counter-recruitment and a brief starters’ guide for those who might be inclined to engage in it this fall, with links to sample leaflets and educational information.

The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) is supported by individual contributions and a grant by the Craigslist Charitable Fund - 2023 Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. NNOMY websites are hosted by The Electric Embers Coop.

Gonate time or money to demilitarize our public schools

FAIR USE NOTICE

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues connected with militarism and resistance. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Contact NNOMY

NNOMY

The National Network Opposing

the Militarization of youth
San Diego Peace Campus

3850 Westgate Place
San Diego, California 92105 U.S.A.
admin@nnomy.org  +1 619 798 8335
Tuesdays & Thursdays 12 Noon till 5pm PST
Skype: nnomy.demilitarization

Mobile Menu