Y&M - Alternatives to the Military - Finding Alternatives in Your Community

Finding Alternatives in Your Community

Job Training	Getting an Education	Activism	Travel	Finding Alternatives in Your Community

Directories

Your community may also have resources which can help you. Community-based organizations have successfully used directories, multimedia computer software, and college access programs to make young people like you aware of their alternatives.

In several cities across the country, local groups have compiled mini-directories that contain information about local organizations that help young people prepare for college, get experience or training, or seek employment.

Examples include the following:

Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities (Project YANO), a San Diego organization, produces the "Alternative Resources Directory," a listing of job training and other resources in the San Diego County area.
Project YANO
P.O. Box 230157, Encinitas, CA 92023
phone: 760-753-7518
e-mail: ProjYANO@aol.com

Nonmilitary Options for Youth of Austin, Texas, offers information to youth about the choices they face upon leaving school. Nonmilitary Options for Youth seeks to balance the military recruitment campaign with a contrasting view on military enlistment and JROTC, to educate youth about nonmilitary alternatives for skills training, finding jobs and college financial aid, to explore the ideas of volunteering, and to promote careers in peacemaking and social change. They focus mainly on Austin and the surrounding area, but the web site provides other links as well. They also have a variety of literature, videos, and computer software.
P.O. Box 49594, Austin, TX 78765
phone: 512-474-4544
e-mail: liana@bga.com
http://www.realtime.net/~liana/nmofy

In the past, several AFSC offices have produced similar resources. One example is the AFSC Youth and Militarism Program (now reconfigured) in Baltimore, MD. They produced a series of 4 pamphlets: "Should I go to college?: Higher Education," "Can I Afford to Go to College?: Higher Education," "Success, Start Your Own Business: Entrepreneur," and "Earn While You Learn: Apprenticeships." These resources have not been updated for several years but may still provide useful information of the types of opportunities and resources you may want to explore.
4806 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
phone: 410-323-7200

Campaigns in Schools

The Committee for Youth and Nonmilitary Opportunities began counter-recruitment-equal access work in 1991, encouraged by successful counter-recruitment lawsuits in federal courts around the country in the 1980's (and concerned by the glorification of the military by the news media during the Gulf War). Read about it.

Mentoring

College Access Program: The AFSC West Virginia Economic Justice Program started a project to help young people negotiate the college application and aid process. The program has since changed and expanded. Now, it trains volunteers to help people of all ages get access to higher education. This includes holding workshops about financial aid, developing handouts, etc. The AFSC program can be reached at:
AFSC West Virginia Economic Justice Project
6th Avenue and 9th Street
Prichard Building, Room 309, Huntingdon, WV 25701
phone: 304-529-3890