"We Want You — to include us at school" (Detroit Schools grant Counter-Recruitment group equal time)

[noamnety]

Couldn't find a post-school board meeting article online yet. Here's the lead-up to the meeting:

When high school students see the slick recruiting material, hear promises of money for college and think the U.S. military is one big adventure, Susan Newell wants them to think again.

A co-founder of Finding Alternatives to Military Enlistment (FAME), Newell is asking school districts to let her group present an alternative view of service. If military recruiters are allowed displays, speeches and other recruiting opportunities at schools, FAME should get equal time.

"Our goal is to make sure that students are aware of what they're actually getting into when they join the military," she says.

The Detroit board of education at this month's meeting — 7 p.m. Thursday at Southwestern High School will consider FAME's request for district support for appearances at individual schools.

http://www.metrotimes.com/%5Ceditorial%5Cstory.asp?id=9970

At the meeting last night, which was a packed house (including the balcony, complete with police temporarily preventing more people from entering the building - because of another agenda item, not ours), FAME presented a proposal to allow equal access to the Detroit Public Schools. After a short presentation to the board and public, which covered recruitment tactics and false promises, as well as what FAME presents in classrooms, the Board of Education voted unanimously to allow us in the Detroit Public Schools. This is significant, since it's the 10th largest school district in the United States.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Great for you!

I applaud your efforts! We have to have someone out there who can let kids know that some recruiters lie, and that the promises given can all go away once you sign on the dotted line.

[babydollhead]

2. good

with a 14 year old son, who mocks the very idea of recruiters, roaming the halls of his school. He comes home and excitedly tells dad, "I can be in a band! They'll pay for my college! They promised I won't be going to Iraq!" as dad's face pales, the boy laughs. "you guys are idiots with this world"

[Bigmack]

11. I love that kid! ....

as long as he's yours and not mine. He's obviously smart and a smart-ass (that's a compliment) too. I loved having those kids in my classroom.

My kid knew that even teasing about going into the military was not an option for him... not even the Air Farce.

Told him I'd shoot his big toe off if he tried to go.

Meant it.

[Mist]

3. Good work--that's impressive. Let those kids know they're too young

to make such crucial decisions (not to mention too young to die or get maimed).

[JNelson6563]

4. But...but...but........

Detroit in in dire straights right now! So few possibilities for our young people! That is prime hunting grounds for recruiters!!

Seriously though, so glad to see an alternative group jumping in.

:toast:

Julie

[noamnety]

5. They ARE in dire straights

Monday I was speaking at a parent teacher meeting at one of the Detroit schools, and one of the issues being discussed was whether they'd be able to get electricity on the top three floors.

Several hundred teachers have been laid off. They're spending part of their budget buying cop cars for the local police department.

One of our talking points is that people join the military to escape poverty, but veterans actually earn on average 11-19% less than folks who never joined the military. The expectations recruiters try to sell aren't realistic.

[TheModernTerrorist]

12. as a substitute teacher in Lansing

I feel for Detroit ( I went to a Flint school).
I saw some recruiters on my way out during lunch a few days ago, and really took pause because I didn't know what to do. Normally I'd give them a hard time about coming into the ghetto and taking poor kids for a ride, but since I was working at the school, I simply walked away.

[gratuitous]

6. Outstanding

It would have been tempting to overreach and demand the same access to student records that the military enjoys for free. I've heard over and over again from school administrators that students need to hear about "all the alternatives available" to them, and that means that they're willing to hand out information, school resources, and turn over chunks of school time to military recruiters. Good job going for the "goose and gander" principle of fair and equal access.

[noamnety]

8. HR 551 (stuck in committee) addressed recruiter access to files

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.551:

Introduced by Mike Honda (CA), with 75 cosponsors, it would have changed the law to require students to opt in, not out - so they would have to give writetn consent before their information is given to recruiters.

I'm hoping with the new congress and new committee heads that this will be reintroduced next session and passed.

[rodeodance]

7. sure sounds like a fair idea to me.

[Jokerman]

9. Good Job! K&R

[hughee99]

10. So when FAME goes into the schools...

They show students other things they can do after high school, or other ways to pay for college, or do they just talk about the issues with military recruitment and joining the military?

[noamnety]

13. Some of both.

Some of it is truth in recruiting, because those guys have free access to the kids with no oversight at all, so we want to make sure that if a kid goes into the military, it's because it's something they honestly want to do with their lives, not because of false expectations, like a belief that their college will be paid for when they get out, or that they will have better job prospects when they get out than a nonvet.

Some of it is talking about opportunities like City Year or Americorps, or financial aid opportunities so they don't fall for thinking the military is the only way to pay for college.

[noamnety]

14. oops, too late to edit my previous post

but it occurred to me that this page off our website would be a good link here: http://famedetroit.org/jobs.htm

One of the long term goals for our group is to form specific partnerships with local businesses to start placing people in internships. My personal focus tends to be in countering recruiter misrepresentations, and that probably comes out in what I talk about - and it's the portion of the presentation I gave last night. People in our group have a variety of interests and specialties, though - part of the beauty of working in a grassroots organization.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. Checked out your site

and will recommend it for viewing by anyone with teenagers, even if they aren't in Michigan.

[noonwitch]

16. If the DPS did a better job educating it's kids, they'd have read up on the risks

The Detroit Public Schools are a mess, for a multitude of reasons. If they hire David Snead back as superintendent, they will be even worse.

I do think that this is a good idea, I just think it's sad that so many kids in the Detroit Public Schools are not learning basic skills that make it easier for them to get the information needed to make up their own minds.

[Vidar]

17. Very well done. Much better than my violent fantasies

concerning recruiters. Recommended.

[treestar]

18. Risks like death or permanent maiming

Though it is a sad comment on our school system that a high school student wouldn't recognize this.

[SharonRB]

19. Great work, LW

:hi:

[noamnety]

20. I don't really get the credit for this one

The others in the group had the vision to do this (they think big), and organized like crazy and presented to numerous subcommittees, which had already recommended a presentation to the whole board, so in truth, so long as I didn't screw up horribly, it would have passed.

I didn't do any of the smaller presentations, which were really more important, but I was happy to do the public one (not like I elbowed them out of the way, they asked for volunteers for this one). When we can, I like at least one vet to do the presentations. The great part was we weren't preaching to the choir - this was a big crowd of people gathered more or less for a different purpose, not necessarily informed on the issue. There was an audible gasp when we talked about courts deciding stop-lossed soldiers could be legally retained until 2031. The public was very supportive, applauding occasionally even. Always better than being attacked by villagers with pitchforks.

:hi: