National Youth Leadership Forum - is this a military recruiting tool?

[welshTerrier2]

my friend's kid, a 16 year-old male, received a package in the mail from the National Youth Leadership Forum ... he's been "invited" to Washington (DC) to receive some "excellent leadership training" for a mere $1200 because of his excellent record in high school (how did they know that??) ... none of his friends received the mailing ... is this group really just a front for military recruiting ??? i'm concerned they're looking for a bunch of junior GI Joes ... they do offer other forums on their website for law, medicine, nursing and technology but the military stuff was right at the top of the list ...

is anyone familiar with this group ??

here's their website: http://www.nylf.org/did/index.cfm

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The National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy provides an intense and stimulating exploration of the field of government service for high school juniors and seniors. This six-day program introduces students to challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more.

Students participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military officers, who provide rich insights into current issues and discuss the strategies that helped them succeed. The government's leading academic institutions also open their doors to our students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy.

During the course of the forum, students take part in a national security strategy simulation that draws on their program experiences and teamwork. They employ a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation's top policy makers, giving them an opportunity to use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making.

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[BamaLefty]

1. I Got One Too.

It sounded like bullshit to me. I threw mine away.

But as far as a draft goes--- I doubt it has anything w/ sending him into the military. But then again, we now so little these days. :eyes:

[Horse with no Name]

2. My daughter got one

It looks very fancy in the envelope.
She also got an invitation to a cattle call recruitment to West Point?
Since when did West Point start taking their recruitment to the streets?
When I was growing up it was very difficult to get in and only the best of the best qualified.
Now I guess * has corrupted that institution to take anyone that will sign up.:shrug:

[thereismore]

3. kinda like boy scouts? nt

[0rganism]

4. A brief web search indicates the *appearance* of legitimacy,

not just a front for the military (although there will probably be some heavy recruiting going down). NYLF sponsors these conventions for a number of career fields. This particular one (Defense, Intelligence, & Diplomacy) appears geared toward inspiring future spooks and pentagonians. If he attends, he'll probably be hanging out with a lot of JROTC and spoiled children of neo-con industrialists.