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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2004
"Youth and the Military"
A Public Forum to be held in Princeton on April 18
As the need for military forces in Iraq and elsewhere continues, there is greater pressure to increase enlistment and to consider renewing the draft. These issues will be addressed in a public forum, "Youth and the Military: Making Informed Decisions", to be held on Sunday, April 18, from 3 to 5 pm, at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street at the intersection with Paul Robeson Place. Jonathan Ogle, Oskar Castro, and Kevin Ramirez will discuss recruitment and enlistment, the draft, and conscientious objection.
The main topics that will be presented are how to understand what recruiters may say to potential recruits, the Delayed Entry Program – what it is and how one can get out, and what role the "No Child Left Behind" Act plays in recruiting in the high schools. A second topic includes the likelihood of a draft being reactivated and what it might look like, the consequences of not registering, and the "poverty draft". The third topic is Conscientious Objection (C.O.) -- what it means, how to decide if you are a C.O., and how to prepare your case for the draft board or the military. The presentations will be followed by a question and answer period and then pizza and informal conversation.
"Information presented at this forum is very important for young people who are considering joining the military or worried about a draft, as well as for their families, guidance counselors, teachers, leaders of congregations and others who may be helping them make important decisions about their lives," says Ann Yasuhara a member of Princeton Friends Meeting. "Since the information is not widely available, this is a special opportunity to learn it."
Mr. Castro is from the American Friends Service Committee’s (AFSC) Youth and Militarism Program. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the AFSC provides many kinds of services all over the world and won the Nobel Prize for Peace. Mr. Ogle represents the Center on Conscience and War in Washington D.C. which specializes in all aspects of the draft and conscientious objection. Mr. Ramirez is from the Central Committee on Conscientious Objection (CCCO). From its offices in Philadelphia and Oakland, CA, CCCO monitors and advises about many aspects of recruitment and enlistment as well as life in the military.
The program is organized and sponsored by the Military Service Counseling Committee of Princeton Friends Meeting (Quakers) and is co-sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action, Not In Our Town, the Arts Council of Princeton, the Princeton Peace Network at Princeton University and Progressive Action at Princeton High School. More information can be obtained on the web at www.peacecoalition.org/military or by calling (609) 924-5022. |
