in schools & colleges...in your community

This ForcesWatch briefing outlines the methods and rationale of the military's engagement with young people within the education system and highlights potential developments in this area, including projects under consideration or development by the Armed Forces and the Department of Education.

"We call on the National Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to recommend that the armed forces should not go into schools to recruit.

Britain is the only country in the European Union that allows a military presence in its schools. Britain is the only country of the 27 European Union countries to recruit 16-year-old children to the armed forces. The armed forces target their recruitment in schools in the most deprived areas of Wales."

Up and down the country on the 30th June street parties, picnics and military tattoos are taking place for Armed Forces Day. Despite the rhetoric of tradition, the day is relatively new to Britain's military history, with the first occurrence taking place in 2009, replacing Veterans' Day, which ran from 2006-2009.

Some see the institution of another national occasion relating to the Armed Forces (i.e. in addition to Remembrance Day) as indicative of a growing culture of militarisation across the country. After consultation with parents, teachers and students who are concerned with the unquestioning attitude of acceptance towards the military and their activities in the public sphere, ForcesWatch has produced the following lesson plans and activities for those working in schools and other youth organisations to use, free of charge, with their students or group members. This is a direct response to the materials produced by the Armed Forces for teachers.

Contents

• Countering the Militarisation of Youth introduction
• Challenging the military's involvement in education in the United Kingdom
• Universities, the Bundeswehr and “networked security”
• How the U.S. collects data on potential recruits
• Recruitment of and resistance by queers - example Sweden
• Child Soldiers: Learning from Kony2012?
• Countering the Militarisation of Youth
• African Nonvio­lence Trainers Exchange

This ForcesWatch briefing is for parents, students and teachers concerned with military activities in their school. It looks at:

• how and why the armed forces engage with schools and colleges
• perspecitves on armed forces activities in schools and colleges
• things to think about before raising concerns with the school
• points and questions to raise with the school
• alternatives to military-led activities
• sources of more information

Veterans for Peace UK: a new organisation for veterans of the armed forces committed to opposing war through nonviolent means. Veterans for Peace UK are available to speak at schools and events.