Kids with guns
Should the armed forces encourage young people to interact with weapons and military vehicles? Our new web resource looks at why is this happening and asks if it is right and how can it be challenged?
Military involvement in education and youth activities in the UK
This briefing summarises key elements of military involvement in education and youth activities in the UK. It covers the defence industry as well as the armed forces and Ministry of Defence. It outlines the main concerns this raises and how these concerns have been voiced so far.
Should the military be promoted in schools?
The armed forces have a growing involvement in secondary schools, colleges and even primary schools. While the Army, Navy and RAF have long run activities in schools as part of the Ministry of Defence's Youth Engagement programme, the Department for Education promotes 'military ethos' within education, and parts of the armed forces, along with the arms industry, are developing their involvement with curriculum provision and sponsorship of education institutions. This A4 leaflet (updated 2017) outlines the issue and what the concerns are. This A4 leaflet (updated 2017) outlines the issue and what the concerns are.
ForcesWatch briefing: Questioning the presence of armed forces in schools
This ForcesWatch briefing is for parents, students and teachers concerned with military activities in their school.
Take Action on Militarism: website and resource pack
ForcesWatch have teamed up with Quaker Peace & Social Witness to produce a resource pack to help people take action on militarism in their communities. And there is a website to go with it where you can download the pack or order a hard copy, find links to more resources etc.
Model motion on military and defence industry influence in education
For discussion in union or party branches and councils etc. The motion calls for oversight and regulation of military activities in schools, including for careers and curriculum purposes, and for military-themed activities or perspectives to be balanced by activities focusing on peace and human rights. It also calls for activities run by arms companies in schools to cease.
Education resources
Robot dogs in UK schools: good dog or bad dog?
Investigate why robot dogs are visiting schools across the UK with the STEM Detective!
This year's BAE Systems STEM Education Roadshow is running school workshops about artificial intelligence with a robot dog named Lexi. But, while pupils get to make music videos with Lexi, robot dogs have other functions on the battlefield.
Teach Peace Secondary
The Peace Education Network'sTeach Peace Secondary offers over 50 cross-curricular lessons from a range of organisations including Pax Christi, Amnesty International, Values Based Education, Scientists for Global Responsibility, Facing History & Ourselves, Corrymeela, and War Child.
Lessons are freely available via TES.com and include:
- Amnesty International: How does the arms trade work?
- Scientists for Global Responsibility: A beginner's guide to nuclear weapons
- Pax Christi: Military spending – does it make us more secure?
- Conflict Resolution in Sheffield Schools Training (CRESST): Curious about conflict
Responding to military engagement in schools
This booklet produced by Quakers in Britain in 2022 asks how can schools meet their responsibility for the best interests of children and young people when engaging with the armed forces and weapons industry?
It provides information, resources and ideas for countering military influence in schools.
Animated poem about the military recruitment of young people
A spoken work poem by artist Potent Whisper, animator Neda Ahmadi, and sound designers Torch & Compass on the military recruitment of young people.
See more from CRIN on Should the armed forces recruit children under the age of 18? including a comparison to a recent army recruitment advert and a learning resource from the Quakers in Britain peace education team, to encourage critical thinking about armed forces recruitment and its relationship to human rights.
Planning Remembrance Day events in your school
This guidance is based on five-years of research carried out by Oxford Brookes University and Brunel University London. It looks at how school leaders can approach discussing ethical themes related to conflict.
