Reducing the Appeal of Military Recruitment
Ideas for Congregations
by Titus Peachey
Introduction
In most cases, youth are attracted to military service by a variety of factors. We call these factors push/pull factors. Push factors are those things about a young person's situation that he/she may wish to run away from. These might include tension at home with parents or siblings, poor prospects for a job or further training, low grades at school, and few financial resources. Pull factors are those things about the military and its advertising which youth find attractive, and pull them toward military service. These may include the sharp uniforms, money for college, travel and adventure, patriotism, or the promise of discipline and structure.
Ideas for Congregations
Congregations can and should put significant energy into teaching peace at all levels of the Sunday School curricula. There are many resources available for this. In addition to good peace teaching, however, there are other things a congregation can do to help youth become less vulnerable to military advertising and recruitment. Below is a starter list:
1. Understanding Military Recruitment: It is important for both adults and youth to look at the reality behind military recruitment messages. Audio-visuals such as Change of Command and Thermostat are helpful tools. Plan an evening for adults and youth to look through military brochures and audio-visuals. Analyze the messages. Do some research using resources suggested in Thermostat. This will give youth more tools with which to evaluate what they hear from the recruiters.
2. Mentoring Program: a mentoring program provides strong role-models, and offers a place for a young person to receive guidance and attention outside the family structure. This can help reduce the appeal of military recruiters as role models.
3. Strong Youth Activities: a cohesive youth group provides a positive sense of belonging and acceptance, important to all ages and especially to youth. When youth have a sense of belonging at church, they do not need to look to the bonding of military boot camp to meet that need.
4. Family/church life: activities which nurture and support strong family or church family relationships help reduce the chances that youth will join the military on impulse because they want to "get away." Parenting classes and inter-generational group activities at church help make home and the church community a place that is warm and accepting...a place to leave from in a strong and well-considered way.
5. Career/Job Planning: many youth find the help they need with careers and jobs in their family or school settings. However, not all youth have this support. Congregations may want to hold some inter-generational conversations about careers and jobs with youth at the beginning of their senior year, to provide counsel, and to find out which youth may need some additional help.
Invite several adults to talk to youth about how they moved from high school to the jobs/careers they now have. Include both the practical steps/choices along the way as well as people's sense of call or God's leading.
6. Information/Resources: make sure that youth have a clear picture of the post-high school options available to them, including: college options, service with church agencies, opportunities for further training and employment in the local community. Commission someone in your congregation to be knowledgeable about these ever-changing opportunities in your local community. Specific, up-to-date information is essential!
7. Discipline/Structure: some youth need discipline and structure in their lives. This is a feature that could be built into mentoring relationships, youth activities or other programs as appropriate. Discipline/structure, by their very nature, need to be individualized.
8. Inter-generational conversation on peace: share stories of historic and current efforts at peacemaking and peace witness within the congregation across generational lines. Youth need to know that peace is embraced by the entire congregation because it is an integral part of the gospel. If youth perceive it as agenda for 18-year-olds, they will probably reject it.
9. Peace as strength: Through movies, military advertising, and real life events, military firepower is seen as a true source of strength. Peace is often equated with weakness and passivity. Weave story-telling into your congregational life that shows the strength of active peacemaking. Tell historic and contemporary stories that display the courage and discipline of peacemakers.
What if, despite your best efforts, youth sign up for the military?: continue to love and care for youth who decide to sign up for the military. Pray for them and keep in touch via letters, phone calls and e-mails as possible. Let them know that you want to hear what they are experiencing and thinking. As you will know from your own experience, many changes happen between the ages of 18 and 25. If a young person changes their mind before they actually go to basic training, it is possible to withdraw. And if youth want to seek a discharge after they have already gone to basic training, this is also a possibility, although much more complex and challenging. You may contact one of the agencies below for help:
Mennonite Central Committee
Titus Peachey
Telephone: (717) 859-1151
www.mcc.org/co
Center on Conscience and War
Telephone: (202) 483-2220
www.nisbco.org
G.I. Rights Hotline
Telephone: (800) 394-9544
www.girights.org
