Countering the Militarisation of Youth - Conference Reader

"In Europe, and to some degree on a global level, there are presently two trends which both contribute to an increased militarisation of youth. The first is the end (or, more exactly, the suspension) of conscription in most European countries. The second is an increasing “normalisation of war” stemming from the 'war on terror and the use of military force as a means of politics. Both trends reinforce each other in strengthening the militarisation of youth from an early age- something we are committed to working against.”

The project, which includes an international meeting in Germany, and a post-conference publication, hopes to bringing together activists from all over the world.

The aim is to foster an ongoing regional and multi-regional network of cooperating anti-militarist organisations. The overarching objective of the conference is strengthening the work against the militarisation of youth in Europe (and beyond) by providing opportunities for people to exchange skills and experience of working in this field and to create/strengthen networks and relationships across the region.

In Darmstadt, Germany, 8-10 June 2012, a  conference gathered participation from - in no particular order - Britain, Chile, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Israel, Finland, Spain, South Africa, Venezuela, Colombia, USA, Canada, and a range of other countries.

The programme of the conference focused on analysing the different ways youth are militarised, looking at issues such as military and public spaces, Militainment, military and education, Queer/gender and militarism, and the recruitment of immigrants and low income youth. The second part of the conference will focus on the exchange of experiences of resistance, including, but not limited to Queer resistance, resistance in educational settings, the role of veterans, direct action against the militarisation of youth, and children's rights.

Content

• Conference programme
• About the workshops

• Countering the Militarisation of Youth - A new area of work for War Resisters' International
• Counter-recruitment in the USA

Analysing militarisation

• Publicity campaigns in public spaces
• Militarization and masculinities. Refusing militarism is not possible without refusing hegemonic masculinity
• Army recruiters visit London's poorest schools most often

Country examples

• Chile: The Militarization of Young People in Chile
• On militarisation in Colombia
• Israel: The life story of a true Israeli: On the militarisation of youth in Israel
• Venezuela: Militarisation of youth in Bolivarian Venezuela
• South Africa: Stop drift towards militarisation of brave new democracy

Military in schools

• Documentation: GEW: The Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) and Schools: Driving back influence - Political education is the task of teachers
• Documentation: Military free schools in Germany
• Documentation: National Union of Teachers (NUT) - Resolution at NUT conference, 2008

Resisting militarisation of youth

• Queer resistance: obama’s war on queer and trans youth

Veterans

• Civilian Ally: Veterans as an Affected Population

Rights of the Child

• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict
• Example: Committee on the Rights of the Child on the United Kingdom
• Example: Committee on the Rights of the Child on the USA

• Practical information

###