Is it
enough to challenge war when it's upon us?
Or do we
need to ask, “How we 'learn war' in the first place?”
This is
the question War Resisters' International's new project –
Countering the Militarisation of Youth – is asking.
We are
bringing together activists across continents, languages
and regions to discover how children and young adults are infiltrated by military values – and what you
can do to stop it.
Today, war is often waged by professional (instead of conscripted) armies. Governments and corporations with political or financial interests in waging war are motivated to ensure young
people adopt militarist values.
In the era of social media and
gaming, there are more ways than ever to militarise young people.
After
a conference in Germany (a country where the military
advertise in magazines for teenagers, promising adventure and
travel)that brought together activists from fourteen countries, War Resisters' International produced the first ever book documenting how the seeds of
war are planted in the minds of young people, and exploring
resistance to this militarisation. Read it here for free: Sowing Seeds: The Militarisation of Youth and How to Counter It.
Next, we want to create a space where campaigners across the
world can learn from each other, giving them even more ways to
counter and challenge the way young people are taught that violence
and war are the answers to their problems.
Today we
are crowdfunding for technical support to get this network going: building a website, and providing technical support for the upcoming
International Week of Action for Military-Free Education and
Research.
Please
give what you can to make this happen, and then share this campaign with your friends!
Thank you!
Please note, though the information here is shown in pounds, you can donate in other curriences through Indiegogo, using their different payment options.
War Resisters' International is an
international pacifist and antimilitarist network, with over eighty
affiliated groups in forty countries. We've been working against war
and the forces that make war possible since 1921.
With huge thanks to Owen Everett, Jungmin Choi, Mlu Dywili and Sahar Vardi for lending their voices to this campaign, and Gary Ghirardi for his work producing the video.
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