CAREERS IN PEACEMAKING

Careers in Peacemaking Programs (CIPPs)

We are a coalition of Volunteers Educators for Peace (VEPs) advocating for Careers in Peacemaking, working through Maui Peace Action (MPA www.mauipeace.org ). We are interested in collaborating with student and teacher organizations that are dedicated to peace, environmental and social justice issues.

It is our goal to implement an equal opportunity educational option for students with regard to peaceful alternatives to military service. We reference the NINTH CIRCUIT COURT RULING: (Click here to read the ruling, click here to read an explanation of the ruling) (San Diego Committee v. Governing Bd. Cite as 790 F.2d 1471 (9^th Cir. 1986) No. 83-6070), which grants schools and students the right to be made aware of alternatives to careers in the military. This precedent gives students the legal right to hear diverse views with respect to careers in the military. See attachment for the ruling.

As VEPs, we provide information to students that will offer peace promoting professions. Our curriculum focuses on media literacy, critical analysis of military propaganda, and an introduction of non-violent career options. We also include college funding and career opportunities that do not involve military conscription.

Students will be given opportunities to learn about humanitarian aid, conservation, community service careers and Scholarship opportunities with organizations such as:

Americorps www.americorps.org

Youth Conservation Corps www.hawaiiycc.com

Alulike www.alulike.org

            Red Cross International   www.icrc.org
               Hawaii Red Cross    www.hawaiiredcross.org
               American red cross for jobs http://www.redcros.org/jobs/
             American Friends Service Committee   http://www.afsc.org

Friends Committee on National Legislation www.fcnl.org

Peace Corp www.peacecorp.org

Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/

Mediation Services www.mediation.com www.mauimediation.org

Environmental Programs http://www.enviroeducation.com/articles/scholarships/

Peace Education from elementary schools to the university levels http://www.usip.org/ed/

Journalism and fair reporting organizations www.nabj.org/programs/scholarships

Nongovernmental organizations working for human rights, justice and peace http://www2.etown.edu/vl/ngos.html

     The United Nations http://www2.etown.edu/vl/un.html
     The Student Peace Alliance www.thepeacealliance.org
      Mercy Corps   http://www.mercycorps.org/

Cross Cultural Solutions http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org

Rotary International Studies in Peace www.distinguishedscholarships.unc.edu/scholarships/rotaryworldpeace.htm

Outward bound wilderness camping adventures for youth www.outwardbounndwilderness.org

Youth Builders www.youthbuild.org

We also set up alternative education tables to balance the military recruitment presence in schools during career and college fairs. According to the ruling, people from the community are allowed to enter schools to promote careers that they see fit. We are people from the community that want to provide more options to local youth to pursue careers where they can make a positive impact in the world.

We anticipate that you will find it as compelling as we do to implement Careers in Peacemaking in our public school system!

For a presentation please call Ann Pitcaithley at 579-9889 or Maui Peace Action at 573-3255

Financing College Without Joining the Military

Over $6.6 billion of financial aid available from the private sector goes unused every year, mainly because students don't know how to find it. Here are some suggestions on how to access that money!

You have to apply!

Don't make the mistake of assuming you can't afford college by not applying. Your guidance counselor can help you through the process. Some public libraries also have higher education assistance centers.

Your first resources

· Guidance/Career Counselor

· School Library

· State of Hawai'i Library System

Other resources

Free Hawai'i-Specific Scholarship Search http://www.colleeconnections.org/ this site requires registration with name and email address (also offers tutoring information, college counseling including a Native Hawaiian Scholars Program)

· http://www.college-scholarships.com has links to 101 college and scholarship pages.

· http://www.salliemae.com has tips for applying or aid

Sites with scholarship searches that ask for your personal information:

· http://www.collegeboard.com/pay (also has resources o prepare for the SAT exam)

· http://www.srnexpress.com/login.cfm

· http://www.careersandcolleges.com/

· http://www.fastaid.com/

· www.collegeview.com/

· http://Fastweb.com is helpful for finding scholarships. BEWARE: it promotes military scholarships and will send recruitment ads to your email.

Sites allow you to search for scholarships without providing personal information

· http://collegenet.com/mach25

· http://www.scholarship-page.com

· http://collegescholarship.com

Compiled by: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Hawai'i Program

afschawaii@afsc.org (808) 988-6266

WHAT MILITARY RECRUITERS DON'T TELL YOU

FACTS AND-STATISTICS FROM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
VETERAN'S ASSOCIATION, ARMY TIMES PUBLICATION, GI RIGHTS ASSOCIATION

1. Two thirds of all those enlisted never receive college funding.

2. Veterans earn less than non veterans

3. Military job skills do not transfer over to civilian jobs. There are currently 50,000 unemployed veterans awaiting retraining.

4. The Veterans Administration estimates that over one third of all homeless people are veterans.

5. Soldiers can be exposed to Depleted Uranium, a deadly radioactive substance contained in our bombs, bullets and amour, whose effects take years to show up and causes malignancies, and birth defects in their offspring.

6. All provisions in the enlistment contract are subject to change, such as pay, status, duties, and length of time in the service; in some cases soldiers are forced to serve beyond 8 years.

7. The military recruiters target poorer minority students, and some special education students.

8. Side effects of war include contamination of water and food sources from oil spills, biological and chemical nuclear toxins (such as depleted uranium), loss of wildlife, destruction of homes, roads, institutions, and people's livelihoods.

9. The consequence of war is death, disablement to innocent civilians and continued terrorism.

10. If soldiers are not killed outright, they often lose limbs or are otherwise mentally and physically impaired for life.

11. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects one out of every 6 soldiers. Soldiers who have served - or who are serving in Iraq are committing suicide at higher rates than in any other war where such injures have been tracked.

12. 90% of recent female veterans report sexual harassment from within the military itself -- a third of them reported being raped.

13. There are up to 100 US soldiers killed in Iraq each month. Death or disability of privatized mercenaries and foreign soldiers who work under the US are not counted in the statistics.

15. Army researchers saw alcohol misuse rise from 13 percent among soldiers to 21 percent in one year

14. After returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, researchers saw soldiers with anger and aggression issues increase from 11 percent to 22 percent after deployment. Those planning to divorce their spouse rose from 9 percent to 15 percent after time spent in the combat zone.

15. The military is spending 4 billion dollars a year on recruitment, hiring top advertising consultants to target our youth using flashy videos games, magazines, Web sites, MySpace, military ads. They frequent public high school campuses and have hosted dance and sports events

16. The military teaches our youth that violence and destruction resolve conflicts

Facts From Amnesty International: An estimated 300,000 children under the age of eighteen are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than thirty different countries on nearly every continent. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old.