PROPOSAL: GIVE THE YOUTH THE TRUTH!

MS Word Flyer

Submitted by Bob Witanek

This proposal is for a campaign launched by our Committee to End the Occupation of Iraq entitled “Give the Youth the Truth!”

It is an outreach effort and an action plan rolled into one and it makes use of our resource, the Iraq Invaded slide show presentations.  While the proposal is still in the formation stages I want to get your feedback.

This proposal is not to replace what we are currently doing but to augment it.

The idea is that we promote a plan of action of focus on high schools in whatever communities we are organizing.  We work through whatever channels are possible to develop a method of outreach to the youth.  As we hit roadblocks, we organize public campaigns to pressure principals and school boards to allow our presentations into the school.  We focus our campaigns on the ability of military recruiters to have open access to the schools and the need for youth to make informed decisions about signing up for killing and dying missions.

HOW IT WOULD WORK

The ideal is to find cooperative and friendly teachers and administrators that invite us in for slide show presentations either during the school day, after school or in the evenings.  At those presentations, we try to get some contacts among the students who want to work with us.

In other instances, we formally approach administrations with a request to present to the students.  If we have students in the school working with us, we see if they can take the lead and we support their approach.  Otherwise, we go directly to the administrations.

As we hit roadblocks with approaches to limitations, where we have community strength or potential for community strength, we actually start a campaign through petitions, board meeting participation, letter writing, etc.

WHY SHOULD WE CAMPAIGN AROUND THIS ISSUE?

Many local communities are focusing campaigns on what are basically symbolic measures dealing with the Patriot Act.  They pressure councils and committees to pass resolutions stating that the local government will not cooperate with the Patriot Act provisions.  While these are good educational efforts and worthy rallying points, not much of substance is won as far as changing a policy that has a direct impact is gained when they are won.  The actions taken by the committees and councils are largely symbolic. 

I urge people to continue to support such efforts but I also believe that we have much more to gain by demanding that our districts GIVE THE YOUTH THE TRUTH!  When we win these campaigns – we will be eliminating barriers for organizing and reaching out to the same youth being subjected to high pressure tactics to join the occupation army!  Indeed the US military is stretched thin and there have been reports of recruiting difficulties during their time of need of more boots for the war in Iraq and the many other campaigns (wars) and potential campaigns the US is engaged in.  There is indeed discussion of the draft becoming more and more prominent.  By creating an alternative view in the high schools, we can potentially directly challenge the recruitment success and thus have actual impact on the war fighting capability of the US.

OTHER STRATEGIES

There will be no cookie cutter approach to districts.  Currently, CEO-I members have approached the principal of Montgomery High School and are trying to publicize the difficulty we are having there.  We have also sent letters to the Plainfield Superintendent and each and every school board member in Plainfield – engaging one such member in some dialogue on the question.  Each local effort will depend upon our local strength and the people on the board and in the board office and what if any support or contacts we have from anti-war high school students.

Some ideas for continuing the effort include:

• Figuring out where the local youth congregate in the evenings, going to basketball games and other events, and leafleting, etc.
• Leafleting outside of the school.
• Sending notes to the teachers at this school, sometimes their addresses are at the district web site.  Generally we should take a look at the district website to see if we can get any ideas about how to approach the school there.
• Take advantage of the publicity that districts have undertaken – in Plainfield there has been some press recently about their goal to get their students involved in the community and to be activist and civic minded. 
• Keeping the high school area well posted with our anti-war information on the telephone poles.  This only works at those schools where there is a sidewalk around them.  Many are set off from the road on mini-campuses.
• Building contacts with youth and if getting into the school is difficult, working with them to do the presentation at the local library or some other nearby location in cooperation with their efforts to bring people.  Then at those meetings, discussion could focus upon taking the issue further with the district.

 This is just a rough preliminary proposal and feedback is hereby requested.

 Thanks!
- Bob Witanek

http://EndOccIraq.org