July 13, 2024 / Staff / National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth - June 27th, 2024 marks the founding of the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth stemming from the formation of the network at the national counter-recruitment organizing conference held June 25-27, 2004 named Stopping War Where It Begins: Strengthening the Movement Opposing the Militarization of Youth in Philadelphia. (1)
Through the many cultural shifts and political machinations of the United Sates domestic and foreign policy, the prospects and opportunities for NNOMY have experienced many ebbs and flows.
As the next period ahead unravels, like the presidential election debacle we now see unfolding five month before the next election, the time ahead for NNOMY, and the peace activist community in general seems uncertain and certainly demoralizing with, now two active proxy wars that the current Biden Administration has entrenched the country in.
With what is being articulated by the Pentagon and its Command Structure, a potential war is looming in Asia for the USA with China over control of the China Sea, and even Polar Ice shipping routes for Russia of Petrochemicals product shipments to Asia being contested by the US State Department, allowing circumvention of sanctions imposed upon it by the US and its G7 coalition of countries, the chances that American youth may become drawn into direct military conflicts that they have little understanding of or little interest to get involved in a war over, are greater than ever.
Additionally, the Southern Command leadership has openly articulated their intention to control the resource extraction of the American Continent as their own without the presence of other international powers present at the table. It is the Monroe Doctrine redux. (2)
Looking back at another time of resurgent US Militarism during the Bush Administration's Iraq war in response to a proven false narrative imposed upon the 9/11 terrorism, NNOMY experienced the height of counter recruitment activism as peace groups correctly intervened into the proceedings of US military recruitment at the high school level, to stem the flow of bodies into a series of unnecessary illegal wars for regime change
Below as a testament and recognition of their efforts are listed the groups on this twentieth anniversary of the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth and their counter-recruitment pages:
| CITY | ACTIVIST | ORGANIZATION | STATE | WEBSITE (ARCHIVED FROM 2005) | ||
| Alachua | Shawna Doran | Alachua County Green Party | Florida | http://alachuagreens.weebly.com/ | ||
| Albuquerque | Sue | Another Side (An educational project of the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice) | New Mexico | http://www.stopthewarmachine.org/other/gi.htm | ||
| Americus | Sanders Thornburgh | Koinonia | Georgia | http://www.koinoniapartners.org | ||
| Ann Arbor | Bob Krzewinski | Veterans for Peace - Chapter 93 | Michigan | http://www.vfp93.org/ | ||
| Arcata | Dave Meserve | North Coast United to Protect Youth | California | http://www.stoprecruitingkids.org | ||
| Arlington Heights | Libby Frank | Northwest Suburban Peace & Education Project | Illinois | http://www.nwsubpep.org/ | ||
| Athens | John Howell | Appalachian Peace and Justice Network | Ohio | http://www.apjn.org/ | ||
| Atlanta | Michael Burke | Coalition for Student Career Alternatives | Georgia | http://www.scapatl.org/ | ||
| Atlanta | Michael J. Burke | Veterans for Truth in Military Recruiting | Georgia | http://www.safepassagenetwork.org/ | ||
| Austin | Charlie Jackson | Texans for Peace | Texas | http://www.texansforpeace.org/ | ||
| Austin | Susan Van Haitsma / Hart Viges | Sustainable Options for Youth | Texas | http://www.peaceoptions.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Bayside | Carl Stancil - Rob Hepburn | Veterans for Peace Chapter 56 (Humboldt Bay) | California | http://www.vfp56.org/ | ||
| Belle Mead | Robert Colby-Witanek | NJ Youth United Against War and Imperialism | New Jersey | http://NJYouthUnited.org | ||
| Bellingham | Janet Marino | Whatcom Peace & Justice Center | Washington | http://www.whatcompjc.org/ | ||
| Berkeley | Alan Senauke | Buddhist Peace Fellowship | California | http://www.bpf.org | ||
| Berkely | Ian Slattery | Soldiers of Conscience (documentary video resources) | California | http://www.soldiers-themovie.com | ||
| Bethesda | Pat Elder | Peace Action Montgomery | Maryland | http://www.peaceactionmc.org/ | ||
| Bethlehem | Peter Simeon Bond | LEPOCO | Pennsylvania | http://www.lepoco.org/ | ||
| Birmingham | Ashley Reynolds | Equal Access Alabama | Alabama | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/129-equal-access-alabama.html | ||
| Boca Raton | Mike Budd | The Truth Project | Florida | http://www.truthproject.info/ | ||
| Boise | Liz Paul | Idaho Peace Coalition | Idaho | http://www.peacecoalition.us/idaho/ | ||
| Boomer | Sally Ferrell | Alternative to Military/NC Peace Action | North Carolina | http://www.ncpeaceaction.org | ||
| Brooklyn | David Tykulsker | Brooklyn for Peace | New York | http://www.brooklynpeace.org/ | ||
| Burlington | Jen Berger | Peace & Justice Center | Vermont | http://www.pjcvt.org/ | ||
| Cambridge | Angela Kelly | Massachusetts Peace Action | Massachusetts | http://www.masspeaceaction.org/ | ||
| Cambridge | Bill Sweet | UJP Counter-recruitment Coalition | Massachusetts | http://www.justicewithpeace.org/ | ||
| Chapel Hill | Curt Torell and Pam Schwingel | NC Choices for Youth | North Carolina | http://www.ncchoicesforyouth.org/ | ||
| Chicago | Ame Meyers | Chicago Coalition Opposed to Militarization of Youth (CCOMY) | http://www.ccomy.org/ | |||
| Chicago | Arny Steiber | Veterans for Peace - Chicago | Illinois | http://www.chicagovfp.org/drupal/ | ||
| Chicago | Darlene Gramigna | American Friends Service Committee- Chicago | Illinois | http://afsc.org/office/chicago-il | ||
| Cincinnati | Kristen Barker | Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center | Ohio | http://ijpc-cincinnati.org/ | ||
| Claremont | Gerald Haynes | Alternative Ideas to Military Service | California | https://claremont-courier.com/ | ||
| Colonia | Tim Bigelow | Yap High School | Federated States of Micronesia | https://time.com/archive/6949007/ | ||
| Columbus | Fred Suter | Historic Peace Churches | Ohio | http://www.livingpeacecob.org/ | ||
| Columbus OH | Deb Oskin | On Earth Peace | https://christianpeacewitness.org/counter-recruitment/ | |||
| Corning | Gary McCaslin | Peaceful Gathering | New York | http://www.peacefulgatherings.org/ | ||
| Corvallis | Rebecca Michelson | Veterans for Peace - Corvallis | Oregon | http://www.vfpcorvallis.org/ | ||
| DeKalb | Cele Meyer | DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace & Justice | Illinois | http://www.dekalbinterfaithnetwork.org/cms/ | ||
| Dorado | Sonia Santiago | Madres contra la Guerra | Puerto Rico | http://madrescontralaguerra.blogspot.com | ||
| Duluth | Joel Kilgour | Truth in Recruiting | Minnesota | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/266-truth-in-recruiting.html | ||
| Edmond | Daniel Saunders | Military Free Oklahoma | Oklahoma | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/192-military-free-oklahoma.html | ||
| Encinitas | Rick Jahnkow | Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities (Project YANO) | California | http://projectyano.org | ||
| Eugene | Carol Van Houten | Truth In Recruiting (formerly the Committee for Countering Military Recruitment) | Oregon | http://www.calclane.org/1programs/counteringmiltrecruit.html | ||
| Eugene | Gordon Sturrock | Veterans Against Torture | Oregon | http://www.veteransagainsttorture.com/ | ||
| Fort Collins | Cheryl Distaso | Youth and Militarism - an Affiliate of the Center for Justice Peace and Environment | Colorado | http://www.cjpe.org/youth/index.htm | ||
| Fort Myers | Nancy Howell/ Judy Alves | Wage Peace Lee | Florida | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/208-wage-peace-lee.html | ||
| Fort Wayne | Dave Lambert | Fort Wayne Peace Action | Indiana | http://www.fwagitator.org/military.html | ||
| Fort Worth | Diane Wood | Peaceful Vocations | Texas | http://www.peacefulvocations.org/ | ||
| Fresno | Dan Yaseen | Central Valley Counter-Recruitment Organization | California | https://www.peacefresno.org | ||
| Glendale | Sharon Weisman | Glendale Education/Social Justice Advocates | California | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/186-glendale-educationsocial-justice-advocates.html | ||
| Grand Rapids | SDS | ACTIVATE (Grand Rapids Michigan) | Michigan | http://www.activategr.org/ | ||
| Greenbelt | Lucy Duff | Broader Horizons Counter Recruiting Campaign of the Peace & Justice Coalition | Maryland | http://www.justpeace-pgmd.org/ | ||
| Greenfield | Sher Sweet | Traprock Peace Center | Massachusetts | http://traprock.info/index.shtml | ||
| Hidden Valley Lake | Michelle Borzoni | South Lake Democrats Club | California | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/181-south-lake-democrats-club.html | ||
| Honolulu | Kyle Kajihiro | CHOICES (Committee on Helping Open and Informed Choices in Education and Schools) | Hawaii | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/136-choices-committee-on-helping-open-and-informed-choices-in-education-and-schools.html | ||
| Hood River/Columbia Gorge | Linda Short | Columbia River Fellowship for Peace: Project Full Disclosure | Oregon | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/167-columbia-river-fellowship-for-peace-project-full-disclosure.html | ||
| Houston | Bob Henschen | Houston Committee for Youth and Non-Military Opportunities | Texas | http://hpjc.org/event/winningthepeace | ||
| Irvine | Eliana Olivarez | Worker Student Alliance | California | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/213-worker-student-alliance.html | ||
| Irvine | Thu-Trang Tran | OC Recruitment Awareness Project | California | http://www.oc-rap.org/ | ||
| Ithaca | Jim Murphy | NY Veterans Speak Out | New York | http://www.veteransforpeaceny.org/ | ||
| Joliet | Bill Ruhaak | Pax Christi Will County | Illinois | http://www.paxjoliet.org/justeach/justeach_speakers.htm | ||
| Juneau | Amy Paige | Southeast Alaska Truth in Recruiting (SeaTIR) | Alaska | http://vfp-seatir.blogspot.com | ||
| Leesburg, VA | Michelle Grise, Don Eaves | Loudoun County Coalition on Recruitment Issues (LCCRI) | Virginia | http://www.loudounforce.org/ | ||
| Lincoln | Kevin Haake | Alternatives to the Military | Nebraska | http://www.nebraskagreens.org/atm | ||
| Linwood | Norm Cohen | Coalition for Peace and Justice | New Jersey | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/237-coalition-for-peace-and-justice.html | ||
| Los Angeles | Alyse Emdur | Photograph A Recruiter | California | http://www.photographarecruiter.com/ | ||
| Los Angeles | Arlene Inouye | Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools (CAMS) | California | http://www.militaryfreeschools.org/ | ||
| Los Angeles | Michelle Cohen | Project Great Futures | California | http://projectgreatfutures.nnomy.org | ||
| Madison | Fran Weidenhoff | Veterans for Peace- Madison | Wisconsin | http://www.peaceactionwi.org | ||
| Madison | Michelle Nightoak | TaME (Truth and Alternatives to Militarism in Education) | Wisconsin | http://www.tamewisconsin.org/ | ||
| Madison | Todd Dennis | Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice | Wisconsin | http://www.wnpj.org/ | ||
| Memphis | George Grider | Mid-South Peace & Justice Center | Tennessee | http://www.midsouthpeace.org/ | ||
| Middlebury | James Ross | Addison Country Citizens for Alternative to Military Service | Vermont | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/42-addison-county-citizens-for-alternative-to-military-service.html | ||
| Milwaukee | Becky Cooper | Peace Action- Wisconsin | Wisconsin | http://www.peaceactionwi.org/ | ||
| Minneapolis | Larry Johnson | Veterans for Peace - Chapter 27 | Minnesota | http://www.vfpchapter27.org/ | ||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | Mary Beaudoin | Women Against Military Madness | Minnesota | http://www.worldwidewamm.org/home.html | ||
| Monterey | MacGregor Eddy | Youth Rights Alternatives to Military | California | http://www.peacemonterey.org | ||
| Nashville | Joey King | Veterans for Peace Chapter 89 | Tennessee | http://www.veteransforpeace.org/ | ||
| New Windsor | Bob Gross | On Earth Peace | Maryland | http://www.onearthpeace.org/ | ||
| New York | Amy Wagner | Ya-Ya Network | New York | http://www.yayanetwork.org/ | ||
| New York | Barb Harris | Granny Peace Brigade -NYC | New York | www.grannypeacebrigade.org | ||
| New York | Debra Sweet | World Can't Wait | New York | http://www.worldcantwait.org/ | ||
| New York | Erica Braudy | New York Civil Liberties Union | New York | http://www.nyclu.org/milrec | ||
| New York | Seth Rader | New York Collective of Radical Educators | New York | http://www.nycore.org/ | ||
| New York | Stephanie | We Are Not Your Soldiers | New York | http://www.wearenotyoursoldiers.org/ | ||
| Northampton | Jeff Napolitano | American Friends Service Committee (Western MA) | Massachusetts | http://www.afscwm.org/ | ||
| Norwich | Joanne Sheehan | War Resisters League/New England Regional Office | Connecticut | http://www.warresisters.org/chapterprofile?chapterstate=Connecticut&go=go | ||
| Oklahoma City | Rena Guay | Oklahoma Center for Conscience and Action | Oklahoma | http://www.centerforconscience.org/ | ||
| Oakland | Susan Quinlan | Alternatives to War | California | http://www.baypeace.org | ||
| Oakland | Susan Quinlan | Bay-Peace: Better Alternatives for Youth | California | http://www.baypeace.org | ||
| Oxford | Dan Blazo | UM Constitutionalists | Mississippi | http://umfreedom.com/ | ||
| Pacific City | Bruce Ryan | Pacific City/Nestucca High | Oregon | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/248-pacific-city.html | ||
| Pacific Palisades | Sandra Sunshine Williams | Palisadians for Peace | California | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/187-palisadians-for-peace.html | ||
| Paia | Ann Pitcaithley | Careers in Peacemaking | Hawaii | http://mauipeace.org/archives/old-content/careers-in-peacemaking-programs/ | ||
| Philadelphia | Janine Schwab | American Friends Service Committee Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention | Pennsylvania | http://www.afsc.org | ||
| Philadelphia | Jo Ann Zimmerman | Penn Army of None | Pennsylvania | http://www.pennpeace.ning.com | ||
| Philadelphia | Ruth Balter | Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | http://www.grannypeacebrigadephiladelphia.org | ||
| Philadelphia | Steve Gulick | Philadelphia War Resisters League | Pennsylvania | http://www.phillywrl.net/ | ||
| Phoenix | Dolores Martinez | Native CRC | Arizona | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/262-native-crc.html | ||
| Port Townsend | Liz Rivera Goldstein | Teen Peace Project | Washington | http://www.teenpeace.org/ | ||
| Portland | J. Grueschow | Military & Draft Counseling Project- War Resisters League | Oregon | http://www.peaceveterans.com/NWM&DC.html | ||
| Portland | Matt Guynn | On Earth Peace- Portland | Oregon | http://www.onearthpeace.org/ | ||
| Poughkeepsie | Fred Nagel | Dutchess Peace Coalition | New York | http://www.dutchesspeace.org/ | ||
| Rochester | Peter Debes | Rochester Against War | New York | http://www.rochesteragainstwar.org/ | ||
| Rogue Valley | Don Chapin or Hal Anthony | Rogue Valley Peace Veterans | Oregon | http://www.rvpv.org/ | ||
| Roseburg | Susan Shaffer | Career Alternatives Project | Oregon | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/215-career-alternatives-project.html | ||
| Salem | Emily Loberg | North Salem HS Peace Club | Oregon | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/252-north-salem-hs-peace-club.html | ||
| San Diego | Rick Jahnkow | Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD) | California | http://www.comdsd.org | ||
| San Francisco | Edward Hasbrouck | Resisters.info | California | http://www.resisters.info | ||
| San Francisco | John Lindsay-Poland | National Youth & Militarism Program/American Friends Service Committee | California | http://www.afsc.org/office/san-francisco-ca | ||
| San Francisco | Medea Benjamin | CODEPINK Women for Peace | California | http://www.codepink.org | ||
| San Francisco | Siri Margerin | Full Picture | California | http://thefullpicture.info/ | ||
| San Jose | David Ledesma | One Voice! | California | http://www.one-voice.info | ||
| San Juan | Wanda Colon Cortez | Proyecto Caribeno de Justicia y Paz | Puerto Rico | http://pcjp.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Santa Barbara | Daniel Seidenberg | Veterans for Peace Chapter 54 | California | http://www.vfpsb.org | ||
| Santa Cruz | Irene O'Connell | Resource Center for NonviolenceTruth in Recruiting | California | http://rcnv.org/programs/truth-in-recruiting | ||
| Santa Rosa | Elizabeth Stinson | Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County | California | http://www.peaceandjusticesonomaco.org | ||
| Seaside | Karen Araujo | Peace Resource Center Seaside | California | https://peacecentral.wordpress.com/ | ||
| Seattle | John M. Repp | West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice | Washington | http://groups.snowcoalition.org/westseattle | ||
| Seattle | Kathy Barker | Garfield HS PTSA | Washington | http://garfieldhs.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=213199 | ||
| Seattle | Marion Ward | Washington Truth in Recruiting | Washington | http://www.watir.org/ | ||
| Seattle | Ruth Yarrow | Sound Non-Violent Opponents of War | Washington | http://www.snowcoalition.org/ | ||
| Shafter | Daniel H. Shubin | Peace Church Challenge | California | http://www.peacehost.net/peacechurch | ||
| Silver Spring | Kevin Martin | Peace Action | Maryland | https://www.peaceaction.org/ | ||
| Silver Spring | Paul Martin | Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) | Maryland | http://www.studentpeaceaction.org | ||
| Springfield | Jane Newton | Springfield Peace and Justice | Vermont | http://www.pjcvt.org/what-we-do/peace/ | ||
| St. Petersburg-Tampa Bay | Dwight Lawton | Veterans for Peace | Florida | http://tampabayvfp.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Syracuse | Syracuse Peace Council | Military Alternatives Education Project | New York | http://www.peacecouncil.net/programs/military-alternatives-education-project | |||
| Tacoma | Michael Collier | Micah Project First United Methodist Church- Tacoma: Washington | Washington | http://www.fumcot.com/index.php?m=3&s=83&c=208 | ||
| Toledo | Peggy Daly-Masternak | Learning Not Recruiting | Ohio | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/176-learning-not-recruiting.html | ||
| Traverse City | Tim Keenan | Veterans for Peace - Chapter 50 | Michigan | http://www.vfp50.org/ | ||
| Troy | Steve Saelzler | Veterans for Peace - Chapter 74 | Michigan | http://www.vfp74.org/ | ||
| Tucson | Susan Thorpe | Deborah Livingston | Women's International League for Peace and Freedom | Arizona | http://www.tucsonwilpf.org/ | ||
| Tulsa | Joni Mazer | Tulsa Peace Fellowship | Oklahoma | http://tulsapeacefellowship.ning.com/ | ||
| Twin Cities | Ty Moore | Youth Against War and Racism | Minnesota | http://yawr-mn.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Volcano | Catherine Kennedy | Truth 2 Youth | Hawaii | http://www.myspace.com/cakikallas | ||
| Walnut Creek | Rick Sterling | Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center | California | http://www.mtdpc.org | ||
| Washington | John Judge | C.H.O.I.C.E.S. - Committee on High School Options & Information on Careers | District of Columbia | http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/JohnJudge/CHOICES.html | ||
| Washington | Maria Santelli | Center on Conscience & War | District of Columbia | http://www.centeronconscience.org | ||
| Washington | Phil Jones | Church of the Brethren Washington Office | District of Columbia | http://www.brethren.org | ||
| Washington D.C. | Eric Anderson | Yellowcake | https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/content_page/item/188-yellowcakewalk.html | |||
| West Bend | Tom Haebig | Peace Seekers of Washington County | Washington | http://thepeaceseekers.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Wichita | Cathy Benton | Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas | Kansas | http://www.wichitapeace.org/ | ||
| Wilmington | Sally Milbury-Steen | DE Pacem in Terris | Delaware | http://www.depaceminterris.org | ||
| Wilmington | Steve Lee | Wilmington Peace Meetup | North Carolina | http://www.meetup.com/nonviolence/ |
Notes:
(1) https://nnomy.org/index.php/en/who-are-we/nnomy-formation2.html