The Options Project
The "Options Project" works to get information to Wisconsin School counselors about peaceful alternatives to military service. Many counselors are concerned about the limited options their students seem to have and are uneasy about the imbalance of military recruiting material vs. non-military information. Since spring of 2009, Wisconsin parents, veterans and community members have been delivering options packets to school counselors and mentors. Scroll down to see what's in the folders.
This project is co-sponsored by TAME, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, Madison Friends Meeting (Quakers), and the Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society.
You can help us reach our goal: deliver a folder to your area high school - contact us at info@tamewisconsin.org - or donate toward materials - tax-deductible - to Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice: WNPJ, 122 State Street #402, Madison, WI 53703 - note that your donation is for "counselor folders" (or you can donate online).
What's inside:
Introduction and facts about the packet, stop-loss and statistics about returning veterans.
Non-military options for students:
Wisconsin Alternatives
10 pages of resources to help find jobs, internships, school funding and other opportunities from government, non-profit and private sources. By NNOMY.
Focus on Wisconsin - Great Jobs/Careers/Futures
37 page booklet printed by AFSC, advice & resources on jobs, school and funding, apprenticeships, careers, decision-making - focused on Wisconsin.
Americorps - full-color brochure provided by Americorps/Vista. (See info about the program here)
Wisconsin Technical College System - catalog listing careers, apprenticeship options and statewide schools - (online info here)
Apprenticeships in Wisconsin - flyer listing trades & contact information - (info online here)
NorthEast Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades Council Apprenticeships
Youth Apprenticeship brochures (from DWD - info online here)
Job Center of Wisconsin - flyer describing Wisconsin's online job search web site with state, county, local and private jobs & publications for job readiness. Job Center site
Wisconsin Jobs 2016 - DWD brochure with 10-year employment projections, fastest-growing jobs, occupations in demand.
Alcance: A group of Latino students from different Wisconsin academic institutions who want to motivate and help students go to college. They will give presentations or provide support to students to reach their goals. (Espanol)
In-State Tuition for Immigrant Students/La Matricula Estatal para Estudiantes Inmigrantes: Information on qualifications for immigrants to receive in-state tuition in Wisconsin.
It's My Life: A Guide to Alternatives After High School
Whatever a student is thinking about doing, each choice means a choice NOT to do something else. This book provides a big picture of the options they have before making any decisions - information on what it feels like to make a big change, what next steps might be and how students can start thinking "outside of the box". Free download available(3MB).
Help for students making a decision about the military - information the recruiter may not provide:
DVD - Before You Enlist (14 minutes)
This video by AFSC features veterans and former military recruiters telling what really happens during the recruiting process and after. DVD will be included in the packet. You can watch it on YouTube.
Dou You Know Enough to Enlist? - color brochure provided by AFSC included in packet (this link just shows the B&W version). We will have some in Spanish for counselors who express a need.
Questions For Recruiters: 5x7 PDF or resize to 8-1/2 x 11 Card - with the answers they should be giving you
Your Health and the Military
Download PDF - 8-1/2 x 14", 2 sided for folding
(created by TAME, updated 2/09)
What Every Girl Should Know About the U.S. Military
Color brochure with testimonials by women veterans. (Download PDF)
Further Resources About Recruiting and the Military
Movies, videos and web sites, and the text of the disclaimer in the military contract.
Information for school counselors
Suggested Guidelines for Counselors Addressing Military Options for Students
Adapted from a proposal by several Madison school counselors. Suggested policies and procedures, and a great list of reflective questions to use with students considering enlisting.
Military Recruiting Information for School Guidance Counselors
An excellent piece created by the Director of Peace Education of the Mennonite Central Committee, Titus Peachey. Counselor-friendly facts with backup and resources, focusing somewhat on the Delayed Enlistment Program and covering facets of the military experience that recruiters would not normally mention.
Counseling Youth About Military Service Options and Selective Service Registration: An Integral Part of Anticipatory Guidance of Adolescents
Carl E. Stafstrom, Pediatric Neurologist, 2007; Pediatrics This article stresses the importance of the physician's role in discussing military service and alternatives, the laws regarding registration with the Selective Service System, and the medical and psychological effects of war. Good information for anyone in a mentor position.
- from AFSC
ASVAB Testing Q&A - info for students and educators about the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery & how it is used. from AFSC
We will have information about conscientious objection available if a counselor shows interest - there are many links to excellent web sites within some of the materials.