Countering the Militarisation of Youth

International Study Conference, Darmstadt, Germany 8-10 June, 2012

War Resisters' International is organising an international study conference on countering the militarisation of youth, in cooperation with German partner organisations and supported by the German teachers union (GEW). The conference will not just look at military recruitment and counter-recruitment actions, but will take a much broader view on the militarisation of youth, the creation of a culture and value system favourable to recruitment.

In preparation for the conference, WRI is conducting a survey on the militarisation of youth. The survey is not a test, and we are not looking necessarily for statistical evidence or facts based answers. What we would like to gather with the survey are impressions, anecdotes and experiences of these topics. Please participate in the survey at http://wri-irg.org/programmes/militarisationofyouth/survey.

The programme of the conference will begin with a focus on analysing the different ways youth are militarised, looking at issues such as military and public spaces, Militainment, military and education, Queer/gender and militarism, and the recruitment of immigrants and low income youth. The second part of the conference will focus on the exchange of experiences of resistance, including, but not limited to Queer resistance, resistance in educational settings, the role of veterans, direct action against the militarisation of youth, and children's rights. A draft programme is available at http://wri-irg.org/programmes/militarisationofyouth/conference-programme.

The aim of the study conference is to foster an on going regional and multi-regional network of cooperating anti-militarist organisations. The overarching objective is strengthening the work against the militarisation of youth in Europe (and beyond) by providing opportunities for people to exchange skills and experience of working in this field and to create/strengthen networks and relationships across the region.

More information at: http://wri-irg.org/militarisationofyouth
You can register for the conference online at http://wri-irg.org/shop/militarisationofyouth