Alternatives
to the Military
Alternatives to the Military Guides
The Pentagon spends billions of dollars every year targeting low-income youth and youth of color for enlistment in the military. The poverty draft ensures that those with less resources and less opportunity are disproportionately represented in the military. LGBTQI youth may find that their needs are not served at all outside of the military and certainly not inside it. Finding nonmilitary sources of jobs, health care, housing and other basic necessities can be a challenge. The following resources and web sites may be helpful for youth seeking alternatives.
 |
NEW GUIDE! In honor of Martin Luther King's legacy of service and anti-militarism work, on January 21, 2008 we launched a new national guide to alternative careers for youth! "It's My Life" details alternative options to military service that still satisfy a taste for adventure and commitment to high ideals. Specific ideas for travel, adventure jobs, youth exchange, skills training, career training and paying for college are explored in this 92-page book. $9.95 for adults and institutions; the first 1000 are FREE for youth ages 13-25! For more information or to order, see www.afsc.org/itsmylife.
The following guides (listed by state) are available for download or from the offices that produced them.
California
It's My Life California - Additions to the It's My life Guide with Bay Area local opportunities. Free Download. (PDF, 2.54Mb)
For more information or a printed copy contact the San Fransisco office at (415) 565-0201.
Great Careers - Alternatives to the Military Booklet (2nd Edition). Created by AFSC's Los Angeles office. Twenty pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
Produced through a collaboration of AFSC Los Angeles with CAMS, Coalition Against Militarism In Our Schools.
For more information, contact the AFSC Los Angeles office at
(213) 489-1900 x122
Free download (PDF, 359 KB).
Higher Education Information - Available from AFSC's Los Angeles office. For those thinking about college, a flyer with lots of information.
Free download (PDF, 56 KB).
Illinois
Created by AFSC's Great Lakes Regional Office. Thirty-eight pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
For more information, contact the AFSC Chicago office at
312-427-2533.
Free download (PDF, 2163 KB).
Indiana
Created by AFSC's Great Lakes Regional Office. Thirty-three pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
For more information, contact the AFSC Chicago office at
312-427-2533.
Free download (PDF, 1988 KB).
Maine
Free download: Explore Exciting Careers! (PDF, 542 KB).
For more information, contact Rosalie Tyler Paul of the AFSC Maine Program on Youth and Militarism at 207-371-2077 or gaia@gwi.net.
Maryland
You Don't Have to Join the Military to Go to College, Get a Good Job and Serve Your Country
Created by AFSC's Baltimore office, the 15-page brochure lists information on paying for college, free job training and apprenticeship programs.
Michigan
Created by AFSC's Great Lakes Regional Office. Thirty-six pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
For more information, contact the AFSC Chicago office at
312-427-2533.
Free download (PDF, 2833 KB).
 |
| PDF, 495 KB |
North Carolina
What’s Next? A Guide for North Carolina Teens Wondering ‘What’s After High School?' Created through a partnership between NC CHOICES for Youth and AFSC's ORITA program in Greensboro, NC. Learn about CHOICES for adventure, job training, skill training, money for college, and a chance to serve your country.
Download the PDFs for free.
Ohio
Created by AFSC's Great Lakes Regional Office. Thirty-six pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
For more information, contact the AFSC Chicago office at
312-427-2533.
Free download (PDF, 2833 KB).
Wisconsin
Created by AFSC's Great Lakes Regional Office. Thirty-two pages filled with many local and national career opportunities: peaceful jobs and careers that offer what the military promises—without giving up your rights and supporting the war machine. The booklet also includes career planning, personal growth, youth leadership and independent living. It will be updated constantly.
For more information, contact the AFSC Chicago office at
312-427-2533.
Free download (PDF, 2833 KB)
Also see:
Alternatives to Killing/Alternatives to Enlistment is an online database of jobs and opportunities from the Center on Conscience and War. It has opportunities around the country that offer more promise for a peaceful life than joining the US military.
^ Top of page |
Email this page
