Youth Media Information Guide

Scroll down for Press Announcements

The purpose of this section is inform youth how to discuss things with the media, reporters and camera people.

‡ If you are at a place where interviews are being done you may want to go up and introduce yourself to the reporter or cameraperson. Tell them how old you are and your name and let them know you have something to say.

There might also be times when you do not want to be interviewed or appear on camera. You should tell nosy reporters that you do not want to talk to them in a nice way. They will usually always respect your privacy but they also want to get a story. That’s their job.

Beginner:

‡ Say, “My name is <your name> and I have something to say about the war/recruitment/draft/ the military/weapons/violence or whatever.”

‡ Then say your thoughts about what you want people to know.

‡ Remember your AUDIENCE.

‡ Try not to say “…..uh….” too much because it sounds funny on video.

‡ Speak as loudly and clearly as you can. It is much easier to turn down the sound than to turn it up when they edit the videotape.

‡ Breathe as regularly as you can.

‡ Try to speak in complete sentences. Listen for how many time you say :”…you know...” or “ …like…”

‡ Tell how you feel to the interviewer. It can be mad/sick/sad/happy /angry and so on. Reporters usually will respond to this by saying “Why are you feeling that way?” Then you can say more.

‡ If you want to only get one point across, say it over and over and over again.

‡ If they ask you a question that seems like a trap smile and say a naughty word. They can’t show dirty words on TV.

‡ You can also say, “I want to say that again, it didn’t sound right to me.” if you want to re-answer a question.

‡ Sometimes if you are with a group of people or friends you can decide which one of you will speak to the media for all. Decide this beforehand if possible. Send the reporter to that person. And try to come up with some phrases beforehand, like “No to War!” or “I want to stay in school not JROTC.”

‡ When you are done with the interview say “That’s all I have to say.” Ask them for their business card and what time they will show what they videotaped. Then go back to your friends. Smile and have fun! You look great on camera! Remember to set the VCR to record yourself for your conscientious objector kit!

Advanced:

‡ Send out news releases by email about two weeks in advance, when you have a special event planned. Send a follow-up email a few days later. Phone again at a convenient time before the event to suggest a possible meeting or interview at the event. The bigger the event, the more advance notice should be given.

‡ Speak to the needs of each medium. For example, set up plenty of photo opportunities for television media, 'this happened to me' stories for print, and interviews for radio.

‡ Give them a personal experience. Remember that the media loves a good story. Real life stories engage readers and makes for better copy than just statistics.

‡ Have your designated spokesperson available for interviews at a moment's notice. You should rehearse questions and answers in advance. You should have facts, statistics, and real life stories in your head, ready to use.

‡ Be specific in your press release. Go here for tips on how to write a press release. Don’t send out a pitch or news release with vague, general statements. Remember to SHOW NOT TELL. You must convince the editor to cover the news that promotes your organization rather than someone else's. Getting editorial coverage is very competitive.

‡ Don't ever tell the media what you want from them. Instead, ask them about the kinds of stories they're looking for. By learning what they want, you can tailor your communications to get what you want.

‡ During interviews be relaxed, look at the interviewer rather than the camera. Remember to say 'Coalition Against Militarism In Our Schools' rather than just CAMS.

‡ Choose your words carefully. Remember the media loves to present just phrases rather than complete thoughts, and they will take things out–of-context if it suits their maxim “If it bleeds, it leads.”

‡ Smile and have fun! You look great on camera! Remember to set the VCR to record yourself for your conscientious objector kit!

 November 26, 2007 

FOR IMMEDIATE  RELEASE                 

CONTACT:   Arlene Inouye, Coalition Against Militarism  in Our Schools, L.A., CA 626-483-6160

Pat Elder, Peace Action Montgomery, Bethesda, MD 202-210-3467

James Lafferty, National Lawyers Guild, L.A., CA 323-653-4510

Los Angeles Schools Move to Protect Student Privacy from Military

Growing concern about protecting student data leads to focus on military aptitude testing in secondary schools.

Los Angeles, CA - The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest school system, has instituted a new policy to stop the practice of releasing confidential student information to military recruiters under a controversial Department of Defense testing program. LAUSD becomes the second major school system to adopt such a policy, joining Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

Under the DoD testing program, which began in 1968, secondary schools are asked by recruiters to administer the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to some or all of their students in grades ten through twelve. The ASVAB test is typically marketed as a general career exploration exam but was designed to screen enlistment applicants specifically for military occupations. It is now administered to 688,016 students in 66% of all high schools nationwide, according to data obtained from the Department of Defense. Rarely is parental permission sought before testing students. Several hundred high schools across the country require all Juniors to take the test. 

After the test is given, recruiters routinely receive detailed personal information on students, including their gender, race, Social Security number, aptitude data and contact information. Schools have the option of giving the ASVAB test without test results being used for recruiting, but polls of school counselors in places like L.A. have revealed little awareness of the option. As a result, the ASVAB has become a primary tool for getting around restrictions on access to confidential student information.

"It's really a way for recruiters to circumvent parents and obtain personal data on students that cannot be legally released through the school system," said Rick Jahnkow of the Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities in San Diego. "Students are often not told what the true purpose of the test is, and the vast majority of those tested are age 17 or younger. When they sit down to take it, they are told to sign a privacy act waiver that is of questionable legality."

Growing concern over aggressive recruiting has caused parents, students and community activists across the country to give the issue greater attention. This has led to increased scrutiny of high school ASVAB testing and efforts to challenge it in places like Los Angeles. Last year, Montgomery County Public Schools, in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, decided to withhold ASVAB test results from recruiters and require parental consent for all minors taking the military test.

The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) formed in 2004 to bring together organizations doing counter-recruitment work nationally. It maintains a publicly accessible database of such groups on its Web site at www.nnomy.org.

August 27, 2007

For Immediate Release                                                                      

Contact: Arlene Inouye

(cell) 626-483-6160

(office) 626-799-9118

Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools (CAMS)

 Peace RUNWAY March--Fashion Resistance to Militarism

LOS ANGELES, CA. - What:  CAMS, the Coalition Against Militarism In our Schools, is a coalition of students, teachers, parents and community members united to address the increasing militarism in public schools and create positive alternatives.  This first Peace RUNWAY March will showcase fashion innovations that express resistance to war and militarism, and raise money for CAMS to continue resource distribution and youth support to over 50 public high schools in the Los Angeles area. As well as the fashion runway models there will be music spun by a professional DJ, organizations tabling for peace and justice related causes, and special surprises.  LAUSD students will be participating as they encourage others to resist militarism and create peace using peaceful and creative means.

Backstory: Militarism influences every aspect of our lives. Youth, CAMS members, and Los Angeles-based fashion designers are raising consciousness about this influence through a creative fashion show with garments and outfits created to reflect peace and present alternatives to war.  This event highlights the dramatic increase in women entering battle-zones as soldiers and the changes that are facing women in the military and female veterans.

When:  Saturday, September 29th, 2007

            6:00 p.m. Dinner (optional), 7:00 p.m. Doors Open for Program

            $25. admission for adults including secured parking across the street

            $50 dinner, admission, and secured parking across the street

            ALL STUDENTS ARE FREE!

            Tickets can be purchased at www.militaryfreeschools.org  or call 626-799-9118

Where:  Art Share Los Angeles

              801 East 4th Place,

              Los Angeles, CA  90013

              www.artsharela.org

              213-687-4278

“Don’t dress to impress. Dress to address the militarism in our schools!”

www.militaryfreeschools.org  info@militaryfreeschools.org  626-799-9118

September 3, 2006

NEWS  RELEASE            Contact:  Arlene Inouye, Coordinator

                                         ( 626)-799-9118, or (626) 483-6160

                                          Or Gregory Sotir (310) 467-8053

OPERATION STUDENT PRIVACY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO INFORM STUDENTS OF THEIR RIGHTS

Los Angeles, CA- The beginning of the new school year for most students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, also marks the Opt Out period for juniors and seniors from military recruiters through the No Child Left Behind Section 9528

A movement to inform students, parents, and school staff about issues of student privacy will have a kick off campaign in Los Angeles Unified School District on :

Thursday, September 14,   3 p.m. at Belmont High School,

1575 W. 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA  90026.

Belmont HS,in central  LA, is known as a  severely overcrowded year round school, with  heavy military recruiting. In 2004,  Belmont was ranked as the 5th top school in the nation to recruit Hispanic youth.   Members of CAMS and UTLA will pass out informational flyers until the deadline on October 27th, when the Opt Out Directory Information forms are due in at the local schools. 

School districts are required to provide parents and students with the option to “opt-out” of the release of names, addresses and phone numbers of juniors and seniors given to military recruiters.  This is an important step in protecting student privacy and to help eliminate unwanted call and/or visits by military recruiters.  However the ASVAB Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a voluntary exam, given in 75% of LAUSD schools last year, and is used as a military recruiting tool.  Most students do not know that this test is voluntary, and if they took the ASVAB, parental rights are waived along with student privacy (unless the school chose an Option 8 privacy option).   Scores are given to military recruiters even if an Opt Out form was signed.

In addition the Pentagon is collecting over 700 pieces of information on 16 to 25 year olds through a database that is impossible to track.

The press conference highlights include:

• Belmont High School speakers
• Members of CAMS and UTLA

April 19, 2006

Congressional Briefing on Conscientious Objection and Military Recruitment Practices

The Fellowship of Reconciliation, the oldest, interfaith peace and justice organization in the nation, believes that the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the threat of a new war in Iran, compel people of conscience to speak out in support of the fundamental right of dissent from participation in any form of armed conflict. 

The FOR further believes that many young people are induced to enlist in the military by unscrupulous and even fraudulent tactics used by military recruiters.

For these reasons, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and allied organizations in the I Will Not Kill campaign will hold a Congressional briefing on conscientious objection and military recruitment practices in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The briefing will be held in Room 1116 of the Longworth House of Representatives Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515, and will be hosted by the office of Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA)

The purpose of this briefing is to provide both a historical overview of the right of conscientious objection and a survey of current issues and problems confronting individuals who elect to dissent from military service.

“In a time of national turmoil and deep engagement in wars, we hold that the refusal to kill and participate in armed conflict is a fundamental right, and a moral necessity,” said Ibrahim Ramey, Disarmament Coordinator at the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

“We uphold this right and seek for others to become more familiar with the right of conscientious objection,” he said.

Presenters at the briefing include: Oscar Castro  of the American Friends Service Committee’s Youth and Militarism Program; Ibrahim Ramey of the Fellowship of Reconciliation; Steve Theberge from the War Resisters League; Jose Vasquez of Iraq Veterans Against the War;  Matthew Ochalek  of Pax Christi USA; Theo Sitther from the Center on Conscience and War; Elandria Williams of the Unitarian Universalist Youth; Arlene Inouye of the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth; and Tim Godshall of National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund.

For more information, contact:

Ibrahim Ramey                                                                               John Judge

Fellowship of Reconciliation                                                            Office of Rep. Cynthia McKinney

(845) 358-4601 ext 34                                                                     (202) 225-1605
E-mail:  disarm@forusa.org                                                             E-mail:  john.judge@mail.house.gov

Congressional Briefing on MILITARY RECRUITMENT PRACTICES

Presentation by Arlene Inouye, CAMS

As I was thinking about the appropriate words to describe the military recruitment of our youth- exploitation comes to mind.  Exploitation according to the dictionary is defined as an act of employing manipulative tactics for the greatest possible advantage, utilization of another selfishly, to manipulate, advertise or promote for an unjust/unethical cause. 

Thus, military recruitment is the exploitation of our youth from blatant deception, fraud and outright lies to the softer approaches of seducing youth and selling a dream or image, bribing them with free iTunes downloads, t-shirts and DVDs, to leaving out selected parts of the truth.  The bodies, minds and souls of our youth are being exploited by the U.S military, a terrible injustice and disgrace to this nation.  The military enlistment contract allows and permits our young to be trapped and bound in a system in which military recruiters are actually protected from charges of “assault”, “battery” and “deceit.” This occurred when the U.S. Congress enacted the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) into law during 1948, ostensibly removing the power of the Federal government to claim immunity from a lawsuit for damages due to negligent or intentional injury by a federal employee in the scope of his work for the government.  However most Americans are not aware of the fact that there are exceptions to the FTCA which permit government employees to engage in the following acts and be shielded by federal law- assault, battery, misrepresentation, deceit…. (see Title 28 US Code, Section 26809h) Hyperlink: U.S. Code.  )

I am a speech and language specialist in Los Angeles Unified School District in East Los Angeles at two of the largest public high schools in the nation. Recent Army statistics obtained by Peaceworks for 2004 reveal that Los Angeles County has the largest total number of active recruits, and Hispanic recruits in the nation. One of my schools, ranked 5th in the highest number of Hispanic recruits.  This is predictable since this school is located in a working poor community, with over 95% of Latino/Hispanic heritage, and fairly typical of the district as a whole which is approximately 75% of Latino heritage.  I am also the founder of CAMS, Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools, a broad based coalition of educators, students, parents and community mobilized to demilitarize our schools and present alternatives.  We have an Adopt a Schools Project in 35 schools in the Los Angeles County where we develop specific strategies tailored to each school community.  I am also on the steering committee of the NNOMY the National Network Opposed to the Militarization of our Youth working together with other organizations to strengthen and unify our movement in countering the military recruitment of our youth.

In addressing military recruitment practices, members of CAMS surveyed 4 middle schools and 9 high schools in the Los Angeles area for a total of 188 survey responses.  The highest numbers of the survey indicated that 64% of these students did not think that it was appropriate for Military Recruiters to be on high school campuses, 60% said they definitely would not enlist in the military after high school and 43% wanted to learn how to resist war.  Only .02% said they were very likely to enlist after high school, 12% were thinking about it, 32% doubted it, and 34% said “definitely not.”  Forty percent of these students indicated that they wanted to know how to get job training and education without joining the military, 27% were interested in the pros and cons of joining the military, and 21% wanted to know how to declare oneself as a Conscientious Objector.

            In addition I am submitting 28 letters written by random juniors and seniors from James A. Garfield High School, who wanted to take the opportunity to voice their feelings and experiences directly to you.  In general they describe worry, deep concern, not understanding why military recruiters are allowed to be in their high school and saying “it is a huge thing at my school.”  The majority stated that they felt it was inappropriate for them to be on the campuses at all.  They were contacted from nearly everyday to being approached 3 times over the past year by military recruiters on the school campus (directly in the classroom, at the career center and at sports events).  They also received email, mail and persistent phone calls reporting that the recruiters wouldn’t hang up.  Their experiences which you can read directly from them, included deception (a promise of a fully paid education, and computer job in the military), coercion (“they kept on pushing me, a recruiter picked me up and took me to the local station for information.  He showed me what the army can offer a “young MAN” like me, deceptive promotion through using Garfield alumni to tell the class that he was doing even better since he enlisted.  They felt taken advantage of, and treated differently than their affluent white counterparts. “Why do they come to poor neighborhoods?” they ask.    “It bothers me that recruiters have the power to destroy a person’s education- telling us how much money we will receive; they want us to throw our lives away and don’t think we are good enough for a college education.  We can be doctors or lawyers or teachers if we would get the chance.”

The tide has turned in our high schools and colleges, and over the past year a movement has spread across the nation, as many students are seeing through the military recruitment tactics.

Many have family and friends either in Iraq or who have come home injured and traumatized.  And more parents are alarmed by the war.  For others, the poverty draft pulls them in.

             They are caught up in the web of military recruitment.  First of all they don’t’ have a choice or say in the matter because privacy information is violated.  The Pentagon illegally collects their personal information from my space websites, teen magazines, raffles they unknowing participate in, school rings they purchase, and the SAT college entrance exam.  The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Battery), which many students don’t realize is a voluntary military exam is given in 2/3 of America’s high schools with student privacy waived when they sign up for this test.  Additionally JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp) programs indirectly and directly recruit on high school campuses and Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Law requires schools to release the names, addresses and phone numbers of secondary students to military recruiters. Of course this is all in addition to the cultural values engrained in our young that glamorizes war and makes it cool to kill, wear camouflage and play with the GI Joe doll.

The advertising budget for the military in 2003 was nearly 4 billion dollars (John Morrow, Online News Hour, Dec. 13, 2004) which gives illusions, false promises of a college education and careers without explaining the limitations, conditions and realities that make it a very poor option for college and career preparation when there are no benefits for 57% (as cited by Peaceworks according to the VA and DOD public affairs).  They also make it appear like a summer camp, telling students there are Burger Kings and swimming pools in Iraq, or misleading them with the line” you won’t have to go to war and can choose your occupation and country.” This illusion continues with the indoctrination of the school staff through the Educators Workshop to Boot Camp and preferential hiring in the Troops to Teachers program.

Then there’s the coercion, using peers to recruit at their former high schools, aggressive tactics such as frequent phone calls, relentless pursuit of students, using parents and teachers as “influencers” to even tearing the student down so they feel that the military is the only choice they have. Females have reported being pursued and sexually harassed and raped by military recruiters in high schools and colleges.  At an LA high school, a student and her parents felt it necessary to obtain a restraining order on a military recruiter for sexual harassment. Students are also befriended and told to disobey parents who disagree with the military, while the recruiters violate school policies which place limits on their recruiting activities.  Over the past year we have heard from students under 18 years old who were driven home without the required permission slips, taken out of school for recruitment purposes, and without their parent’s knowledge, taken for “a ride” in a military van.

At the extreme is outright fraud- false green cards and promises of citizenship, fake high school diplomas, flushing out drugs to pass the test,  lying about physical and mental conditions and changing  legal documents. Tracking by the pentagon shows that complaints about recruiting improprieties are on pace to approach record highs set in 2003 and 2004.  Last year the Army relieved 44 recruiters from duty and admonished 369. Other documented cases include a family in Ohio that reported their mentally ill son was signed up despite rules banning such enlistments, in Houston a recruiter warmed a potential enlistee that if he backed out of a meeting he would be arrested.  A Colorado high school student working undercover taped two military recruiters telling him to get a fake diploma and buy a product to beat a drug test.  Violations such as these led to the halt in recruiting a year ago to retrain and remind the Army about the job’s ethical requirement.  But this month in one of the most shocking and incredulous enlistments I have heard about,  a moderately severe autistic 18 year old was reported in the Oregonian to his parents disbelief to have passed and been accepted into the army. This was in spite of the parent’s pleading and presenting the military recruiters with his medical and special education records.

I suppose military recruitment has to be deceptive, illusory to get people to enlist.  But instead of intensifying these tactics perhaps its time to question this whole notion of military recruitment and an enlistment contract that goes against the constitution rights and protections that we teach our children to believe in. With military recruitment promoted in our schools, I am forced as a teacher in complicity with this military deception.  But I say this is immoral and wrong. I am troubled by the youth who pay the cost for war, and those who benefit from their exploitation.

Not long ago, beginning in the 1960’s, California led the nation in education.  We had a master plan providing an education for anyone who could make the grade and went though the enrollment process. The other side to military recruitment is ensuring that our youth are provided with viable alternatives and the opportunities to be productive workers and citizens in the 21st century.  We urge you to address the budget cuts on higher education, and address the economic issues that create a further gap between the rich and poor.   Stopping the raid on student aid is a campaign we support along with changing the priorities of this nation.

I wish you could hear and see what I see every day and the faces of those wrongly recruited for war.  We urge you to do everything in your power and ability to address this exploitation of our youth.  Thank you.

Arlene Inouye, Coalition Against the Militarism in our Schools

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Date: December 20, 2005

Contact: Rocio Santa Cruz, Homies Unidos, (213) 383-7484
Paromita Shah, National Immigration Project, (617) 227-9727 x1

Groups speak out against ICE initiative Operation
Community Shield and similar programs

On December 20, 2005, International Migrants Day, several immigrant community organizations and legal service organizations will speak out against a series of law enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that target alleged gang members.

Despite the drastic drop in crime related to gang violence, the gang problem has been portrayed as broad and omnipresent, said to involve everything from drug trafficking, to immigration, to terrorism. No one disputes the need to respond to violent crime, especially when it disproportionately affects certain communities and neighborhoods. However, overbroad dragnet enforcement policies that do not respect the interests of communities, families, and refugees are ineffective, unjust, and violate human rights.

The most well-known action, Operation Community Shield, a joint venture between local and state police and ICE, has resulted in the apprehension and deportation of 1,500 alleged gang members. Many of these individuals were deported within days of their arrest, foreclosing any meaningful assessment as to their eligibility from relief from deportation. Our communities hear of individuals being targeted who do not fit the profile of violent gang members. Some have been rehabilitated and engage in gang rehabilitation work; others are lawful permanent residents with extensive family ties, and others are fleeing violence in their home countries.

We believe that these tactics undermine the efforts of police to win the trust of the communities they serve, undercut real gains made in gang rehabilitation work, engender racial profiling, tear apart families, and eviscerate human rights protections for those seeking safe haven. We demand to know more about the role local police in Operation Community Shield and similar operations.

On December 20, 2005, groups including the National Immigration Project, Homies Unidos, CAIR Coalition, (more groups), community members, and victims will speak out in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California.

Location: Parker Center
150 N. Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012


Time: 10am

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Arlene Inouye (626) 799-9118 phone/fax, arlene@militaryfreeschools.org or Gregory Sotir info@militaryfreeschools.org

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ESTABLISHES A NEW POLICY

MILITARY ACCESS TO SCHOOLS

November 23, 2005

LOS ANGELES-  On October 21, 2005, the Los Angeles Unified School District issued Bulletin 2067.0, a new 8 page policy regarding military access to schools.  The District is “committed to protecting the rights of its students as well as provide as many options and opportunities as possible”. 

   The policy guidelines include military access rights under federal and state law, and the Board Rules which give the school principal/designee the discretion to determine whether to grant access and the degree of access to all campus visitors (such as a specified time, location, and the distribution of materials). 

   The Rights and Responsibilities of Students and Families is included which reinforces the First Amendment rights of free expression while on campus, the rights of students to protest the military via written materials or peaceful demonstration on campus according to Board rules.  Students are also not required to take the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery).  They may voice concerns to military representatives listed, and school personnel when unwanted contact continues.  The Opt Out process is explained which gives students the right to keep their names, address and telephone numbers from military recruiters.

   The school district policy of voluntary participation in JROTC is stated.   If students are enrolled into JROTC/ROTC class in lieu of physical education and choose to drop the class, they will be prioritized for enrollment in physical education.  The school also does not approve or authorize any trips or transporting by military recruiters outside of school hours. 

            The role of military representatives is listed with nine specific constraints (must approve the distribution of any items, military vehicles must be cleared from the Office of Risk Management in advance, refrain from recruiting activities at the ASVAB site, etc). Attachment A lists the military contacts from the air force, army, marines, navy and MEPS student testing office for the ASVAB.  Attachment B lists the General Information for Students and Families regarding District Policy for Military Access to Schools.

            For over a year, members and supporters of CAMS, a grassroots coalition of teachers, school staff, students, parents and community have documented and reported to the school district specific instances of aggressive and abusive military recruiter tactics.  We have been concerned about the lack of parameters regarding military recruitment and went to the Board of Education last September to express our concerns and present resolutions.  At the same time approximately 250 email messages mobilized by the Leave My Child Alone campaign were sent to the Board of Education members.  We feel that this policy is a significant and important step in the right direction towards insuring the safety and protection of our students.  We will be directly monitoring this policy through our school contacts through our Adopt A School Project at over 25 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

Arlene Inouye, CAMS and the Human Rights Committee of UTLA

See www.militaryfreeschools.org  for the complete policy bulletin BUL-2067.0

See JROTC page for more info. Here is the LAUSD bulletin.