111451568

..We are the Project on Youth and Nonmilitary Opportunities (Project YANO). YANO is a nonprofit organization that has the main concern of providing youth with an alternative view of the military, especially considering the heavy recruitment in our schools. Our org has students, veterans, parents, educators, and youth. We believe that high school students are getting a distorted picture of the military and war from recruiting ads and marketing. In particular, we are concerned that many low-income students and students of color are being diverted away from higher education and into the military, where they are found in disproportionate numbers.Based in San Diego County, we send veterans to youth groups and local schools to speak about the realities of military life and war. As an alternative, students are given nonmilitary options for local job training and college financial aid. Project YANO also urges youths to become activists and consider pursuing careers in issues of justice. We have also urged schools to make students and their families more aware of how to protect their privacy by using their right to opt out if student information is going to be released to military recruiters. Project YANO’s direct outreach focuses on youths in San Diego County, but we also provide resources and advice to other groups across the country.Our Resource List describes tools that can be used to organize similar efforts in other communities./