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Alternatives to Military Service

Alternatives to Military Service seeks to dispel the myth that you need to join the military to pay your way through college.

​We show the downsides of trusting in the GI Bill and share information on local and national resources for scholarships and other educational opportunities.

Be paid to help us run this program by becoming our new AMS Program Coordinator!


Considering enlisting?

Realities of military promises and war

Many of the details about enlistment are not well explained to people considering joining the military.

​Recruiters may not explain the specifics of the enlistment agreement, the possibility of recruiter fraud, the limitations of college funding available through the military, and the problems faced by veterans when they leave the armed forces.

It is important to learn all you can before you join.

Nonviolent career and educational alternatives

Check out this list of ways to earn money for college, and acquire work experience along the way

Conscientious objection

If you are required to register for the Selective Service (draft) and you feel conscientiously opposed to doing so, you can claim conscientious objector (C.O.) status.

This process requires that you keep a file of records demonstrating your opposition.

Opt-out of military recruitment

Under the 2001 “No Child Left Behind” law, all public high schools must provide their students' names, home phone numbers, and home addresses to military recruiters, or lose federal funding.

Sign the opt-out form and send it to your child’s high school. Families have a right under the “No Child Left Behind” law to prohibit the release of personal information for military recruitment purposes.

Tabling in schools

The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center has been offering high school youth this vital information since 2002. Veterans and other volunteers table one to four times per semester in each of Whatcom County’s public high schools to give our high school youth options. WPJC worked with the Bellingham School District to implement an “equal access” policy for WPJC and the military. Thanks to this partnership, high school students get exposed to enriching, exciting, and nonviolent opportunities for their futures.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES


Want to join the WPJC's volunteer body, meet our new volunteer coordinator,learn from E.D. and Board President about how to do effective counter-recruitment work in Whatcom County?


Please join us March 18, 11am at WPJC's office (1220 Bay St) for our Quarterly AMS Volunteer training! 
​This is a great opportunity to engage local youth and veterans in a conversations about our future, our rights and non-violence. If you can't make it to the trainings but have availability to volunteer, write an email to [email protected] and we will set a time to catch you up! ​
The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center calls on our government and society to disavow policies of violence and seek a culture of peace.