THINK FIRST!
Countering the Military Presence in Our Schools
counter-recruiting
high school and college outreach
against military opportunism
support for conscientious objectors
opposing international resource wars

Think First includes parents whose students have been targeted by military recruiters and military veterans who know what really happens in the military. We work together in the following communities by encounters with students and parents groups at high schools, community colleges, shopping malls, and more. Here's a good summary of the access and civil rights issues resulting from "No Child Left Behind", as prepared by another peace group.

Counter-recruiting support in the South Peninsula region of the San Francisco Bay area can be found by connecting with us at Think First.

Speaker at right represented both Think First and Veterans for Peace at a recent gathering for peace. TF and VFP speakers are available for encounters at schools and with community groups.

Military recruiters are invading high schools. Are you being recruited? Do you have doubts about whether military service is right for you?

We at Think First work to balance and counter the well-funded and one-sided sales program of military recruiters in the schools.

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors supports and promotes individual and collective resistance to war and preparations for war.

Think First activists are informed by such counter-recruiting training as occurred on April 10, 2004, as described here:

"War resistance and military counter-recruiting was the subject of a training meeting held in Palo Alto on April 10, 2004. Sponsored by WILPF and PPJC, as described below, similar counter-recruiting is addressed specificially by a series on Peer Counselor Training Workshops as described at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) website.

"The purpose of the Palo Alto meeting was to provide "a practical guide to counter-recruitment, including the basics of conscientious objection and delayed enlistment, the Outreach Peace Education model, how to build understanding between schools and social justice organizations, and discussion of successful past efforts". We learned about selective service laws and regulations, and how to escape planned military conscription. The meeting encouraged volunteer counter-recruiting at local high schools and counseling support for conscientious objectors."

Art from a student of the Hope Project, (High School Outreach for Peace Education), Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County.

links:

	
Mid-Peninsula THINK FIRST
	http://thinkfirst.peacework.us
		rwsrobertson@yahoo.com
		
Veterans for Peace, South Bay/Peninsula Chapter 101
	http://www.geocities.com/vfp101
		vfp101@yahoo.com
 		
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
	http://www.peaceandjustice.org/
		ppjc@peaceandjustice.org

Mountain View Voices For Peace
	http://www.mvvp.org/
		mvvp@mvvp.orgPeace 
		
Los Altos Voices for Peace
	http://www.losaltospeace.org
		info@losaltospeace.org
			
Peace Action of San Mateo County
	http://www.sanmateopeaceaction.org
		smpa@sanmateopeaceaction.org
		
San Jose Peace Center
	http://www.sanjosepeace.org/
		sjpc@sanjosepeace.org		
		
Justice Center of Sonoma County - Counter Recruiting	
	http://peaceandjusticesonomaco.org
		contact@peaceandjusticesonomaco.org
		peacentr@sonic.net
		
Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
	http://www.objector.org/	
		info@objector.org
		
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
	http://wilpf.org
	
Peninsula Raging Grannies
	http://www.peninsularaginggrannies.org
		peninsula_raging_grannies@yahoo.com
		
Washington Truth in Recruiting (WaTiR)
	http://www.watir.org/about/history.htm
		info@watir.org

American Friends Service Committee - Youth & Militarism
	http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/

MotherSpeak
	http://www.motherspeak.org/		

PeaceWork - background
	https://peacework.us
		jack@peacework.us