"The arms that you wield now are not such as your forefathers wielded; but they are infinitely more effective, and infinitely more irresistable" ~ Cymru Fydd leaflet, 1890

Sunday 22 July 2012

British Army recruiting in Welsh schools

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The UK is the only one of the 27 member states in the EU to allow it's army to actively recruit in it's schools. If you would like this practice to end in Welsh schools then please sign the following petition launched in June by Cymdeithas y Cymod (the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales).
We call on the National Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to recommend that the armed forces should not go into schools to recruit.
Britain is the only country in the European Union that allows a military presence in its schools. Britain is the only country of the 27 European Union countries to recruit 16-year-old children to the armed forces. The armed forces target their recruitment in schools in the most deprived areas of Wales.
Sign here.

7 comments:

  1. maen_tramgwydd25 July 2012 at 16:54

    These might be worth reading:

    http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jan/uk-informed-choice-exec.pdf

    http://www.informedchoice.org.uk/armyvisitstoschools.pdf

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  2. And they recruit for mainly Welsh units ;0)

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  3. They don't recruit. The give a presentation about what careers they offer, what sort of life it's like, apprenticeships and trade training, officer selection, assisted university places etc etc - but recruiting they do not do.

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    1. Well I guess it depends how you define the term "recruiting". If you take it to mean physically handing the recruitment forms out then I guess you are right. But if you mean filling the school yard full of cool looking tanks, armoured vehicles and soldiers then yes you could quite easily call it recruiting. I know I would.

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  4. When the Welsh Government can offer a better alternative to the British Army then I would happily support the ban on recruiting. However it is never going to happen , and always remember when robbers kick in your front door and threaten you with baseball bats you phone the police, when terrorist organisations or other countries arrive with automatic weapons and grenades who do you then call????

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  5. Its up to schools parents and the local education authority to ensure children have the information and guidance hey need to make informed choices. If it not already standard practice I suggest the schools balance it by having a careers day or week like my own School.

    Two soldiers attended in uniform in a caeers office 4x4 with no guns tanks or any other 'cool' things the fire brigade however turned up in a fire truck, the abulance service in a paramedic volvo and the police in a police volvo.

    A number of other people attended giving various talks. As well as talks on university, apprentiships and work.

    I would suggest as 16 is the age at which a fair percentage of young people leave education they need information about the options they have should they decide further education is not what they want.

    I cant honestly believe in this climate the Army has tanks and trucks or even the soldiers to move those vehicles all over the country visiting schools so you may be exhagerating slightly no?

    Petitioning to stop the army in to schools instead of for the provision of better advice to young people as to the opportunities available to them openly appears that you are more anti army than anything else. I am sure this is not the case and hope you would put more worthwhile cases forward to your government so your children get the best start possible.

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