News Release

INDIANA — Peaceful Options for Training and Careers has launched a website where young adults across the U.S. can find information about non-military career, service and training opportunities.

POTC is an independent initiative formed by Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Central Committee to address the widespread issue of military recruitment on high school campuses.

“The United States military is in desperate need of recruits,” said Joe Roos, chair of the POTC Steering Committee. “They blanket high schools with promises of signing bonuses, exploring the world, patriotic glory and financial assistance for college after service.

“As an organization rooted in Anabaptism, POTC is deeply committed to nonviolence and strives to show young people that there are peaceful and meaningful alternatives to enlistment,” added Roos, who is also a retired pastor, lifelong peace advocate, former chair of the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network and serves on the board of the Friends of Sabeel North America.

The new website features a resource section where young adults can explore a wide range of peaceful career options, skills training, educational grants/scholarships and service opportunities.

“A unique feature of this effort is the volunteer advisors who are available upon request to help young adults find non-military options that align with their hopes and goals,” said Titus Peachey, a member of the POTC Steering Committee and a retired Mennonite Central Committee educator, who headed the website project.

Website visitors can request a consultation with a volunteer advisor, who will help connect them to people and resources in their own networks, communities and beyond. All advisors undergo training and a thorough MC USA background check.

The site also offers helpful resources and guidance for those who are contemplating military service.

“Sometimes young adults enlist in the military due to economic hardship or as a way out of difficult circumstances in their home communities,” explained Peachey. “Indeed, money for college plays a significant role in military recruitment strategy, but no one should have to enlist and learn how to kill just because they want to go to college or learn a marketable skill. POTC counselors are ready to explore the wide world of opportunities with these young adults before they sign a military enlistment contract,” he added.

POTC advisors can also provide information on what to expect in the military and connect them with veterans whose life experiences have led them to a commitment to peacemaking. Those who have already enlisted in the military but would like to withdraw are directed to the GI Rights Hotline at (877) 447-4487.

Since the passage of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, public high schools that receive assistance through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 are required to give the military as much access to campuses and student contact information as is given to postsecondary institutions and prospective employers.

Approximately two-thirds of public high schools receive federal Title 1 ESEA funding.

Sometimes, local school boards or teachers’ unions try to resist this requirement. In July 2023, Congressman Max Miller of Ohio introduced a bill, H.R. 4522, to eliminate this by strengthening ESEA “to ensure access of Armed Forces recruiters to secondary school campuses, and for other purposes.”

If you are interested in volunteering with POTC, complete this form indicating your area of interest.