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Chapel Hill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) 531 Raleigh Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone: 919-929-5377 Meeting for Worship: Worship - 8:30am and at 11:00 a.m. Forum - 9:45am (forum schedule) First-day School - 11:00am - 12:00pm Child Care available from 9:30am - 12:00pm |
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Information for Conscientious Objectors
This page is under Construction Whatever Happened to COG? By Alice Carlton Friends may recall numerous young Friends over the years sharing letters at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business to request support as conscientious objectors. Friends may also be aware that in 2001 a subcommittee of the Youth Religious Education Committee, Conscientious Objector Guidance (COG), formed to provide guidance to young Friends about conscientious objection before the need to register for Selective Service at age 18. And Friends may also know that COG-- Alice Carlton, Curt Torell, and Bob Gwyn-- created and taught a CO curriculum with the high school group and developed a process for young Friends to document and receive support from the Meeting if they decided to declare themselves conscientious objectors. But Friends may not know how COG has evolved over the intervening six years. We have expanded to a group of 8-10 and changed our name to NC Choices for Youth. We have widened our circle beyond the meeting to include those from other faith traditions such as the Brethren and Mennonites. We have created a 120-page resource guide to provide alternatives after high school beyond college and the military. Entitled “What's Next?” and online at www.whatsnext.afsc.org, it offers ideas for adventure, service, skills training, and jobs training for those not sure what to do after high school. We have shared this guide and other materials widely: at meetings of high school guidance counselors, at college fairs, at peace rallies, with others in Raleigh and elsewhere. We have networked with others engaged in similar work around the state, in the wider Quaker community and around the nation, led workshops, created a brochure and power point presentation about conscious objection and are in the process of creating a brochure to tell the truth about joining the military for the college money (it's not what it used to be). We are facilitating an inter-faith youth group to involve young people and have them take our message to their peers in the schools. The list of our accomplishments is three pages long and growing. We are in the process of becoming a legally recognized not-for-profit educational organization. We are now seeking funding through the meeting bequest for an intern to further our mission. Look for our web site soon at www.nchoicesforyouth.org. NC Choices for Youth now includes Spencer Bradford, Mennonite pastor and director of Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA), Alice Carlton, Marnie Clark, Emilie Condon, Maria Darlington, Max Drake, Hank Elkins, Tom McQuiston, Pam Schwingl, and Kate Spire, pastor of Peace Covenant Church of the Brethren. We invite you to join us. |
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