NEWTON, Kan., July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Peaceful Options for Training and Careers (POTC) has launched a website (explorePOTC.org) where young adults across the U.S. can find information about non-military career, service and training opportunities. POTC is an independent, nonprofit initiative founded to address the widespread issue of military recruitment on high school campuses.

"POTC is deeply committed to nonviolence and strives to show young people that there are peaceful and meaningful alternatives to military enlistment," said Joe Roos, chair of the POTC Steering Committee and a lifelong peace advocate.

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.

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 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," said Titus Peachey, a member of the POTC Steering Committee and a retired peace educator, who headed the website project. "But not everyone is ready for an eight-year obligation. POTC counselors are ready to explore a 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 (ESEA) 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.

Editorial Contact:  Joe Roos, joeroos3@gmail.com, 626-243-3968

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SOURCE Peaceful Options for Training and Careers