The fall semester is about to begin — we already received requests from professors at two NYC metropolitan area colleges for We Are Not Your Soldiers speakers to address their classes. We are starting now to reach professors and student activists in the next days to schedule our visits, both remote and in-person. And next, high school teachers who are ready to begin scheduling.
We are catching up with our presenters who are enthusiastic about engaging in deep discussions with students at this historic tumultuous moment — as fascism takes hold in this country, the military is being sent into our cities and genocide, supported and funded by the U.S., continues in Gaza.
During the 2024/25 school year, we visited 39 college classes (university, community, public and private), 6 high school classes, one middle school class and two student college activist meetings, many in the New York metropolitan area and spread as well around the U.S. with one graduate class abroad. We did fewer high school presentations and more college presentations than in previous years, due to changes in what people feel able to present in high schools.
We have raised three quarters of our budget for 2025. That leaves us with a shortfall of almost $4000 for this fall term. This is a time when truth and justice need courageous proponents. We are deeply grateful for your support which has made it possible for us to do our work with care, depth, and integrity. The speakers range from Vietnam era through the “war on terror,” veterans who were in various branches of the military. We do a lot with limited funds but we owe it to our speakers to provide small stipends when they take time off from work and school and need to provide childcare. We also supply travel funds as needed. Our other expenses are kept to a minimum — materials, office and social media costs.
In this critical moment with increased need for our work, your partnership is more vital than ever. Each and every contribution helps our work deepen and grow. We remain steadfast in lifting the veil of historical falsehoods. While the Army is seeking more aggressively than ever to reach youth through social media influencers, students deserve to hear these stories which have been hidden so they can use their critical thinking and wisely make decisions that are best for them, humanity and our planet.
