The Friends’ School in North Hobart has notified the National Youth Science Forum and the Science and Engineering Challenge that it will no longer participate in their programs.
Friends’ School Principal, Esther Hill, wrote to the programs – both of which accept sponsorship from the weapons industry yesterday. She told the program’s leadership:
The Friends’ School is a Quaker co-educational institution founded on enduring principles of peace, integrity, equality, simplicity, and community….
In alignment with this philosophy and our Building a Culture of Peace Statement, recently adopted by our Board of Governors, the School has reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing a learning environment grounded in non-violence, critical thinking, and active hope. We believe that the normalisation of militarism and the global arms trade is fundamentally incompatible with these values.
Therefore, The Friends’ School has resolved that our students will no longer participate in events or programs—including competitions, expos, and other external educational or extracurricular activities—that are sponsored by, affiliated with, or promote military organisations, the defence industry, or weapons manufacturers. This includes activities that:
- Carry branding or sponsorship from weapons companies;
- Receive financial or in-kind support from military or defence entities;
- Promote or normalise the global arms trade;
- Are conducted under umbrella programs meeting any of the above criteria;
- Present militarism as a desirable or aspirational ideal.
Teachers for Peace warmly welcomes this step and applauds the staff, students, families and leadership at the Friends’ School. We urge other schools to follow suit, and call on the programs concerned to immediately revise their sponsorship policies.