Veterans provide opportunities for youths

A new project is launched in Sodertalje, a town 30 km south of Stockholm, Sweden. A veteran of war is heading 10 youths on their way from criminality to lawful careers. The initiative is in line with the "Peace and Security Summit" arranged by The World Veterans Federation, in Stockholm, Sweden. The topic of the meeting is: How can veterans contribute to a safer world? And a safer world is built on youths, the worlds future.

-  The young men and woman of Sodertalje and other areas are our capital for the future. Instead of letting them drift into heavier criminality which will cost society millions of kronor, we give them an alternative, major Johan Nystrom says.

This is a win-win situation, Nystrom claims. Together with other veterans he will lead the youths and show them what the military is offering.

-  They might see me and my colleagues as role models, find our life exciting and thrilling. They gain. We gain.

Nystrom has served for the Swedish Armed Forces in four conflict zones, Afghanistan and Kosovo two of them. He has a thorough experience and will now use that in a human way.

The youths will to begin with spend a weekend at military compound in the Stockholm area. They will during that weekend try and act as soldiers, with one exemption, they will not use guns. On the question, why the military and not the scouts for the youths, Nystrom answers:

-  We have more discipline and structure. I think our youths will like that. And in this context, we will form the to-be-leaders.

The conclusion of the "Peace and Security Summit" is written in the "Stockholm Declaration". The key message is that the voice of the veterans and their experiences are to be used in a higher degree than today, in order to avoid future wars and ethnical armed conflicts.

Photo: Veterans on conference in Stockholm. Byline: Kristoffer Bohlin