Conscientious Objection Workshop

Conscientious Objection: Is This for You? Discerning, Deciding, Documenting, and Defending a CO Claim with Selective Service

A workshop in three sessions: August 10 | August 13 | August 17
*please plan to attend all three sessions from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET

Join online with Zoom from anywhere or attend in person at Durham Friends Meeting in Durham, NC

Effective December 18, 2026, eligible males (assigned at birth) aged 18 to 25 will be automatically registered for the military draft pool using existing federal and state records, removing the need to register manually. How do we respond as Friends, and prepare the young people in our lives and communities?

Join Friends for this a comprehensive, interactive workshop for all teens and young adults, of any gender, as well as all interested adults or mentors, of any age. Diversity of participants enriches discussion, and personal participation in war includes everyone, not just 18-year-old males.

The workshop covers Selective Service legislation, definitions of conscientious objection, activities to discern one’s beliefs and articulate them, and finally some strategies to defend them. By the end, participants will have a better understanding of conscientious objection, a deeper grounding about the source of their convictions, and a “CO letter” articulating their beliefs.

The workshop provides extensive materials, including a workbook to document personal reflection, activities, and discussion.

The workshop is a collaboration between Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC), Durham Friends Meeting (DFM), and Quaker House (QH). The facilitator, Curt Torell, Ph.D., serves on the Steering Circle of QREC and is a long-time board member of Quaker House, a Friends witness for peace that serves members of the military who are questioning their role. Conscientious objection has been a cornerstone of the QH work. Curt is a member of Chapel Hill Meeting in North Carolina.