With high unemployment among veterans and their spouses, a foundation has launched a six-month social media campaign to get them working again.
The I Am Not A HERO Foundation, Inc. kicked off its program on Memorial Day weekend, the first major holiday in the calendar year that recognizes military men, women and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
According to a report released last week by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), the nation's youngest veterans (ages 18-24) face an unemployment rate of more than 30 percent, nearly double the unemployment rate facing non-veterans in the same age group.
The report, “Memorial Day 2012: Combatting High Unemployment Among Young Veterans,” also shows that the unemployment rate for men and women who have served since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 is significantly higher than the unemployment rate facing non-veterans and higher than the unemployment rate experienced by veterans from other wars.
I Am Not A Hero’s campaign also notes the jobless rate exceeds 20 percent for military spouses. The nonprofit aims to engage the public and employers about the importance of hiring veterans and their spouses, using Twitter, and monthly town hall discussions on Facebook, weekly updates from Honoring Our Heroes and through a radio show hosted by I Am Not A Hero co-founder C.J. Jordan.
Jordan, president and CEO of the Jordan Management Group and principal and vice president of government relations for the Steptoe Group, organizes athletes and entertainers to visit and support troops, veterans and their families in a variety of ways.
The public and employers can post notices about job postings and career fairs on Twitter at #MyNextMove and #HiringOurHEROs as well as link to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program, part of the new veterans initiative Got Your 6, which links major film studios, broadcast and cable networks, talent agencies and guilds in the entertainment industry.
I Am Not a HERO wants to hear from you via Facebook or IamNotAHERO@gmail.com if you have hired a veteran or military spouse, are a veteran-owned business, would like to post an opening, join the monthly chats and town halls, host a professional career day or volunteer to get the public engaged on the issue.
