2nd Annual Military Thriving Change Forum at Georgetown University: Calling the Next Generation to Serve
On June 11-12, 2025, Georgetown University will host its second annual Military Thriving Change Forum. Nearly 150 senior leaders from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors will convene in our nation's capital to create actionable community-based solutions that empower Veterans to lead, thrive, and inspire the next generation to serve.
Dr. Joel Kupersmith, a Navy Veteran and Emeritus Professor at Georgetown University said, 'Our goal is clear. By channeling local leadership through a nationally-driven strategy, we will empower Veterans, military spouses and their families to improve the narrative and attitudes toward our military and our civic life — one community at a time.'
In the wake of service opportunities at AmeriCorps being drastically cut and military service becoming an increasingly unlikely path for young people, the Georgetown Change Forum comes at a critical time. Although the military continues promotional campaigns to combat negative viewpoints and some branches of the armed forces have lowered accession standards, DOD is still struggling to meet its recruiting goals.
A scarcity of mentorship and positive role models for youth in cities and towns across the country may be exacerbating these shortages. A recent national study found the share of young people aged 18 to 21 who report having had a childhood mentor dropped six percent over the past decade Roughly one-third of teens nationwide, most from the lowest socioeconomic quartile, report never having experienced a mentoring relationship. When asked, many unmentored youth said 'they didn't know how to find a mentor or didn't think mentors were available to them .'
It is in the continued service of 18 million Veterans representing 6% of the population, where a unique opportunity to address both of these systemic issues exists. With their wealth of experience and leadership skills, they can play a pivotal role in inspiring the next generation to serve in the military, and in other service professions that are equally vital to national and regional security.
Part of the solution lies with a select group of military and Veteran-led nonprofits that have stepped up to fill these gaps since the Global War on Terrorism started. Veterans, through their involvement in these organizations, are serving as mentors and role models, guiding tens of thousands of youth toward careers in the military and service-oriented fields.
One such nonprofit, Soldiers to Sidelines, enables 2,000 certified Veteran coaches to touch the lives of 100,000 young people each year. Led by former professional football coach Harrison Bernstein, Soldiers to Sidelines will be on full display at the Georgetown Change Forum. More than 100 youth from three DC high schools will come to Cooper Field learning from a dozen Veteran coaches, alongside the coaching staffs from Georgetown and the Washington Commanders.
With the help of a service disabled Veteran owned business called ZeroMils, the Change Forum will set the stage for thousands more Veterans to engage with young people at similar Uniting in Service events across the country including Minneapolis in August and Charlotte in November.
Founded by two Marine Colonels, ZeroMils started its Military Thriving mission in response to growing trends that espoused 'military friendliness' and emphasized the challenges and struggles of Veterans post military service. The company's vision is to create a Military Thriving movement that changes the 'broken Veteran Narrative.'
At the Change Forum, ZeroMils will also be launching a Military Thriving Action Coalition with longstanding partners, National University, Wells Fargo, CVS Health, Neighborly, and more than two dozen senior leaders from the private sector with a long history and proven track record of supporting military and Veteran causes.
'We must establish a coalition of the committed to change misperceptions about service.' said the CEO of ZeroMils, retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Schmiegel. 'Together, the private and public sectors can spotlight the strengths and successes of our military and veteran-connected families rather than the struggles. Young people need to hear and see that we, as Veterans, are thriving because of our service, and not in spite of it.'
For more information and to participate at the Change Forum email thrive@zeromils.com.
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