Clinton Honors Federal Debt Campaign at CGIU
Pop quiz! Which one of these just doesn't belong? Last weekend I...
A) Worked on a really tough project
B) Clocked volunteer hours
C) Hung out with friends
D) Discussed the federal debt
Raise your hand if you selected option D. Yeah, didn't think so. Who has time for something like long-term federal debt? Anyhow, that's not something that really affects us on a personal level, right?
Wrong. In 2012 our government had to borrow $1.1 trillion to cover its expenses. The year before, we spent close to $230 billion just paying interest on the federal debt. That's money not spent on investments we each benefit from, like safe roads, school textbooks, or critical medical research.Unfortunately, one group in particular will bear the brunt of our runaway debt - young people. Ironically, this group is often left out of the conversation. Why? Maybe they're too self-absorbed. Or perhaps they're simply apathetic.Net Impact - along with partners CGIU and the Peterson Foundation, set out to prove the naysayers wrong.
Taking the conversation to the streets
If interest payments on the debt exceed $1 trillion within the next twenty years as is expected under current policy, it will be the younger generation that foots the bill. Some people might say that this demographic is too busy texting to care. But we know better. So we launched Up to Us, a nationwide competition that blew the apathy hypothesis out of the water.What's the recipe for success? Start by selecting ten kicka$$ student teams. Combine equal parts incentives and clear goals. Add in-depth training via the Net Impact Conference, regular webinars, and helpful resources. Then fold in $2,000 for each team to use at their discretion, to design and run a grassroots campaign tailored to their campus culture and needs. Bake for five months and the result is: pure awesomeness!
Expanding the message on stage, with the help of Bill Clinton
Four high profile judges lent their expertise when it came time to evaluate the teams' efforts: Erskine Bowles, former White House Chief of Staff and former Co-Chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform; Chelsea Clinton, Clinton Foundation board member; Alan Simpson, former U.S. Senator and former Co-Chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform; and George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC's This Week and Good Morning America.The winning team united its entire campus to address the issue of our country's fiscal health: University of Virginia (UVA) organized more than 30 events including flash seminars, a TED Talk , a bipartisan forum, a partner event with Darden School of Business, and a visit from Virginia Senator Mark Warner. They also created two videos, one interviewing students on their knowledge and opinions of the federal debt, and another on why it matters to them.For their remarkable achievement, the UVA team was recognized by former President Clinton at the recent Clinton Global Initiative University. They will also receive a $10,000 cash award, which they plan on using to continue building awareness and engagement opportunities around policy and debt-related issues.
What real change looks like
What made this competition truly extraordinary is that the students and teams came together in a collective effort to address the issue at hand. They supported each other along the way, recognizing they were creating something much bigger than the sum of their campaign actions. The long-term federal debt is not an issue that will be solved overnight with a single policy change. It must start with a true movement, where members of the younger generation begin to recognize this issue has the potential to affect their future, and that they better start paying attention if they want to have a say in the matter.Up to Us has provided a much needed gateway, making the complex fiscal debt issue accessible to those it will impact the most. It would not have been a success without the amazing students involved - students who don't just talk about what needs to happen, but do something to back their words. These students reached out to share an issue that was important to them with their community. They began a lasting conversation on their campuses. And they have started to create a cultural shift toward a more engaged society. We commend the Up to Us teams for their overflowing passion, thoughtful campaigns, and genuine dedication.
But wait, there's more...
And if you think that's impressive, consider this: UVA was just one of the teams! Each campaign cooked up their own creative activities and unique approach. For your enjoyment, here are a few of the many campaign highlights:
- American University hosted Alice Rivlin to speak on why young people should get involved in the cause of fiscal responsibility.
- Brown University (2nd Place) organized an activity, in which students wrote down why the debt matters to them. The tagged photos reached thousands of viewers.
- Georgetown University delivered 1,200 (homemade!) cookies to Congress. Cookies were sent in batches of 16, one cookie representing a trillion dollars of federal debt.
- New York University developed a Jeopardy-themed Debtpardy game show event and created a Les Miserables parody, One Debt More.
- Rutgers University held a National Debt Awareness Week, which included informational seminars and educational displays.
- University of Miami presented to Greek organizations on campus, and worked with interested professors to incorporate debt related videos during class time.
- University of Michigan led a debate forum, which had prominent leaders of various student political organizations debating debt-reduction methods.
- University of Minnesota organized multiple town hall meetings, along with an activity night where students wrote their own federal budgets.
- University of Texas at Austin (3rd Place) released the Debt Bomb application, allowing students to understand how fiscal issues could impact future generations.
If you would like to stay informed on future application opportunities, please visit itsuptous.org and complete the contact form at the bottom of the page. Get involved - it's Up to Us!
