Debt Matters

This past year the issues of spending and national debt have been on the front pages of newspapers as politicians disagreed over budget proposals and gridlock led to a government shutdown. As Democrats and Republicans, economists and political scientists discuss the merits of their policy decisions, one group was largely left out of all discussion: young people. In 1936, Herbert Hoover famously said, Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt, and that statement rings true today. With $17 trillion in debt and no consensus on how to reduce the debt over the long-term, the US economy seems to be on a path for continued debt accumulation and it is the younger generation that will be left to foot the bill. However, there is hope.T

oday, with the second annual launch of the Up to Us Campus Competition, students are taking their economic future into their own hands. Student teams from 24 colleges and universities are launching creative and thought-provoking campus campaigns focused on fiscal issues. The campaigns will run for five weeks and are designed to educate and engage their peers on the potential effects of the nation's rising debt and to motivate action in Washington on fiscal issues.Each Up to Us campaign is unique; tailored to fit with campus culture, and takes an innovative approach to make talking about the debt interesting. March Madness-themed competition about debt? Check! Theater production? Check! Lemonade stand to pay off the debt? Check!

Teams have been preparing for months leading up to the launch of the Up To Us Campus Competition. Through weekly webinars and intensive in-person training at the annual Net Impact Conference, teams have had the opportunity to work with competition organizers, marketing professionals, and past Up to Us participants to develop leadership, marketing, and strategy skills. The Net Impact Conference provided students with the extra benefits of meeting team lead counterparts from across the country and hearing from last year's winning team leader Lena Shi from the University of Virginia. In addition to developing skills that will serve them over a lifetime, all the teams are competing for a $10,000 cash prize and recognition by President Clinton at Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in Phoenix this March!

So how much DO you know about the debt? Take our nifty Facebook Quiz and find out, then stay connected by joining the discussion on the Up to Us Facebook page! Up to Us is a nonpartisan partnership between Net Impact, CGI U, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, all of whom share a commitment to improving our nation's long-term sustainability. Net Impact believes that today's emerging leaders have a key role to play in ensuring a financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable future for all generations.