By Amy Lin
It seems like we constantly hear about the rising cost of college, the amount of student debt that’s accruing ($1 trillion!!), and the limited number of jobs available to our generation. But most of us don’t need to log onto CNN.com to know that’s happening; we’re familiar with the daily struggle of paying our bills, paying off debt, or watching our friends and siblings try to make their way. Yet it feels like every time policymakers decide to trim the fat and cut the budget, young people lose. Pell grants, youth jobs programs, and state funding for college – you name it, it’s been cut, or we’ve had to fight hard to keep it.
Why does this keep happening to young people, particularly when it comes to funding for college or grad school?
Sure, federal and state budgets are confusing, yet these budgets are where some of the most important decisions about our futures are being made. The state budget determines how much the state will spend on each college student in the state. In some states, this number has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years – 26.1 percent from 1990-1991 to 2009-2010. Federal budgets come in to help students with Pell grants and more affordable loans to cut down on costs. It’s time for students and graduates to step up, get smart, and advocate for these types of investments.
This week is National College Affordability Week, and Young Invincibles will be on campuses all over the country holding events and raising awareness about college affordability. We’ve already visited Florida and Virginia, and we won’t stop there. We can’t just sit back. Here’s what you can do right now to tell our leaders to invest in our future:
- Register to vote. If you don’t vote, you give up your right to complain. People you elect make decisions about your future; it’s time to take matters into your own hands. Register here RIGHT NOW. Time is running out!
- Make a stink. This can mean lots of things. You could write a letter to your local newspaper (politicians read these letters to see what their constituents care about), a state official, your school administration, Congress, or the President – whoever you want to bother. Just remember: the more, the better. Get your friends to do the same thing; five people calling about the same thing are much more likely to get noticed than just one.
- Host your own event – organize! Host a gathering of students and come up with a plan to make changes in your school, in your state, and in Washington. We can help you – visit younginvincibles.org so we can help you out!
- Enter our contest. You could win a semester of books or a student loan payment by submitting your story! Enter to join in this fight for students and we’ll bring those experiences to the policymakers making moves on this stuff.
