Deadline Extended for #OutWithStudentDebt Video Project

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Student Debt Crisis

As a result of these debts, nearly 40 million Americans aren’t buying homes or cars, starting businesses or families, or otherwise able to reach the American Dream.

Staten Island, NY (PRWEB) August 27, 2013

StudentDebtCrisis.org has announced that the submission deadline has been extended through September 30th for the #OutWithStudentDebt Video Project - an initiative designed to help shed the stigma of shame and embarrassment that comes along with the burden of student loan debt.

The decision to extend the submission period comes on the heels of President Obama’s renewed efforts to address the issue of college affordability, as well as dealing with the existing $1.2 Trillion in outstanding student loan debt.

The non-profit has joined with over a dozen organizations to put human faces on the ever-growing student debt crisis so as to raise public awareness about the looming crisis, and to get the attention of members of Congress who, ultimately, have the authority to provide a much-needed overhaul to the student lending system. The first phase of the #OutWithStudentDebt project began on Tuesday, August 6th.

The #OutWithStudentDebt Video Project was created by StudentDebtCrisis.org and partner organizations include: MoveOn.org, Rock The Vote, Generation Progress, Democracy For America, AFT, Backbone Campaign, Working Families Party, SEIU’s Adjunct Action and For Profit U, One Wisconsin Now, Rebuild The Dream, Generational Alliance, NYPIRG and Our Time.

Robert Applebaum, Co-Founder & Executive Director of StudentDebtCrisis.org said, “With over $1.2 Trillion in outstanding educational debt in America, we know that student debt creates an enormous drag on economic growth,” Applebaum said. “As a result of these debts, nearly 40 million Americans aren’t buying homes or cars, starting businesses or families, or otherwise able to reach the American Dream.”

“By encouraging others to share their student debt stories, we hope to emulate the success of the LGBT Community, where the simple act ‘coming out’ can have profound effects in terms of how others perceive what constitutes a ‘typical’ student loan borrower. The courageous act of standing up and telling one’s story is the first step towards real, concrete change,” Applebaum added.

Using a platform created by Contest.is, StudentDebtCrisis.org hopes to collect as many 1-2 minute videos from people all over the country as possible, sharing their personal stories of how student debt has impacted their lives. Participants are being asked to upload their videos to YouTube with the hashtag #OutWithStudentDebt in the title to have their videos automatically submitted.

To find out more about the #OutWithStudentDebt Video Project, interested parties are encouraged to visit StudentDebtCrisis.org.

Background: StudentDebtCrisis.org is a non-profit, 501 (c)(4) organization dedicated to fundamental reforms to the way in which higher education is paid for in America. At the core of its mission is an ironclad conviction that higher education should be a right, not a privilege reserved only for the rich or those willing to bury themselves under massive amounts of student loan debt. A well-educated citizenry is a national security issue, as well as a certain pathway to economic growth. StudentDebtCrisis.org is committed to chipping away at the status quo through a series of initiatives and social media outreach and also champions a number of much-needed reforms to the student lending system, including the restoration of basic consumer protections, such as bankruptcy protections, that have been curiously stripped away from student loans.

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