Offset Student Debt through Volunteer Work

Society's young people are the ones who have the drive and energy to help protect our threatened habitats, species and communities. They also have the most interest as it is they who will inherit the mess that the rest of society has created, globally!!

Society should encourage them but, instead, we seem to be committed to lumbering them with huge student debt for when they start their careers and this having sacrificed so many years in lost wages as they worked hard to achieve their qualifications - something that society benefits from as it makes our economy more competitive and dynamic.

They will persevere. they will continue to study and to achieve and they will take on the extra debt into their careers and, they will be successful, BUT, it is not fair!

It is also damaging to global society as our young people more so than any others on the planet are the ones who are capable of going out into the world, volunteering with our NGOs, and making change- to threatened habitats, species and communities. They WANT to do this BUT their increasingly burdensome debt commitments are making it simply impossible.

Society should support them! What this petition proposes is that young people volunteering with our NGOs can earn credit for their time which is then offset against their student debt. In this way we make it possible for our young people to continue to help, 'save the planet', and, as importantly, we, as a society, demonstrate our commitment, support and respect to them.