Scared to Debt is an investigative documentary diving into the $1.8 Trillion student loan debt crisis.

Videos for Change founder and filmmaker Michael Camoin takes on the hot political and socioeconomic topic of student loans in his latest film, Scared to Debt. Mike became interested in student loan reform after hearing numerous horror stories from student borrowers. Everywhere he turned, family and friends had stories about their overburdening debt due to student loans issued to pay for their undergraduate and post graduate degrees. Most felt trapped and it was harming their livelihoods, mental health, and the ability to get approved for automobile loans and home mortgages. Up until this point, some had never disclosed this debt information to anyone. They were ashamed and felt isolated.

Mike felt a documentary was necessary to bring further wide-spread attention to the student loan debt problem, create a sense of community for the 45 million American borrowers, and to share ways in which together they can create change. In so doing, he formed a close working relationship with Alan Collinge, founder and activist of StudentLoanJustice.org, a grassroots organization currently with over 50,000 members in 50 States, and constantly growing. In March, 2020, Collinge launched a petition that has reached over one million signatures calling for federal loan cancellation by executive order and to reinstate bankruptcy protections. Mr. Collinge was one of the first to draw attention to loan inequities, beginning with an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes in 2006. In 2009, Collinge authored The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History (Beacon Press). Mr. Camoin has exclusive rights to this book which aids in the structure of the documentary.

The student loan scandal reveled in Scared to Debt has grown wider and deeper placing over 45 million Americans who collectively owe $1.8 Trillion in debt, and under unprecedented financial hardship and chronic economic stress.  Most Americans wonder why college costs have outpaced the rate of inflation. Many still believe student debt is a case of the "Bad Borrower." Scared to Debt reveals how the federal government, financial institutions, and universities are responsible and carry most of this blame. In the film you’ll learn how by design, in 1998, Congress removed basic consumer protections such as bankruptcy protection and statues of limitation on student loans. Thus, we see borrowers as the true victims. It’s a far cry from the original Higher Education Act of 1965 where President Johnson stated student loans would be given at little to no interest in order “to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education.”

In Scared to Debt, you’ll meet key insiders and hear credible voices expose an inept, corrupt Department of Education, leading to anguish experienced by student and parent borrowers across all demographics. Anyone aspiring to or working for higher education will benefit from the solutions we share in the film to restore America’s confidence in the opportunities afforded by higher education. Without first illuminating where and how this system went off the rails, lawmakers may never fix a seriously flawed lending system. When solved properly, we will witness perhaps the greatest economic growth in our lifetimes.

A MESSAGE from TOM BORGERS, Wall Street Banker / Financial Investigator, Executive Producer

the student debt crisis and exposes disturbing truths about how college financing through the federal loan process has birthed an industry built on fraud and other abuses so massive that it’s rigged to inflict crippling INESCAPABLE financial hardship on tens of millions of Americans – even in death.

Scared to Debt is a battle-cry!  It’s going to make you angry, and you’re going to be shocked, and you’re going to recognize your own family, friends or even yourself caught up in this scheme.  So, it’s important that this story reach a wide audience so as many Americans as possible are able to hear the truth and force the change needed to free consumers and expand the U.S. economy. - Tommy B