The American Friends Service Committee is circulating an action alert, “If I Had a Trillion Dollars Youth Video Contest,” for an innovative and democratic project aimed at fostering youth engagement in debates concerning the costs of war. As the AFSC explains,

The money that is being spent on the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reached $1 trillion on May 30, 2010.   This money could be spent in our communities on many things that now face cuts, like after school programs, art and music programs, and summer jobs.

The AFSC is looking for youths between 13 and 23 years of age to take part in a video contest sponsored by it and the National Priorities Project, with the videos to appear on a dedicated YouTube channel. Here are some sample videos:

If you are interested in participating, or know someone who might be, send them to this page where they can download the necessary details. There is a deadline for submitting videos: 30 November 2010.

Good luck to all. We’ll be looking at all the videos submitted.

Related Articles

• The American Way of War Quiz (cbsnews.com)
• Jim Wallis: The War in Iraq: At What Cost? (huffingtonpost.com)