Heather Scully is the founder of the Peterborough-based advocacy group Drowning in Debt: Struggling Canadian Graduates Speak Out. She agreed to this interview because she is eager to raise awareness about the factors that are contributing to the debt crisis for college and university graduates in Peterborough Riding.

1. How has your life been affected by the shortage of quality jobs in Peterborough? 

"I love my city and my country, but when I couldn't find any work here generally, and in my chosen field of graphic design, I knew I had to do something. I had no way to pay my bills or make ends meet, so I had to look outside the box. That meant paying hundreds of dollars for work visas and travelling thousands of miles away from my family and friends. I found work in Ireland, then England, which was a great experience, but it should not have been my only recourse. We should be finding ways to help our young people find work when they come out of school. We should not be forcing them to leave their own country to try to make a life for themselves."

2. What were your expectations when you invested in post-secondary education? 

 "When I applied for college, we were told at the time that 95% of the students in my chosen field would find some sort of work in the industry. It always seemed a high percentage to me, but when you're young, you believe what you're told, because you believe they have your best interests in mind. Out of the 33 of us in my graduating class, not even half of us work in the design industry. We have all been told we don't have enough experience in the field, but you can't get experience, if you cannot get hired, even as entry-level.

It's been over seven years since I graduated and I have been told that I have been out of the industry so long now that I would have to re-train to be of any use to a company. After all the money I have spent, that I still have to pay back, I don't believe it's worth my time and energy to go back and take the same thing to get the same results."

3. What have you done to try to raise awareness about this issue?  

 "I knew that I couldn't have been the only graduate facing my situation, and I knew that there hasn't really been a voice for us in government. I was so upset and disgusted by what I and others have been through that I wrote a long and very honest letter explaining my own struggles and situation, and I sent it to all the local and main candidates who were vying for seats in the federal and provincial elections, hoping that someone could tell me what could be done to fix our National Student Debt Crisis. They only [federal] parties that took it upon themselves to respond were the Green party, the Liberals, and the NDP. Dave Nickle spoke to me personally about my letter."

4. What are you hearing from other young people who are trying to find work after graduation in our community? 

 "Mostly, I am hearing that young people are struggling to find work, especially in their chosen fields. And those who are now going to school are afraid the same will happen to them. Parents are terrified their children will be shackled with school debt for their entire lives and will never be able to live the kind of life they deserve. I know that my parents feel that way."

I hope that our governments, both federal and provincial, will wake up and see the burden they have placed on their youth, and find ways to ease the stress and financial yoke they have placed around our necks. The youth are the future of this country: eventually, we will hold the power. If they don't start standing up for us, we will have to start standing up for ourselves and vote in a fair government that will strive for a better future for our children."