What would you do with the amount of money the United States has spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? As of May 2010, this amount of spending reached $1 trillion—and continues to grow daily.  As we now know, the cost of sending one soldier to Afghanistan is the same cost needed to build 20 schools in the same country; imagine what else could be done with all of those funds instead of keeping the conflict going and our families in harm’s way.

That idea is what’s behind the National Priorities Project and the American Friends Service Committee’s new contest, the “If I Had a Trillion Dollars Youth Video Contest.” The contest is based on the premise that this is a whole lot of spending, and that this spending could very well be used in much more constructive ways at home—such as in schools, saving programs from being cut all across the country, and many other ways.

The idea behind the contest is to engage young people in the war dialogue. Entrants can imagine what they would do with $1 trillion and share it on a 3-minute video. Each idea should include how the money will help the entrant him or herself along with his or her family and community. A toolkit, rules page, submission guide, and more can be found at the contest webpage. Videos that have already been submitted can also be viewed at the American Service Friends Committee YouTube channel.

To enter, you must be between the ages of 13 and 23. If you’re older but you work with children, youth, or a school, you can apply, too. For teachers, a curriculum guide is also available for using this challenge and its related issues in schools. Entries must be uploaded by November 30 of this year, complete with the tag “IHTDvideos.” They can be anywhere from one to three minutes in length, but no longer. The runners up will receive cameras as prizes, while the first place winner will receive $500 and a trip to Washington, D.C. to show his or her legislator the winning video.

Imagine if each state’s legislators had to meet with a smattering of youth to talk about issues and what is important in the country… What revolutions could happen! I know some brilliant youths whom I would definitely pay, had I the funds, to travel to Washington, D.C. to talk with our leaders. If you are a youth—or teacher or worker with youth—with an idea of what you would do with this money (the possibilities are endless!) I hope you’ll enter. Good luck!