With the clear vision to bash, smash and #KickTheDebt for students in 2021; Converse walked a mile in South African Student’s shoes. The well-known apparel brand closely associated with youth culture aren’t just talking the talk – they’re taking inspired action. Student debt is the issue, as the student protests highlighted, and alleviating some of the financial pressures young people face is Converse’s response to a real demand.

A pledge to the people

Starting off with a pledge of R1 Million, #KickTheDebt was flooded with an overwhelming number of entries. This enthusiasm led to the decision of extending the campaign by two weeks to allow for more entries and DOUBLING the pledge amount to a whopping R2 Million! If barriers to higher and tertiary education are broken for more students using innovative campaigns like this one, the sky’s the limit.

Student Village scouts the crème de la crème

Out of the thousands of applications received, only exceptional candidates who match the carefully created criteria will get their shot at kicking their debt. Helping Converse connect directly to its youth market, and providing youth with oppoprtunities, is the purpose that drives Student Village’s involvement in projects like these.

Kickin’ towards a debt-free utopia

There’s a world where generational economic depression is eradicated, and #KickTheDebt is helping students get there one step at a time. They spoke and Converse listened. Financial freedom is the name of the game, and we’re playing on their team – the winning team. A world where brands give their fans authentic and relevant opportunities, is the kind of world we’ll stay fighting for.

Living student debt-free is a kick away

As far as hashtags go, #KickTheDebt is trending for all the right reasons, and it’s Converse that’s behind the movement. Times are tough, and students are feeling the economic crunch – hard. As a brand with a large youth market following, it seemed fitting for Converse to step in and fill the gap. Looking back, the student protests brought many issues about the South African education system to light, the most prominent being student debt. Due to an overwhelming response with the entries, what started off as a R1 Million pledge to help students kick their debt in 2021, ended up skyrocketing to a R2 Million pledge. As Student Village, we managed the stringent selection process, to ensure the correct students received the funds. And we’re proud to have been a collaborator in this campaign.

There needs to be more tangible examples of youth brands that really listen to what their fans say in order to retaliate with opportunity, relevance, and authenticity.

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