Picture this: you're 18, fresh out of high school, with a diploma in hand and fresh eyes. Then, boom. Credit cards, student loans, even just your savings balance hitting zero–you are in debt. This the reality for thousands of young adults in the United States and around the world.

According to Newsweek, the average American Gen-Z between the ages of 18 and 23 is about $94,101 in debt. That amount is higher than any previous generation, including that of young adults during the Great Depression. And school is doing nothing to help.

Two-thirds of American states have schools that require financial literacy or skills classes, and while this number sounds promising, there are no district or statewide rules in place prescribing these courses as mandatory. We need actual legislation forcing schools to step up for our students' futures.

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The Issue

First, we need to understand the scope of the debt crisis among young Americans. The expected debt for individuals in Gen-Z by middle age is said by Newsweek to be over $90,000. At that rate, most of us won't be able to afford to live, let alone put a down payment on a house any time soon.

The reason for this could lie in the complete lack of enforced financial education in American public schools. As I said earlier, there is zero legislation in place educating (and protecting) about and from personal fiscal nightmares.

65% of undergraduates will complete their bachelor's degree programs with a loan, and the interest rates on these can make them extremely difficult to come back from. In fact, standard federal loans can take 10 to 20 years to pay off.

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Though the majority of the time these loans are necessary due to the fortune higher education can cost, most 18-year-olds don't understand the intricacies of the loan process, and may end up taking out a predatory one, such as from a loan shark. Loan sharks are people or firms that give loans with excessively high interest rates and target naive individuals who are unsuspecting of their questionable financial ways. And these unsuspecting clients tend to be—you guessed it—students.

There's also an aspect of socioeconomic disparity in financial knowledge. If you grew up wealthy, you might already know the skills taught in these classes from watching your parents manage their money. But, if you (like the majority of people in America) did not grow up affluent, you most likely know very little about fiscal management. The requirement of financial education classes in public high schools would make the subject accessible to everyone.

The creation of mandated financial education classes wouldn't just help students with their fiscal futures, though. Finance classes can empower students to think more critically, improve their math abilities, and open them up to the possibility of working in the finance field—one of the most secure and highest-paying industries. Financial mathematics is a practical application to a subject many students find abstract and occasionally uninteresting because of that. If done right, a class like this would promote and assist with math as well as achieving the originally intended goals.

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The How

But how would this actually come to be? Like many great changes in history, the addition of a graduation requirement would start locally, with individual high schools around the country.

And this is something you can do. Start community action groups by organizing your friends and classmates for this important cause. Just by talking about the issue, you've already made a step in the right direction.

After gathering your group, research what local officials have the power to truly affect change on the issue. You might have an excellent point about financial education truly being an educational necessity, but campaigning to the medical examiner isn't going to do you much good.

In some cities, your best bet will be the school board, and in others city council, and others going straight to the mayor is the ideal option. This all depends on your city's size and bureaucratic organization. To help you own your journey to change, I've compiled three tips on making it happen.

#1: Have a Clear Pitch

You need to walk into meetings with local leadership knowing exactly what you want, how you want it, and when you want it. Even if your plan is open to edits for the sake of logistics, coming in with a plan is essential for coming off as confident, knowledgeable, and prepared—all of which are important factors in your success.

#2: Talk to the Right People

As I said earlier, you have to make sure you're meeting with the most effective person possible. This information can probably be accessed on your city's website, but if you aren't sure, a visit to city hall can point you in the right direction.

#3: Practice, Practice, Practice

Think of this meeting like giving a presentation. You need to be prepared. This ties in again to confidence being key, you need to show whomever you meet with that you know what you're talking about.

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Conclusion

The aforementioned strategies aren't just for getting financial education classes in high schools. They can be applied to any cause you care about, be it climate change, homelessness, or anything else. Remember, to solve global, you must think local.

We do also need to remember the main issue covered today. Financial education classes wouldn't be just a fun elective; they are a necessary course that needs to be taught. We can't put this off forever—the issue is now, and the issue is big. It demands solving, and we need to solve it now.