Coffee cup insights
Posted on August 26, 2009
Filed under NetGen, Ramblings
The following question was posed on a Starbucks coffee cup:
At first, I wondered…what if young people saw themselves in that way? The thing is…this generation of students often DOES see itself in this way. Research indicates that young people are more engaged politically and socially than previous generations.
We mistake young people’s variable voting rates as a lack of civic involvement, but we fail to see their high rates of community volunteerism (In 2006, 16- to 19-year-olds spent twice as much time volunteering as did the same age group in 1989. Source: Corporation for National and Community Service). We mistake their time spent in social networking as frivolity and waste, but we fail to see the powerful and informational communities young people create to help solve problems (think of how Twitter united people from all over the world on behalf of human rights in Iran; see the Time article on this). We mistake their close relationships with their parents as co-dependence, but we fail to see the social capital that young people have built.
I think Don Tapscott said it best: “I’m optimistic that this generation will make this world a better place. The reason is simple: not only is this a generation that cares about social problems, they are the first to grow up with a powerful tool that can be used to make a far more substantial difference than my generation ever could. It’s a tool of unprecendented power to inform, engage, and mobilize their generation.” (Don Tapscott, in Grown Up Digital, p. 270)
So, it seems to me that the real question is: What if we saw young people in that way, as community leaders, problem-solvers, mentors, and key stakeholders?
Let’s discuss…
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