Gen X

It's Time to Move Beyond the Great Generational Divide

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 18 Feb 2010 3
Great Divide Brewing Company
Yesterday our friends over at the National Conference on Citizenship turned up the heat when they posed the question, “What’s in a Generation: are stereotypes being replaced by a society wide call to do good? “ I say, let’s hope so.
 
About two and a half years ago when Social Citizens was just a kernel of an idea, we saw our society begin to shift in a way that was more accepting of openness and transparency – be it in government, in the workplace, or even the nonprofit sector. We saw a new social marketplace being born where goods and services were exchanged not just for money and profit but for good social outcomes. We saw the adoption of technology explode as social networks began springing up everywhere keeping us connected 24-7.
 
While generational generalities are difficult to make, since not all people of the same age have the same characteristics and life experiences – we do know there are patterns that define us. I believe many of the above examples were heavily influenced by the rising generation of Millennials. However, with my parents on Facebook, and my 95 year old grandma playing wii bowling with her neighbors, there are certain patterns of behavior which transcend generations. And while these technological advancements have in large part either been created by or heavily adopted by my peers, they are impacting the way that all of us do business, elect our public officials, and make choices about how we give back to our communities.
 
What I appreciate about the conversation over on NCOC is not just their leading question, but the questions that follow – is it really important to continue the debate over which generation is “better” or “more civic minded” or is it time to put those aside and recognize our collective power, and the tools available to us to help meet some of society’s most pressing needs? Call me an idealistic Millennial but I think this is where we must go if we are to realize change in our communities and around the world.
 
I think we’ve made great progress in bridging sectors and building public-private partnerships. Now is the time for greater understanding and appreciation across generations. There’s much that can be learned if we open our minds – and there’s much we have to share if people are willing to listen.
 
For some expert and diverse perspectives over on NCOC, I encourage you to take a look at what authors and sociologists Morley Winnograd and Michael Hais, and Pete Peterson of Common Sense California have added to the conversation.  What are ways that you have worked with members of other generations to do good? How have you seen people defy the characteristics of their generation to achieve change?
tags:

Next Gen Gives - But Don't Call them Philanthropists

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 9 Dec 2008

Last week’s Barron’s weekly magazine featured a story on the New Faces of Philanthropy. As traditional charitable donors cut back their giving in this economic climate, new givers are moving in. Barron's profiles these Gen-X givers who want to make their charitable mark now, not when they're 50 or 60 years old. Read more »

tags:

Is Kanye Our Kurt?

by Alex Steed on 18 Nov 2008 7

In their book Millennial Makeover, Morley Winograd and Michael Hais look at the pictures of Generations X and Y painted by popular media. They suggest that the work ethic of the former is represented by the entrepreneurial “Joel Goodson” (Tom Cruise's character in Risky Business) while that of the latter is represented by the androgynously named, ideals-driven “Andy Sachs” (Anne Hathaway's character in The Devil Wears Prada). 

I posed a similarly themed question on Facebook and Twitter: “If Kurt Cobain is the [overarching] voice of Gen-X, then who/what best represents the voice of Gen-Y?”  Read more »

tags:

What's in a Generation's Name?

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 28 Aug 2008 14

Generations are most often and aptly shaped by the events, the leaders, and even the trends of their time – but what’s in a name?  According to a recent study by Harris Interactive, 4,000 Americans aged 21 to 83 were asked what they thought of different generations.

It’s kind of interesting that Gen Y (or Millennials), Gen X, and even the Silent Generation had something to say – they all are yearning for a new brand that better represents them. In fact, Baby Boomers are the only generation that overwhelmingly agree with the label they’ve been given. Read more »

tags:

The Who's Who of Gen Y Bloggers

by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on 6 Aug 2008

In true Beth Kanter style, she has gone above and beyond to provide us with a terrifically robust roundup of the “who’s who” of Gen Y and twenty-something bloggers. I’m excited to say we’ve featured many of these great voices here on Social Citizens, but some are brand new to me — and have quickly made their way as new additions to my RSS feed.

We appreciate the nod to Social Citizens and are glad to be recognized as one among the growing voice of Millennial bloggers. As we see more and more people talking about and writing about Gen Y (admittedly sometimes ad nauseam), this list renews my hope and confidence in our generation to share their own thoughts and ideas about how we’re changing the social change sector.

Here are a few blogs that have recently found themselves in my rotation … what’s in yours?

Gen Y Give: As a millennial, Miriam Kagan believes in the power of young people to “give” and talks about the motivations and trends related to her generation and philanthropy.

Mobilizing Youth: Ben Rigby of MobileVoter incidentally also wrote the book Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Technology to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth, a book with lots of answers for those of you who are just looking to break into this.

The Brazen Careerist: This site based on Penelope Trunk’s blog always seems to have some timely and relevant blogs, probably because of its self-proclaimed network of “vibrant, curious and ambitious career-minded bloggers.”

Amy Sample Ward: She provides some enlightening thoughts on the intersection between the social change sector and technology.

tags:
Syndicate content