A few weeks back, I volunteered at the scout camp where I worked in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. It was a blast being with a group of energetic people who are really putting their hearts and souls into doing what they can to make the world a better place.

I was able to eat, sleep, work, and sweat with these great folks. Over the week, I made a few observations about Generation Z, or iGen, as they are sometimes called. To start out, let’s define Gen Z as anyone born between 1995 and 2015.

Here are a few of the characteristics of iGen that I read about from Generational Kinetics (genhq.com).

• Gen Z is better at multi-tasking than other generations before them.
• Gen Z has a desire to work.
• The iGen cohort is more Entrepreneurial than other generations. (I think this is a natural function of age vs. something particular about this generation)
• Gen Z thinks that Millennials are old.
• Social media affects iGen members’ self-worth more than other generations. 47% of Gen Zers feel that social media directly impacts how they feel about themselves.

After spending about ten days with a group of over 40 Gen Zers, here are a few of my observations.

• Few seemed to be self-starters or felt they were not responsible for the area around them regarding upkeep or enhancements.
• Many seemed to have an exaggerated sense of risk or were risk-averse.
• There seemed to be a lack of creative problem-solving or creatively working with their constraints to create solutions to physical or non-physical challenges.

I want to be clear that while I am sharing my opinions and insights into what I was seeing with a group of teenagers and people in their early 20s, this is not intended to be a negative discussion but rather an opportunity for us grandparents to work and coach up our grandchildren as well as those young people who we come into contact with to help them be more prepared for the challenges they will experience both personally and societally.

What Grandparents can do to help out GenZ:

Here are some of my ideas about how we can help our grandchildren who are part of GenZ.

• Help them identify tasks that need attention and then help them learn to take the initiative in owning and coming up with a solution.
• Encourage the taking of calculated risks. Many of our grandchildren live in a highly regulated, minimally risk-tolerant society. The result is that they don’t take risks and only see downsides and hazards instead of potential opportunities for fun and gain.
• Help them be forward-focused. We can do this by encouraging discussions about the freedoms and responsibilities they will have as they age and achieve success in their lives.
• Work with grandchildren to come up with solutions, even temporary, using the tools and resources on hand. There is a great opportunity for accomplishment that I think younger people miss out on when coming up with a ‘good enough’ solution using only what is on hand until a better solution to a challenge can be put into place.

Conclusion

It would be easy enough for us to join the chorus of doomsayers about the rising generation. After all, doesn’t it seem like part of the reward for growing older to take up that mantel of ‘the world is going to hell in a handbasket’?

What I am challenging myself and hopefully YOU to do, is to recognize that there might be some gaps that our grandchildren and their generation have BUT then find ways to become part of the solution and not just a crusty old cus sitting on the sidelines telling everyone how awesome it was when you were young. Like Billy Joel said in one of his songs, “You know the good ole days weren’t always good. And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.”

Links

I invite you to join me at Grandparents Week by clicking this link: https://training.grandparentsacademy.com/a/2147832178/ikxv5HFd.

If you want to sign up for my course, Intentional Grandfathering, please use this link: https://training.grandparentsacademy.com/intentional-grandfathering-masterclass.

If you would like to watch this conversation on YouTube, you can use this link: https://youtu.be/6yBnh9hAIo8