Gen Z as change drivers: a case in point for a youth-led education
Today’s youth are growing up in a technology-driven environment. They use technology to learn new things, and with their informed perspectives are ready to take action to reshape the world.
Nearly all U.S. teens (95%) say they have access to a smartphone – and 45% say they are “almost constantly” on the internet. So, what exactly are teens doing with their cellphones? Large shares of teen cellphone users say they at least sometimes use their phone to connect with other people (84%) or learn new things (83%).
Access to technology is not limited to youth in the United states. “In many emerging economies, younger people lead the way in smartphone ownership.”
Youth impacted by conflict, natural disasters, and those seeking better opportunities in the meta-cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America are mobilized to create a better future for the next generation. Nothing binds them together more than their shared belief that education can change their own lives and that of their families, for the better. They demand opportunity and an education which allows them to build their skills and contribute to their own societies. Beyond literacy and numeracy, they seek digital and transferable skills like problem-solving, critical-thinking, communications and entrepreneurship. They know these are the skills they increasingly need in a world in which jobs are being transformed by globalization, automation and expanding webs of trade and commerce.
OECD Forum Network study on the resilience of young people in the face of COVID reveals that youth have demonstrated:
Systems and process knowledge: perhaps more so than other groups in society, young people have demonstrated their ability, albeit grudgingly, to adjust to changes in education and associated risks
Resourcefulness and perseverance: whilst COVID-19 has presented unique challenges to how we relate to one another, young people have led the way in creating online trends: sharing meals online; virtual board games; impromptu concerts; tools that have made unprecedented times manageable. Their resourcefulness has paved the way for creating alternative platforms and mechanisms that imagine flexible consultation models. Young people have demonstrated that a scarcity mindset is something that should be left in the rear-view mirror in favour of a co-operative thinking.
Youth-led action will not remain limited to recent, unprecedented crisis. 697 technology innovators, developers, business and policy leaders, researchers and activists responded to the following query: Will significant social and civic innovation occur between now and 2030? Some 84% of these respondents say there will be significant social and civic innovation between now and 2030
Respondents predict that social connectivity will emerge as innovations help connection people and bring them together for a common purpose. Like-minded people from around the world will more-effectively advocate for causes. It is expected that local communities will connect through more-accessible information and resources online, while partaking in virtual collaborations which will become more commonplace.
Even today youth are gearing up for this future of social and civic innovations. During the spring of 2020, OECD staff from Generation Y and Z – that is, born in or after 1981 – were invited to examine the emerging COVID-19 crisis from their unique and diverse perspectives and come up with innovative policy solutions that provided concrete ways to rebuild our societies.
These excerpts from the winning briefs capture the priorities and concerns of Generations Y and Z for the world to come:
Drawing on behavioural economic theory Brilé Anderson, Marta Arbinolo, Elena Buzzi, Chiara Falduto and Frithjof Laubinger offer a set of possible interventions for policy makers to either foster or revert the behavioural changes that emerged during the peak of the pandemic – with a particular focus on urban mobility, the sharing economy, and food waste.
Antoine Bonnet. He shows how it is possible to put a price on carbon while also reducing inequalities, through subsidizing low-emitting households and taxing more high-emitting ones.
Archita Misra and Julia Schmidt observe that the development of participatory data systems, characterised by the direct engagement of citizens in the process of data planning, production and use, can help counter a trust deficit between citizens and governments in both OECD and non-OECD countries in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis
Louise Phung argues that by freeing up time for all individuals to engage in more activities within their local community, a sense of “usefulness” and “belonging” for everyone will be restored and, ultimately, local community bonds strengthened. Strong local community bonds are essential for improving well-being, at individual and collective levels, but also for building resilience from future shocks.
References:
Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally, Pew Research, Feb 2019
Experts predict more digital innovation by 2030 aimed at enhancing democracy, Pew Research, June 2020
Classroom to workplace: what young people need to succeed, World Economic Forum, Jan 2020
Resilience against the odds: Lessons from young people in the COVID-19 environment, July 2020