"Gen Z Is Already Changing The World—Just Ask Time’s 2019 Person Of The Year"

Teenager Greta Thunberg and countless other Gen-Zers are leading the way in the causes they care about. Mark’s article, “Gen Z Is Already Changing The World—Just Ask Time’s 2019 Person Of The Year,” published at Forbes.com on December 27, 2019.

They may be kids, but Generation Z is rocking the world with their activism around gun control, immigration reform, and other causes. Now, 16-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden is the youngest individual ever named Time’s 2019 Person of the Year—an earthshaking nod to her worldwide climate-change youth movement.

With a do-or-die dedication to her mission, Thunberg is not alone among her generation. She has inspired hundreds of thousands of young people to participate in “climate strikes,” demonstrably influencing world leaders—like no one before them—in their call for transformative and urgent change.

Whether you support Thunberg’s views and tactics or not, there’s no denying that she and her Gen Z peers are a force to be reckoned with. They’re not trying to change the world; they’re already doing it and, in many cases, they’re leading the way. Here are three key reasons why.

• Technology. The web and social media are amplifying young people’s voices like never before. And as digital natives, Gen Z embodies 24/7 connectivity and navigates the online universe with unmatched ease and fluidity. This, among other things, opens up unprecedented opportunities to create compelling messages that go viral, gain traction, and grow into movements.
• Education. For Gen Z, the adage “Knowledge is power” has never been truer. They are on track to be the most educated generation the world has ever seen. They have access to unequaled amounts of information and, likewise, know how to exploit it in their quest to make a difference.
• Passion. Gen-Zers are virtually insatiable in their pursuit of purpose—something bigger than themselves to ardently take part in. And when they find a cause that genuinely moves them, they pursue it with unrivaled, unapologetic passion. Technology may provide the platform, and education may supply the impetus, but it is Gen Z’s passion that makes them so precociously prominent and powerful on the world stage.

Bottom line: don’t underestimate Generation Z and the passionate commitment they bring to the problems our world faces. They are prepared to stand up for what they believe in, regardless of the cost. And meeting these global-scale challenges head on, as Thunberg and her generation are already doing, will call out every ounce of their tremendous potential.

Read at Forbes.com

About The Author

Mark Perna

Mark C. Perna is an international speaker and bestselling author. He also serves as CEO of TFS Results, a strategic consulting firm at the forefront of the national paradigm shift in education and workforce development.

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