Transcript The Kids are Alright: Connecting with Youth Provincial Dialogue 2008 May 14–16, 2008 A Presentation by: Michelle Dagnino www.michelledagnino.com [email protected] Demographics Population stats Age Male / Female (number) Male / Female (% of.

The Kids are Alright:
Connecting with Youth
Provincial Dialogue 2008
May 14–16, 2008
A Presentation by: Michelle Dagnino
www.michelledagnino.com
[email protected]
Demographics
Population stats
Age
Male / Female
(number)
Male / Female
(% of population)
10-14
2,104,800
6.6
15-19
2,145,800
6.6
20-24
2,243,300
7.0
25-29
2,194,300
6.8
TOTAL 10-29
8,688,200
27
Changing Home Life…
 80% are from families with 1-2
children at home
 60% of mothers work out of home
 67% of unmarried 20-24-year-olds live
at home
Psychographics
Different experiences of
“adulthood”
 Average age of 1st menstruation = 12
 Average age of 1st cigarette = 13
 Average age of 1st intercourse = 16
 Average age at graduation = 26
 Average age of 1st marriage = 29
 Average age of 1st childbirth = 29
School impact
 1 in every 2 young people (20-24) attending
post-secondary school
 More students working part-time and taking
longer to graduate
The Millennial Learner
 Exposure/Experimentation
 Technological proficiency
with “grown up” activity
 Exposure to vast information
but less in depth
 Different patterns of social
connection and intimacy
 Increasingly high levels of
stress and anxiety
 More entrepreneurial
employment from a younger
age
 Ambitious expectations
 Well aware of community
rules, regulations and political
correctness.
Defining Characteristics
 Special—It has been communicated by the culture to the Millennials that






they are special and vital to the future of the nation.
Sheltered—Since the 1990s, there has been a major youth safety
movement. We now see kids decked out in helmets and pads to ride bikes
and strapped into elaborate car seats that would survive a nuclear
explosion.
Confident—Millennials have a high level of trust and optimism in
comparison to previous generations. They are hopeful of the future and
enjoy strong connections with their parents.
Team-oriented—The Millennials have spent much of their time working
and learning in groups. As such, they have established tight peer bonds.
Achieving—This generation may well become the best-educated
generation.
Pressured—Millennials are pushed to study hard and avoid personal risks,
pressured to succeed.
Conventional—Millennials, as a generation, will support conventional
social rules and standards of behavior.
Totally Stressed Out!
According to a recent study from Statistics Canada, a typical
Canadian teen clocks 50 hours of paid and unpaid labour each
week, including volunteer hours. Not surprisingly, the majority of
teens find that it's difficult to cope with all the competing
demands on their time.
 Sixty-four per cent admit to cutting back on sleep in order to get
things done.
 Thirty-nine per cent report feeling under constant pressure to
accomplish more than they can handle.
 And 16 per cent describe themselves as workaholics.
Issues to Address
 Diversity of needs, experiences and backgrounds
 Different understanding of “customer service” – want more
things available to them from a greater variety of sources
 Everything fast, everything now
 Expect to be able to do everything through/with technology
 Need specific direction and guidance
The Greatest Influences
Peers
Pop Culture/Media
Parents
Siblings
Mentors
“I feel like I have a lot to contribute, but I don’t know where to
start, or whether anyone cares.”
“I feel like my [favorite] musicians understand me better than anyone
else does, even my friends.”
I wasn’t going to buy it, but then two of my friends showed up with that
same brand, and I felt like I had to get it too.”
Influences: Pop Culture
 Millennials are exposed to pop culture in ways no previous
generations could have dreamed possible.
 They are bombarded with conflicting images and sound bites
of, for example, Britney Spears, Iraqi prisoner abuse, Tiger
Woods, Mickey Mouse, George Bush, Quinton Tarantino,
the atrocities in the Sudan, Pamela Anderson, Michael
Jackson’s child abuse court case, MTV, Martha Stewart,
Oprah Winfrey, Lacy Peterson, and JLo, in no particular
order or organization.
Keepin’ it Real
 The “hip hop culture” has permeated popular culture in an
unprecedented fashion. Because of its enormous cross-over
appeal, the hip hop culture is a potentially great unifier of
diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the
street, hip hop's influence has become worldwide.
Approximately 75% of the rap and hip hop audience is
nonblack. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and
into the corporate boardrooms. Indeed, McDonald's, Coca
Cola, Sprite, Nike, and other corporate giants have
capitalized on this phenomenon.
Hip Hop
“Music has been a bridge for young people for a long time, they have a
tendency to be going through heavy things emotionally, and music
reflects that. It seems to make an impact for them.”
 Although critics of rap music and the hip hop culture
seemed to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and
harsh language, this genre offers us a paradigm of what can
be. The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is
substantial. Hip hop culture has challenged the system in
ways that have unified individuals (particularly youth)
across a rich ethnic spectrum.
Good Omens for the Millennials
Statistically, today's teens are less likely to
smoke, drink, do illegal drugs, get pregnant,
commit a crime, or drop out of school than
their counterparts in the 1970s.
1
7
The Dark Underside of Millennials
 Millennials is one of the most medicated generations in
human history. “Pharming parties” where youths trade,
share, and try each other's prescription medications.
 Even with increased use of antidepressants & other
behavior-altering drugs, Millennials are more depressed
than any generation previous.
 Childhood obesity is another health problem that has
plagued Millennials as well as Gen X before them.
1
8
Being left behind?
 Faced with a variety of challenges that are
tougher than those faced by young adults
over the past few decades.
 Projected to be the first Canadian generation to do
less well economically than their parents
 Among the challenges are worsening job prospects,
and higher levels of debt.
Root Cause Analysis
The Rewiring of Millennial Minds

Video Games
 24/7 everything / time shifting
 Personalized entertainment
 Media designed for high bandwidth, short-term
attention
2
0
Just Different – Not Defective
Millennials know what you expect
from them but often you don’t have
anything they want.
2
1
Understanding their Fundamental
Differences
 A voracious appetite for choices
 An expectation for “having it all”
Non-linear
 Not ADD
 Multi-tasking
 high capacity for bilateral processing
 High speed visual download capability

2
2
Factors to Engage Youth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Building young people’s connections to their own
identity, culture, and community;
Recognize that young people are assets to and experts
about their own communities;
Engage young people as community leaders on issues
that matter to them;
Bring young people and adults together to work as
equal partners.
Provide mentorship and role modelling
Accelerated Transience
Change is a given
 Millennials
are becoming more
immersed in and increasingly
adapted to very rapid and constant
transition
 Their capacity for radical shifts in
context and environment are
significantly higher than any
preceding generation
2
4
www.michelledagnino.com
Thanks for your time today!
Questions?
Comments?
[email protected]