Generation Z – The Digital Natives Part 2 (Guest Blog)
Part 2...
In the last blog we talked about characteristics of the Digital Natives and what kind of pressure older generations put on Generation Z: We want them to save the world. But what makes us think they could actually do it?
Just a few examples of tweens that have done some pretty extraordinary things:
Ann Makosinksi:
Last February, Ann showed off her invention on The Jimmy Fallon Show. A flashlight which is powered by the heat of a human hand. The reason for Ann to come up with this clever piece of technology was the plight of a friend in the Philippines who had failed a grade at school because she lacked electricity to study at night. Her empathy-driven ingenuity has won her acclaim and the top prize for 15- to 16-year-olds at the Google Science Fair, a place on Time’s “Top 30 under 30” list, as well as a barrage of media coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPCLNui0B3I
Jack Andreka:
Aged 15, he received the 2012 Gorden E. Moore Award for developing a new, rapid and inexpensive method to detect an increase of protein that indicates the presence of pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer during their early stages when there is a better survival rate than when they are diagnosed later.
Angela Zhang:
At 17, the high school student invented a cure for cancer: She mixed cancer medicine in a polymer
that would attach to nanoparticles which would then fasten themselves to the cancer cells and show up on an MRI, allowing doctors to see exactly where tumours are. An infrared light aimed at the tumours would melt the polymer and release the medicine, killing the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ5WYN22YG0
Tavi Gevinson:
Started the fashion blog Style Rookie at the age of 12. At 15, the focus shifted to pop culture and feminist discussion. She’s the founder and editor-in-chief of Rookie Magazine and was named one of “The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” by Time Magazine.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tavi_gevinson_a_teen_just_trying_to_figure_it_out
Adora Svitak:
At the age of 7 she started writing blogs and keeping an online journal where she comments on matters of both international significance and subjects of personal interest. She has lectured before large audiences of both students and adults across the United States, and in the United Kingdom. In February 2010, Svitak spoke at the TED Conference, saying the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grown-ups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
https://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak
Flynn McGarry:
Since he was 11, he has been running his own supper club called Eureka, which is held at his parents’ house – in their living room. He serves $160-a-head tasting menus to actors and has the best chefs in LA “help him out”. He wants to open the “best restaurant in the world”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3gVJ4vJwHM&list=LLY71Q9tXW5Vl4Jq3VXiS10Q
I will leave you with these impressions… there really isn’t much more to say at this stage, don’t you think?
Author Bio: Caroline Staiger is the Marketing Manager at TIG, a Managed Services and Cloud provider based in London. TIG has prestigious organisations such as Virgin Limited Edition, Monarch Airlines, Cosmos Tours & Cruises, Waterstones, Aardman Animitions… on their customer portfolio.