Findings

Critical Cats

Shari, Jackie, Michael, Brent, Sonny, Robin, Nick, Erica, Melissa, Hallie, Marni, Negin, Kate, Gonzalo, Brian, Geoff, Mira, and Jo

……facilitated by Tiff Blair!

To get ourselves started, we listed the ‘defining elements’ of each generation.

Youth Today

–       Internet and constant communication
–       Smaller world
–       Greater visibility
–       Over consumption – there is an excess of everything!
–       We get away with a lot more
–       Shorter attention span – “more flippant”
–       Less accountability
–       Greater employment equity (although NOT perfect)
–       Structural racism remains, there are informal barriers, while not imposed directly,   predjucide still remains
–       We are still working in outdated systems that need to be changed
–       For some, there is the mentality that we can “sit back on our laurels” because we’ve       made progress overall – we believe that there is greater equality, but is there?
–       We are forced to start our own things, because there aren’t other options
–       We have the power to start our own organizations that matter!
–       Youth today don’t vote
–       There is so much to pay attention to, that the important issues can be pushed aside
–       Knowledge economy – a lot of education is required to be successful
–       There is less direction and less structure for what the ideal is or ought to be

Youth of the Baby Boom

–       Restrictions on the kinds of opportunities
–       Less options
–       Not knowing what is really out there
–       Gender/racial quotas
–       Expectations of you – less freedom
–      Large distinction between men and women – Fewer opportunities for women

So, what does that mean? And what are the big questions that remain?

–       Generation Yers are opting out of the Baby Boomer ideals
–       Need to create ‘new institutions’ – but what are they going to look like?
Ex. changing the homeowner mentality, collaborative consumption, remaking communities
–       There are good careers that are not properly promoted ex. pipe fitters, welders
–       We need to communicate the realities of our labour market
–       Should everyone go to university?
–      What are the physical consequences of physical labour jobs?
–       Need to support better decision making in Grade 12
–       There is value in education beyond making money later in life – cultural significance, experiential learning, critical thinking –what are these values and how else can we create them?
–       There is an expectations mismatch
–       What can you really get out of a university education?
–       If you just want a job, then university may not be the best option
–       What do you risk losing with ‘uni-modal learning’? When knowledge is lost and a ‘new’ society is created? What are the consequences of that?
–       Our education is becoming devalued. There is an ‘education bubble’ that may pop…

Solutions! Brap Brap!

–       Incentives for retirement
–       Building community. Greater collectivity
–       Collaborative living and consumption
–       Leading by examples. Just do it! Lead the changes that you want to see!
–       Collecting knowledge and building on virtual networks
–       Reconstitute values of education. Both university and otherwise
–       Create opportunities for people without university education
–       Job opportunities in government or other places that have significant clout and  power
–       Give people the power to harness their entrepreneurial spirit (eg skills, tools, resources) Ex. CSI
–       Get involved in politics
–       Join parties or riding associations