Zentennials or Gen Z refers to the generation of children born at the turn of the century. They represent 30% of the population and are quickly becoming the dominant changemakers in the digital age.
The Raising Gen Z Conference organized by Our Awesome Planet and Mommy Mundo is the first ever parenting event that empowers Zentennials to become the Greatest Filipino Generation.
Here are my top 8 learnings and insights about Raising Gen Z…
Who is Gen Z?
(Source: Nurturing Generation Z: Going Beyond Stereotypes and Misconceptions by Didi Manahan, Head and Co-Founder of Keys School Manila Inc.)
“Highly Connected”, “Thrive on Acceleration”, and “Independent” are some of the words that describe Gen Z. This makes them a driving force quickly replacing Millennials in the Digital Age.
#1 Nurture the Growth Mindset and Maker Attitude
(Source: Nurturing Generation Z: Going Beyond Stereotypes and Misconceptions by Didi Manahan, Head and Co-Founder of Keys School Manila Inc.)
It is critical to have a Growth Mindset or the belief that Intelligence and Talent can go up and down (versus a Fixed Mindset where Intelligence and Talent are supposedly determined at birth).
We need to nurture the Maker Attitude inherent in Gen Z to create, do, and tangibly make a difference.
#2 Hyper-Empowered
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
If Millennials are empowered, Zentennials are Hyper-empowered because of the borderless and connected world they live in, with endless possibilities and opportunities in the YouTube and E-commerce era.
#3 Key Questions You Need to Address
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Gen Z-ers have 5 basic questions that the parents and family need to address directly–Identity, Belonging, Competence, Security, and Purpose. Otherwise, they will turn to technology and the digital culture for answers, which is unhealthy and inauthentic.
#4 Video First
(Source: Are You Ready for Gen Z? by Geia Lopez, Industry Analyst, Google Philippines)
“Gen Z is not just Mobile first, they’re Video First. They learn about New Products from Vlogs (51%) and Websites (47%).”
(Source: Are You Ready for Gen Z? by Geia Lopez, Industry Analyst, Google Philippines)
Zentennials believe that:
• “Gaming is not just a Game, it’s a Way of Life”
• “Gaming is a Safe Environment to Hone Different Skills”
• “Gaming is about competing and collaborating with people who share the same passion”
#5: Addiction and Reality
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Watch out for Boys: Video Gaming Addiction; Watch out for Girls: Blurring of Virtual World with Reality
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Video Games are as addicting as drugs. Gamers are 4x more likely to be addicted and the vulnerable stage is 8-9 years old.
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Make sure to distinguish the Digital World vs. the Real World and continue to build connections offline.
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Watch out for these 7 signs that your kids are starting to get addicted to games or social media.
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Creating healthy offline relationships and having a barkada are very important!
(Source: The Gen Z Profiler: Understanding their Psyche, Building their Character and Connecting with the Zs by Chelet Tanjuatco, Senior Consultant, Acumen Brand Strategy)
Build a Reading Habit early on to develop resilience and patience to combat against gaming and online addiction.
#6 Girl Will Code
(Source: Raising and Empowering the Gen Z in Today’s Tech World by Ronna & Isabel Sieh, Mother and Daughter of Girl Will Code)
It was so inspiring to see the mother and daughter tandem of Rona and Isabel Sieh demonstrate their typical conversations at home and discuss about the use of technology. Isabel was already a programmer at the age of 11 and founded Girl Will Code foundation.
(Source: Raising and Empowering the Gen Z in Today’s Tech World by Ronna & Isabel Sieh, Mother and Daughter of Girl Will Code)
The key is not to ban technology but to create an individualized family media plan per child.
#7 The Coder Generation
(Source: Born Digital! by Cris Tagle, Chief Executive Officer, Zynappse Corporation)
Gen Z was born into the world of Google, Facebook, YouTube, Uber, Spotify, iPhone, and iWatch.
We are the social media capital of the world in terms of consumption, but we need to turn it around to be the social media capital of the world in terms of production by learning how to code and produce content.
“Code Stars”, a short film starring Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, will.i.am, Chris Bosh, Jack Dorsey, Tony Hsieh, Drew Houston, Gabe Newell, Ruchi Sanghvi, Elena Silenok, Vanessa Hurst, and Hadi Partovi.
Did you know that there will be 1.4 Million Jobs in Computer Science in the next 10 years and only about 400,000 graduates are qualified for those jobs?
8. Non-Negotiables and Parenting with God
(Source: Real Life with a Zentennial: Creating an Environment of Empowerment, Anthony & Hannah Pangilinan, Family Influencer)
The key to a happy life with a Zentennial is to agree on the Non-Negotiables and give them the freedom to create their own world.
Remember, that we have our Parent above helping us in raising our Gen Z kids and molding them to be the greatest generation of all time!
Thank you to all the parents, educators, marketers, and speakers for unselfishly sharing their knowledge and expertise to make this a historically significant event!
For more information, visit our official website http://zentennials.com/ and follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zentennials/
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our Awesome Planet is a co-founder of Zentennials. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. Check out Mad Travel Kid’s Junior Heroes Camp at GK Enchanted Farm in Bulacan
Junior Heroes Camp is a whole-day camp that allows your kids to immerse in nature and the outdoors to find joy in things outside technology. Kids learn to ask important questions like “where does my food come from?,” “why is planting trees important?,” “how can we make something good that helps others?” and more. By letting them participate in different demos and activities, they solve problems and unearth answers to these questions and at the same time form an appreciation for agriculture, the environment, and local products. Together with other children and a positive international team of French and Filipinos from urban and rural settings, kids are able to interact with a diverse set of people in new ways.
The diversity of activities – planting, animal feeding, cooking, toy making, art, trekking and games allows kids to discover new interests and abilities that they never knew they had. All these activities are done with the fun and energy that children love, so that they never forget that learning can and should be fun.
The final goal of the camp is to impart on each child the importance of his/her choice in making our land more prosperous; that s/he is never too young to make a difference. Join us for our first re-launched Junior Heroes Camp this September 16! Open to 6-12 years old. Parents are welcome, too!
Registration Fee: Php 2,200/kid and Php 1,500/adult Includes all snacks, lunch, and all activities 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM on Saturdays Sept 30 at GK Enchanted Farm, Angat, Bulacan
Register your kids now on bit.ly/Join-JuniorHeroesCamp or Visit our FB Page: MAD Travel Kids for more details