Are we catching up with GEN Z and GEN Alpha?
“Hopefully, yes.” “We need to do more to stay relevant for young people joining our activities.” “We belong to GEN Z and GEN Alpha and know what they need.”
One question and three possible answers. What would be your answers as youth workers, leaders? Can you take a moment and reflect if and how you are following the trends and changes all around?
We took the moment, and in January we met with a group of youth workers and leaders in Czechia to reflect on the needs and interests of GEN Z and GEN Alpha, with the simple goals – to explore if our youth work methods are still relevant or outdated, to discuss the similarities or differences that the representatives of these generations share, as well as to discuss environmental issues that seem to be important for young people belonging to GEN Z.
Moreover, we also visited the school GEEK in Brno and had the opportunity to question our approach towards education and why it is triggering for us when school does not look like it did back in our childhood.
Furthermore, we also took a look at the methods and tools that we use and reflected on things that have changed. Do we use inclusive language? Are we using interactive methods? What are the things that are really outdated?
We did not have clear answers to all the questions that we asked; nevertheless, we got inspiration and a so much-needed moment for reflection.
The activity was realized within the project ‘Youth TOOLS Residencies‘, 2025-1-CZ01-KA153-YOU-000297555 focused on exploring the needs of GEN Z and GEN Alpha and developing the competencies of youth workers to address the needs of young people representing these generations.
The project is realized with the support of the Erasmus + Programme and brings together youth workers from Czechia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, France and North Macedonia.
For any questions, please, contact the coordinator Mission: Reconnect.