​This month, Katy White and I are celebrating the 2-year anniversary of our book, Mobilizing Gen Z (check out our latest podcast for new insights on this topic)! It is also the 10-year anniversary of my first book, Millennials in Ministry! What a journey it has been this past decade working with all of you as we seek to encourage and equip the next generation. 

As I reflect on all that I have learned in over a decade of researching generational trends, I am struck by the fact that the best practices for connecting across generations are contained in a list written many centuries ago by the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the Galatians, he lists traits that many people of faith often refer to as the "fruits of the Spirit." They are as follows: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you go to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he talks about three things that will last forever: love, faith, and hope. 

These insights from Paul's letters, penned long ago, hold great value today. In a society where cancel culture and polarization inform perceptions and behaviors, young people are desperate for patience, faithfulness, and kindness. When 24/7 news leaves us feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, young people need to see peace, self control, and hope. 

As leaders, mentors, parents and teachers, we have an amazing opportunity to model those things that will last forever. They often seem extinct in many parts of our culture, which only makes them more impactful when the young people around us experience them in our lives.

How can you model what Paul wrote about to the young people around you today?  

It is often noted today that our society and especially younger generations lack GRIT. So, what is GRIT? GRIT is a combination of passion and perseverance. It’s not necessarily strength, but rather the ability to persist in the face of challenges and setbacks, to always move forward. Sometimes, there are other words that are used interchangeably, like resilience, but GRIT and resilience are quite different. Resilience is the idea of learning from something, whereas GRIT is about continuing to move forward, no matter what. 

GRIT is not something that we’re given, it’s not an intelligence that we have, It’s not a talent we’re born with. It’s a mindset and a skill set that must be cultivated; it’s something that must be grown.

GRIT is a predicator of success, more than just natural ability. GRIT helps make long-term success happen. Embracing failure is key to developing this type of perseverance. Younger generations often need encouragement to view failure as a steppingstone to improvement.

So, what are some indicators that young people in our lives need to develop GRIT? Here are a few indicators to consider:
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1. Is a challenge, or anything related to it, being avoided? Sometimes, if it looks hard, sounds hard, then we don’t even attempt it. Sometimes people have called Gen Z lazy. If anything, that’s the complete opposite. Often, they’re very calculated, they’ll look at a situation and assess it so much more than perhaps other generations have. As a result, they often choose to avoid challenges or potential failure. When we see this occurring, we can offer encouragement to step into a challenge or try something difficult. We can also provide support through the process.
2. Is a young person in your life quick to give up, quitting sports, jobs, or hobbies very quickly? When this happens, we can encourage them to finish what they start. It is helpful to provide a listening ear where they can process emotions, frustrations, and recognize what can be learned through this situation. Asking good questions that help them reflect goes much further than just telling them what we think they need to understand.
3. Is there a lack of passion or interest in activities? We really want young people to explore many different things as early as possible to get them interested in different aspects of life. A lack of passion might be a warning sign that our kids need to develop GRIT. 

​Often, we can be prone to “rescue” young people around us from challenges or difficulties. We want to minimize their stress and struggle. However, offering consistent encouragement and support as they persist in working through challenges is a powerful gift that helps equip them to be successful.

Below is a list of resources with more insights and tips for encouraging GRIT in the young people we lead, teach, mentor and parent. The excerpt above is from my most recent podcast interview with James LaLonde. Check it out the full conversation on our website, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A Growth Mindset for Teens by Sydney Sheppard
Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens
Grit for Kids by Lee David Daniels
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Much has been written about the increased mental health concerns facing Gen Z and Gen Alpha.  In addition, as I talk to employers and educators, I often hear how many young people today lack  the problem solving and critical thinking skills we saw in older generations at the same age. As we consider ways to support the health and growth of young people around us, we often overlook some of the best tools and opportunities at our disposal: fun and free play.
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Neil Postman wrote, “It is not conceivable that our culture will forget that it needs children; but it is halfway toward forgetting that children need childhood. Tim Elmore, in his book Marching Off the Map wrote that childhood as we have known it historically is disappearing, and that a strange paradox is emerging in young people as a result. We are witnessing the extinction of childlikeness and the extension of childishness.

The reality is that free, unstructured play builds skills and maturity. When young people can play without an adult to dictate every action and guideline, and provide every resource, they have to start relying on their own abilities to problem solve, find solutions, resolve conflict, and exercise creativity. Furthermore, when they achieve something on their own, whether it is building a fort, designing a new game, writing a song for fun, or creating a small business idea, the resulting sense of fulfillment produces intrinsic motivation that helps them overcome apathy.  When they encounter a complication and are able to overcome it, using their own skills and ideas, they gain confidence and resilience to face the next obstacle.

Fun activities that have no predetermined purpose allow young people to just explore, problem solve, and test their skills and ideas. Free play can also help decrease stress and anxiety by giving them time to just think and be. One of the best gifts we can give young people around us this summer is to model what it looks like to disconnect from our devices and step away from our structured task list and just have fun. Invite them to join you, or give them opportunities to do so themselves. If this is a skill they have never developed, they may need some help getting started, but it will be a skill they can benefit from the rest of their lives.

For more on free play, check out this article, or listen to the most recent episode of The Leading Tomorrow Podcast.

​“Sharenting” is a term that describes sharing about kids or young people online. “Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online,” is a new book by Leah Plunkett. Plunkett argued that “sharenting” happens any time an adult in charge of a child’s well-being, such as a parent, grandparent, teacher or coach, transmits private details about a child via digital channels such as social media. Some of these activities clearly involve a public share, such as posting pictures of your child on Instagram, or blogging about your kids. Others seem to happen in private, but often end up turning your child into a set of data points, via fertility apps or Amazon wish lists, the use of a Nest cam, or photos stored on a cloud server. Though these platforms and devices aren’t necessarily exploitative, Plunkett argues that they involve adult decisions that accelerate a child’s entry into “digital life.”

A struggle for many of us is that we want to share about our kids for family and friends; cute kids are a positive feature on social media as compared to some other types of posts; they get likes and comments which make us feel good; and social media is now part of the world we live in. So, is concern over too much “sharenting” warranted?

Tim Elmore shares a story on his blog that illustrates one of the potential dangers of too much “sharenting:”

It all started when April, Christine’s youngest daughter, was five years old. Christine knew April would be their family’s last baby and wanted to document each milestone and comical moment of her childhood. By the time she was ten, April was avoiding photo ops; shying away from the camera. By 13, when she had a phone of her own, April witnessed on social media just how much mom had posted on both Facebook and Instagram. She felt violated.
Eventually, as a teen, April requested her mom stop sharing photos of her. It was embarrassing and drew sarcasm from her friends.
 
In my relationship with my own kids, I have seen the shyness or embarrassment on occasion that result when they realize I have shared something about them. It has made me realize that no number of likes are worth hurting my relationship with my kids. While kids may not need full agency to dictate what can be shared about them at a young age, we don’t want to violate their trust. It can be difficult finding the balance between honoring and celebrating or sharing, and jeopardizing trust. 

Another real factor is privacy and security. The BBC reported on a study by Barclays bank estimating that by 2030 nearly two-thirds of identity-fraud cases affecting today’s children will have resulted from sharenting. The bank warned that parents might be "lulled into a false sense of security" and fail to understand that they are making their children "fraud targets" in the future, by publishing so much personal information which will remain online forever.

Tim Elmore shares some practical guidelines to consider as we share about our kids, grandkids, or other young people online:

• Step into their shoes. Consider how you’ve felt when someone posted a picture with you in it and you hated the way you looked or the way it fueled a wrong narrative.
• Ask yourself: Do you really need to post that pic? Think long term and realize that you can take all the photos you want but you don’t have to post them. Just keep them to celebrate memories together later.
• Play the long game. Consider the unintended consequences of posting. Will it alienate your children or students? Could you lose more than you gain?
• Think impulse control. Allow the idea of posting your kid’s photo to move from your limbic system (where you feel) to your cortex (where you think). Consider all the potential consequences of the post and manage your impulses.

So, next time you are about to hit “share” on your favorite social media app, pause first and ask yourself if it is worth it.

The National Student Clearinghouse released their latest college enrollment numbers on October 15, 2020. They are showing that a month or so into the fall 2020 semester, undergraduate enrollment is running 4% below last year’s numbers. “Most strikingly, freshman students are by far the biggest decline of any group from last year, with a decrease of 16.1% nationally and a 22.7% drop at community colleges in particular. First-time students account for 69% of the total drop in undergraduate enrollment.”

It is not surprising that many undergraduate students may be putting their college plans on hold amid uncertain times. This means a lot of students who might otherwise be in college are doing something else right now. I couldn’t help but wonder what this season looks like for those who are waiting to reengage their college plans. While mental health risks for college students were high prior to the pandemic, we are now seeing an increase in depression rates for college students since the beginning of the pandemic. It is critical for students today to have support and encouragement in this season as they make decisions that will allow them to thrive amid the uncertainty.

If you know a college-aged student who has put their plans on hold, or who is reconsidering their plans, here are a few ways to encourage them:

• Ask them how they are doing. Actively listen. Let them know you are available, and you care about them. Follow up and check in regularly with them so they know they are not alone.
• Help them brainstorm other opportunities that will allow them to learn, develop new skills, and grow in this season. Is there an activity they have wanted to try but haven’t had the time? Maybe there is a skill they can practice and develop in this season. Encourage them in creating a plan to do this.
• Be a voice of hope and belief in uncertain times. Share helpful perspective from your own experiences. Affirm the skills and gifts you see in their lives. Articulate how you see them contributing now and in the future in positive ways in their families, communities, and the world.

In his short story, A Christmas Tree, Charles Dickens writes: “I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas tree.” He describes the wonder of the children as they looked at the ornaments. “This motley collection of odd objects, clustering on the tree like magic fruit—some of the diamond eyes admiring it were hardly on level with the table, and a few were languishing in timid wonder on the bosoms of pretty mothers, aunts, and nurses—made a lively realization of the fancies of childhood.”

Our children today do not have the same experiences as the children Dickens describes. Lights on a tree hardly hold the same wonder when they compete with high definition screens. Imaginations are not ignited with wonder, sitting and staring at twinkling ornaments, when they are stimulated instead by continuous noise from handheld devices. Furthermore, innocent ponderings are interrupted by mature content, flowing into our homes and lives via technology.

Tim Elmore, in his book, Marching Off the Map, describes, “We have now begun to experience a strange paradox in our young: The extinction of childlikeness; the extension of childishness.” He explains that the “infectious flow of information” is exposing our kids to adult topics. As a result, they can “lose (1) their sense of innocence, (2) their sense of wonder and (3) their sense of trust.”

Not only are we losing our child-like wonder today, but also our ability to connect with our environment, the way people used to engage the beauty of simple things like Christmas decorations. Kirsten Weir wrote a fascinating article, “Never a Dull Moment.” She explains how in today's technological world, it's unusual to be stuck with absolutely nothing to do. “Most of us are bombarded by near-constant stimuli such as tweets, texts and a seemingly limitless supply of cat videos right at our fingertips. But all those diversions don't seem to have alleviated society's collective boredom.” She cites Psychologist John Eastman who says the reverse may be true. "These might distract you in the short run, but I think it makes you more susceptible to boredom in the long run, and less able to find ways to engage yourself," he says.
 
Weir reports that several researchers concluded boredom is best described in terms of attention. “A bored person doesn't just have nothing to do. He or she wants to be stimulated, but is unable, for whatever reason, to connect with his or her environment.” Connecting, and helping others connect, with the environment around us is critical as we seek to develop meaningful moments and lasting memories this Christmas. Most of us are used to our environment stimulating us, and if we are bored, we reach for a device. We have lost some of our ability to connect with each other. When we get together for holiday parties, and family gatherings, we often struggle to stay engaged with the people or activities around us and can be tempted to seek stimulation in our social media feed, text messages, or email notifications. 

Creating meaningful memories may require some discipline and planning. We can start by being aware of when we are tempted to pull out our device, instead of engaging with someone who is in the room with us. We have to be intentional in creating focused time for interaction. For example, designing a fun box for phones and encouraging people to drop theirs in during family dinner. Planning some interactive activities (games, discussion questions, collaborative project) can give people tools to engage with each other rather than turning on video games or a movie. We must practice good emotional intelligence by asking questions, engaging others in conversation, and modeling for kids how to build relationships.

In her article, Weir cites researcher Van Tilburg. "We saw that boredom actually increased people's tendency to recall these very nostalgic memories and actually made them feel that life in general was more meaningful." Some boredom is essential to the wonder that Dickens described! It creates room for the most nostalgic and memorable moments to occur and be remembered. So, this Christmas, don’t just hand the kids a device, rather sit down with them to play a board game, decorate cookies, or share stories by the fire. When they complain about being bored, just smile!

Research continues to link the overuse of technology to depression, attention issues, and poor social skills.  Many parents and grandparents I talk to feel overwhelmed by the powerful influence of technology in their families and homes.  Technology, if not managed, can impair our family's wellbeing.  One of our best defenses against devices controlling our time and relationships is to develop a culture in our homes that encourages healthy technology use.  So, how do we go about inspiring a tech-smart family?  Here are a few strategies and resources:   So, how do we go about inspiring a tech-smart family? Here are a few strategies and resources:  

• Create a family plan. This will look different depending on the personality and age of your kids and the needs of your family. In your plan, delineate when and how technology can be used. For example, at our house devices have accountability software and are not allowed in bedrooms. Everyone follows the plan, including mom and dad. Because our kids are young, they are not allowed to use devices without adult supervision, and they are limited to an average of an hour of screen time a day. The American Academy of Pediatrics is one resource that provides recommended time limits for different ages and has a family plan tool that can help you think through what is most important for your family. Common Sense Media also provides a wealth of resources for parents and teens to consider as you develop a family plan, including reviews of apps, tips for online safety and privacy, and screen time recommendations.   
• Make space for engagement. In his book, The Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch provides a challenge regarding the space in our homes and what it encourages and communicates. He says, “the best things to put in the center of our homes are engaging things – things that require attention, reward skill, and draw us together the way the hearth once did.”  He shares how in his home they have created a space for music, including instruments that draw their family together to play and sing. In our home, we have two spaces with maps, posters and whiteboards on the walls and games on the shelves that encourage us to talk, learn, explore and play together. Crouch challenges parents to “find the room where your family spends the most time and ruthlessly eliminate the things that ask little of you and develop little in you.” Instead, fill it with things that bring you together and foster conversation and growth. 
• Establish customs that create culture. Because of the addictive nature of our devices today, we must be intentional to create opportunities that facilitate memories and conversation and provide a foundation for strong relationships in our families. Otherwise, we will likely find ourselves together at dinner or on vacation, staring at our devices. In our family, we have found a few customs that have proven fun and constructive. Because of our work schedule, breakfast is our family meal. We have a shelf in our kitchen with books. While we eat, one of us reads something and we discuss it. Not only does this encourage good conversation, but also meaningful learning together. Our kids eagerly ask for a “story” when we sit down in the mornings. My speaking schedule results in our family covering about 8000 miles a year in our trusty minivan. So many hours in the car can prove tedious, but we have created a habit of keeping the first half of any trip screen free. This allows for reading, drawing, games, discussions regarding the places we pass, and the occasional sibling squabble to practice conflict resolution! We regularly visit state parks and museums along the way. Hiking and exploring together create shared memories and facilitate lively, device-free conversation. We also have the shared goal of visiting every NC state park and historic site before the kids leave for college. What does your family enjoy doing together? What are some fun customs you have or can create to build strong family relationships in this season of life?  

A healthy family culture is one of the best ways for kids to learn positive habits regarding technology use. It also helps them develop good relational skills, which contribute to confidence, happiness, and success. As parents, grandparents, caregivers and mentors, intentionality in our home and relationships is powerful as we model healthy life skills and teach them to our kids!   ​

Book Jolene to speak to your church, school, or community group on Tech-Smart Parenting or visit the Leading Tomorrow podcast  for more on this and related topics!  

Gen Z (b. 1996-2012) is being raised and educated in a culture of fear. This is the result of many factors. We live in a post-9/11 world, marked by ongoing wars and terrorism, an economic recession, and 24/7 coverage of global, domestic, and personal tensions, trauma, and anger streaming into our lives via our smartphones. Many adults have succumbed to the perspective that the world is an uncertain, dangerous, and scary place. As a result, we work diligently to protect the young people in our lives. We monitor them via video feed throughout their infancy and track them by GPS when they get older. We feed them organic food, buckle them into every seat they sit on, give them helmets and knee pads, and keep them in safe, enclosed spaces. We discourage them from doing anything dangerous or risky, citing the great harm that could befall them. They listen as we talk to one another in frightened or angry tones about what is happening in the world or with our neighbors. They see what we post on social media. They get the message repeatedly that the world is a scary and unsafe place. 

In a world perceived as dangerous and uncertain, safety has become the priority. This has had some positive results. Jean Twenge reports in her book, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—And Completely Unprepared for Adulthood, that there are several positive indicators of increased physical safety for kids and teens today. Homicide rates, sexual assault and rape, and alcohol consumption have all been on the decline. However, there are some other troubling statistics emerging. Depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people are on the rise. In fact, some experts believe that Gen Z is on the verge of a mental health crisis.  

Twenge explains how we have not only focused on physical safety for young people today, but also on emotional safety. We have taught them to be tolerant and that they should never be made to feel uncomfortable emotionally. As a result, many do not know how to handle criticism, conflict, or even conversation about tough issues in a healthy and constructive manner. Instead, many young people see words and social interactions as potentially dangerous and harmful.  

The emphasis on physical and emotional safety is promoting an aversion to any kind of risk or danger. We neglect to teach and model that it is in failing and experiencing pain that we realize how strong and resilient we are. Healthy conflict, disagreement, and dialogue are where we learn new things, gain diverse insights, and deepen our understanding of ourselves, others, and important issues. It is only through getting hurt that we can ever truly learn the beauty and power of forgiveness and healing. So, while safety is important, it can also be dangerous. Too much safety can strip young people (and the rest of us!) of desperately needed confidence, resilience, perspective, and hope. 
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So, how can we encourage young people in our lives to avoid the inherent risks of too much safety?  

• We need to model hope, courage, and resilience ourselves, through our conversation, attitudes, and actions. Kids are watching, listening, and learning from how we respond to the world and its uncertainty.  
• We can encourage them to take appropriate risks. With my 6-year-olds, this might mean encouraging them to climb that tree in our yard, rather than telling them to “get down, its too dangerous.” A broken arm will heal, a fear of adventure will cripple them forever. With a teenager, perhaps we insist they go on a service learning or mission trip without us, rather than staying “safely” at home playing video games. A broader understanding of the world through hands-on experience will increase their mental and emotional wellbeing in ways a game on a screen never can. 
• We need to challenge them to engage ideas that might feel uncomfortable. Turn off the devices for a car ride or dinner. Ask young people their thoughts on a current event, recent political development, or good book or movie. Ask open-ended questions that get them thinking and talking. Listen actively to what they are saying. Affirm insights and observations they make. Share some of your perspectives. Talk about how you value the perspectives of others who may disagree with you on this topic. Demonstrate the value of developing your own perspectives, while learning from others.  

In a few short years, Gen Z will be stepping into adulthood and leadership roles of their own. It is critical, as we prepare them, to ensure we are teaching them skills and perspectives that will help them thrive—physically, mentally, and emotionally—throughout their lives.