The Adaptive Capacities of Generation Z

Today on the podcast, Dr. Linda Schubring and I are sharing about the adaptive capacities of some of our favorite people part of Generation Z. A few weeks ago, Brian, Linda, and I hopped on a Zoom call to talk with 7 college-aged students about what they are going through right now since they have all been sent home due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

It was so fun to talk with them and hear their voices and stories. Linda and I both have experience working in higher education and at times we miss these interactions. Brian and Linda are especially connected as their daughter, Camila, is currently a college student. They are really missing the conversations they used to have with Camila and her friends around their kitchen table, affectionately renamed “the Strengths table” because it is a place they gather to eat and organically talk about Strengths. The conversation at the Strengths table starts by saying, “what strength is that” and then moves to broader topics as they all get to know each other better.

These Gen Z students are heavily involved in their University and have navigated a lot these past few weeks. They agreed to come on the podcast to talk about how they are coping and how they see their Strengths showing up generatively and degeneratively.

So today, we’re going to share this conversation with how these 7 college-aged students, Gen Z’ers, are dealing with this Pandemic. We’ll be sharing how their Strengths are showing up, how they are adapting, and how they are making sense of their new realities.

What is Generation Z?

Generation Z are individuals born between 1996 and 2010. They are similar to Millennials, but also very different. They are the ones currently dreaming about life after high school, are in university right now, just graduated from college, or are in the first phase of adulting. According to Wikipedia,

Most members of Generation Z have used digital technology since a young age and are comfortable with the Internet and social media, but are not necessarily digitally literate. Most members of Generation Z are the children of Generation X.

The Economist has described Generation Z as a more educated, well-behaved, stressed, and depressed generation in comparison to previous ones. They also tend to be somewhat defined by 9/11 and the great recession.

In the book The Gen Z Effect by Tom Koulopoulos and Dan Keldsen, they say, “no other generation in the history of mankind has had the ability to connect every human being on the planet to each other and in the process to provide the opportunity for each person to be fully educated, socially and economically engaged.”