Millennials

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Voices from the Past Students in the Present
Creating a Future
Jennifer Womble, nbct Lawton Chiles High School
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Voices From the Past

• The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
• ---Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
• And so my fellow Americans ask not what your
  country can do for youask what you can do for
  your country.
• ---John F. Kennedy, 1961
• No one can make you feel inferior without your
  consent.
• ---Eleanor Roosevelt, 1960

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What is a generation?

• A grouping of people, typically by birth years,
  that are defined by the historical and
  sociological experiences they have shared
• Howe Strauss, Millennials Rising

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Defining the Generations

• Four major generations are currently at play
  (war?) in the academic world
• Silent born 1925-1942
• Boomers born 1943-1960
• Gen-Xers born 1961-1980
• Millennials born post-1980

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Who are the Silent Generation?

• Introspective, intellectual, suffocated children
  of war and depression
• Famous Silents Colin Powell, Walter Mondale,
  Woody Allen, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sandra Day
  OConnor, Elvis Presley
• Stuck between the get-it-done G.I.s and the
  self-absorbed Boomers

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Who are Boomers?

• Defining events include the birth of television,
  the Civil Rights Movement, and fiscal prosperity
• Also deaths of President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy,
  and Dr. Martin Luther King the Vietnam war and
  related protests and the Watergate scandal
• Boomers value health and wellness, personal
  growth, and involvement

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Who are Gen-Xers?

• Characterized by an economic and psychological
  "survivor" mentality
• Grew up very quickly amid rising divorce rates,
  latchkeys, violence and low expectations
• The Challenger explosion, AIDS, hostage crises,
  Desert Storm, Nike (Just Do It!)
• Independent, skeptical of authority, cautious in
  their commitments

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Who are Millennials?

• Result of a backlash against hands-off
  parenting a protected (coddled?) generation
• Columbine, Power Rangers, cell phones, DVDs, and
  9-11
• Assumed technological savvy --polyfocal
• Multi-Taskers

• Theyre the most numerous, affluent, and
  ethnically diverse generation in American
  history. - Strauss

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Howe and Strauss, Millennials Rising The Next
Great Generation

• Published in 2000
• Born after 1982
• Compare to Boomers, Gen X, the Silent Generation
• Events Gulf War, soccer, the Unabomber, Michael
  Jordon, LA Riots, cloning, Britney Spears,
  Clinton, Kosovo, 9/11, Bush v. Gore, the Internet

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Achieving and Brighter

• High achievement motivation
• Todays elementary school kids are performing
  much better than kids did ten or fifteen years
  ago.
• Teamwork, good behavior, citizenship
• They report that, compared to their older
  siblings, more is being expected of themless
  free time, more homework, more scheduled
  activities.

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Civic-Minded

• Focused on doing good for the community
• 78 per cent performed community service during
  senior year (2001)
• Service Learning
• Hands-on outlook

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Conventional

• Believe in conventional social rules
• Tradition is important
• Attracted to more formal, traditional programs
  and learning environments
• Generation of hope

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Consumers

• Look for the best value
• Shop around
• Expect to be treated as valued customers
• Customer service is important

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Open-Minded

• More valuing of diversity of sexual
  orientation, race, ethnicity, gender
• Reject discrimination in any form
• Diversity part of previous life experiences
• Internationally minded

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Optimistic

• Upbeat
• Believes one person can make a difference
• Future-oriented
• Believe they will be successful and earn lots of
  money

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Rule-Followers

• Nurtured and sheltered from harm by parents
• Either/Or, black and white orientation about
  rules
• Compare with acceptance of diversity

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Parentally Influenced

• Seeking mentors
• Babies on Board, Have You Hugged Your Child
  Today Generation
• Pagers, cell phones, parental notification rules
  -- tethered
• Rise of parents clubs

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Technologically Savvy

• Voicemail, E-Mail, JPEGS, MPEGS, MP3s
• CDs, DVDs, VCRs, IM, Internet, Chat
• How to apply technology for educational purposes,
  not just entertainment

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Stessed and Overwhelmed

• Rise in stress during freshmen year
• Conflict of jobs, classes, activities
• Lots of financial concerns, keeping up with the
  Joneses
• Status is important
• Relationships

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Team Oriented

• Millennials gravitate toward group activities
• Group membership is rising

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Who Are Todays Students?

• Millennial Generation
• Born between 1976-2000.
• Almost 100 million young adults between 0-24
  years old (2000).
• Largest generation (36 of total population).
• 31 are minorities more diverse than the adult
  population.
• Have come of age along with the Internet.
• Information has been universally available and
  free to them.
• Community is a digital place of common interest,
  not just a shared physical space.
• 60 of 2002 teens feel that it is harder to be a
  young person today than in their parents day,
  compared to 35 of 1966 teens feeling the same
  way.

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Millennials Feel Theyre Unique
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Family is Important

• 91 of students felt they have at least one
  family member they can confide in.
• If they could, 50 of students would spend more
  time with their family.
• 74 get along with their parents extremely or
  very well.
• When picking one person as a role model, 44 of
  students pick a family member.

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Are Ambitious

• 88 of students report that attending college is
  critical or very important to future success.
• 94 plan to continue their education after high
  school.
• 90 feel being personal satisfied is very
  important for success 81 include close family
  relationships.

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Education Beliefs

• 91 of students have a teacher/administrator who
  personally cares about their success.
• 60 of students report that standardized tests
  are a good measure of progress.

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Interested in World and Community

• 76 of students would like to learn more about
  the world.
• 28 of high school students use a foreign news
  source to learn about current events.
• After September 11, 2001, 78 of students felt
  optimistic and hopeful. Two years later, 75
  still look toward a future with optimism and
  hope.
• 70 of students report volunteering or
  participating in community service.

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Have Substantial Purchasing Power

• In 2002, teens (ages 12-19) spent 170 billion.
• 15.6 million college students (ages 18-30) spend
  almost 200 billion annually.
• Two out of three students report influencing
  their parents buying decisions.
• 20 of teens own stock.

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Millennials are perhaps most defined by the way
they have grown up with technology.
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Internet Use by Age
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Teen Accessto Technologies
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Even Young Children

• 72 of all first graders used a home computer
  during the summer on a weekly basis.
• Over 85 of young children with home computers
  used them for educational purposes.
• By 1999, 97 of kindergartners had access to a
  computer at school or home.
• 35 of children ages 2-5 use the Internet from
  any location.

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Internet is Medium of Choice

• Of 6-17 year olds, 2 million kids have a
  website65 are female.
• Children and teenagers use computers and the
  Internet more than any other age group. Ninety
  percent (90) of children between the ages of 5
  and 17 use computers.
• In 2003, the time spent with the Internet
  exceeded the time spent with TV for ages 13-24.

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Teens and young adults are searching for
independence and control, and the Internet gives
it to them like no other media can. Millennials
vividly expressed excitement, freedom, immediacy,
and most of all control over their experience
where they go, what they learn, what they buy,
whom they talk to, and how they live their lives.
Yahoo Born to Be Wired
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Online Teens

• 71 of online teens say they relied mostly on
  Internet sources for the last big project they
  did for school.
• 94 of online teens report using the Internet for
  school-related research.
• 74 of online teens use instant messaging.
• 24 of online teens have created their own Web
  pages.
• The number of children ages 4 to 18 who own at
  least one wireless device (e.g. cell phones,
  PDAs) grew from 32 in 2002 to 43 in 2003.
• 13 of those age 7 and under own a wireless
  device

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Parents of Online Teens

• 87 of parents believe the Internet helps their
  children in school 78 of teens agree.
• 64 of online teens say they know more about the
  Internet than their parents and 66 of parents
  agree.
• 40 of parents have had an argument about the
  Internet with their children.

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Digital Natives
Children are native to cyberspace, and we, as
adults, are immigrants. -
Douglas Rushkoff
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What they do online

• Send e-mail
• Surfing around/seeing what is out there
• Looking up musical groups and artists
• Chatting with friends online
• Doing homework or research
• Listening to music
• Using instant messaging
• Checking movies, TV, or concert listings
• Reading the news or magazines online
• Playing online games
• Meeting people who share interests
• Watching streaming videos
• Exchanging own creative work with friends
• Buying stuff
• Participating in online auctions

• 100
• 98
• 95
• 93
• 92
• 90
• 89
• 84
• 81
• 80
• 77
• 70
• 69
• 61
• 38

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Millennials Want to Learn

• With technology
• With one another
• Online
• In their own time
• In their own place
• Doing things that matter

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Kids are still reading

• Harry Potter sales broke all publishing industry
  records.
• Fastest selling book in history (5 million in
  first 24 hours).
• 80 million Harry Potter books sold in the United
  States, or 1 for every 3.6 people, or 5 for every
  9- to 12-year-old.
• 896 number of pages in Order of the Phoenix
• 255,000 number of words in Order of the
  Phoenix
• 55 Languages in which the Harry Potter books
  have been published in 200 countries.
• 444 million Estimated wealth of author J.K.
  Rowling
• 397 million Estimated wealth of the Queen of
  England

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Millennials influence the present and are the
future. Pay close attention to them, as their
usage of media influences other demographic
groups and they literally represent the world to
come.
Yahoo Born to Be Wired
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Your Challenge

• Use your D.A.T.A. to Create our Future!
• Desire
• Abilities
• Temperament
• Assets
• Inspire, Continue to Learn, Passion, Initiate
  Change, Lead