Getting Generation Y to Care and Believe in Causes: Generation Y, which I belong to, seems to think that they know more than their parents these days. You could attribute this to the typical generational gap but maybe there’s really something to it. We’re at an interesting point in history where a message no matter how small can reach millions within a few clicks of mouse, and I find that to be amazing and powerful. My generation grew up along with the technology boom and it’s second nature to us because that’s all we’ve ever known. Today’s youth are in a prime position to shift how people change the world and a big part of that is because of digital space and social media.
I believe that in order for a cause to have traction you need to have people connect with it. Most of us support certain causes because of our personal experiences This connection may be an issue for those of my generation. We live somewhat in individual bubbles not really seeing the world around us. That’s why social media is an important tool in reaching us; it’s easily accessible and you can converse among people about a topic, which is the beauty in all of it.
But how do you accomplish this? Yael Cohen who founded F*** Cancer in 2009 and wrote the article that inspired this post created the organization that activates Generation Y to engage with the subject of cancer.
Cohen gives three basic things to accomplish engaging Generation Y (note: these are my takes on Cohen’s three things on how to recruit Generation Y to your side, you can check out her article at the bottom of this post).
- Define your space: here’s the truth that people seem to overlook, you’re never going to please everyone, so don’t. Build a certain demographic and a message that is strong, otherwise if you’re trying to please the masses your message will become diluted.
- Be completely authentic: let’s be real, I can figure out quickly if you’re being deceitful in the digital space, along with the rest of my generation. Be authentic and stick to what audience you’re serving and you’ll be golden.
- Ask for action: there are a lot of great causes out there that do really cool things but people want to see results and to get those you must act, even if it’s just a simple call to action.
The generations that preceded us may label Generation Y as entitled, lazy and arrogant, but this is typically the case and I’m sure Generation Y will think the same as the generation that follows them. We want causes that we can connect with and that care about getting our attention. In order to do that you must create and nurture conversation, and social media fits that perfectly. People should embrace social media for this very reason, because if used correctly you really can make a change in the world.
