Over the last few years, Generation Z has lived through a pandemic, in the shadow of the climate crisis, global conflicts, and somehow a stark criticism against an insufficiency in resilience. This estimation feels, to me, unfair and almost ridiculous; my experience within Gen Z is an overwhelming sense of ambition and consistent determination, parallel to an expression of difficulty. Yet, through the criticism, it is evident that such strength has become misconstrued. Developing alongside an understanding of diverse life experiences and the significance of mental health, is it really a surprise that Gen Z has an openness to emotion? Fostered by a burgeoning culture of inclusion and empathy, parallel to global challenges, Gen Z has needed to express discontent or concern. Gen Z’s candour may be misconstrued as a lack of resilience, yet I think in fact is quite pragmatic; a clear understanding of one’s own limitations and boundaries is not a weakness but fundamental to improvement.
How can Gen Z not be resilient? Gen Z has faced a pandemic, altering life for everyone, yet crucially for this generation a foundational period of life. A time to learn and develop an understanding of the world was paused at a point of global uncertainty, yet education and social development had to continue in a new way. Is that not resilient? Were we not able to succeed in a new way that generations before had not experienced? Adaptability then, is perhaps the priority over resilience for Gen Z- but are they not hand in hand? Furthermore, there has been a consistent fear of the climate crisis throughout Gen Z’s life. Are Gen Z therefore not resilient to live and create change against such apprehension? Alongside these historical challenges, a culture of connection and expression has developed with the rise of social media. Social media has grown alongside Gen Z, enabling multiple platforms for anybody and everybody to speak and thus cultivating self-expression. Following the burst in podcasts over the last few years, there is a pervasive cultural atmosphere of talking and listening. Fundamentally, podcasts like social media are built on the expression of ideas and the receiving of ideas, and often on the exploration of mental health. This development of awareness and space for people’s opinions may have transported across to Gen Z – creating a generation that values the expression of concern and experience. Through growing up with an expressive culture and interconnected struggles, perhaps Gen Z defines resilience not as the refute of challenge but the expression of it.