Comments from Chris: Generation Z is here

I am always amazed by the caliber of young people we have here in our South County and the fact that they choose to become involved.

There was an article in the Valley Post last week regarding two students from our area that were appointed as student members to the Shasta County Board of Education.

Appointees are April Perkins from Anderson New Technology High School and Taylor Samuels from West Valley High School. They are both in their junior year, soon to be seniors.

Not only is this a great honor for these two young ladies, but it’s a smart move on the part of the County School Board.

It was more than a year ago at Redding’s State of the City luncheon, that then mayor Ken Murray suggested more adult boards, panels and councils could greatly benefit from the inclusion and involvement of today’s youth.

I couldn’t agree more with him. No matter his politics and off-the-cuff gaffs, Ken is right on target that the adults of our community should listen to what the “next generation” is saying.

We may not like what we hear, by the way. It could be weird or just too far out, but it is their opinion. As they grow up, they’ll learn the differences between a hastily spoken idea and a more thoughtful proposal. But for right now, grown-ups should at least take the time to listen to what they want to share and not dismiss it immediately. The minute you say “We’ve never done it that way,” or “What a silly notion,” you have become a dinosaur.

Our current high school aged population is the last part of Generation Y, the children of the late boomers. Coming up behind them is Generation Z, also known as Generation 9/11. They have never known the world without the shadow of 9/11, cell phones are commonplace, a stereo (even that word is fading into the background) should never be larger than a chocolate bar and space travel is matter-of-fact, just not quite affordable right now.

If the people in charge of government decision making want to know how to shape the future of their towns, then they should listen to the next generation (albeit, young and idealistic right now) who will actually be there.

We can’t expect teenagers to actually come to one of our stuffy old meetings; we should go to them. We should work with the administrators of schools to have a meeting on their turf, ask their opinions on specific topics, and ask them how they see those plans shaping their future. It should be a planned discussion with forethought given to their visions before the meeting.

It would be hard for everyone. It would be hard for the students to actually commit to a vision that could possibly be implemented. It would be equally hard for the old-guard, the entrenched politicos to listen without comment, but they should. This should be an exchange of ideas, not a bumping of opinions.

Anderson is already way ahead of any of the other government entities in our area—they are constantly asking for input from their citizenry. Now let’s involve the younger generation. The new Teen Center is a real gateway to the exchange of ideas.

Before we know it, Generation Z will be old enough to vote.