At our theme event last month, we spent time waiting on the Lord and seeking insight into the generation we serve. Dr. Tim Elmore does the same thing. His Growing Leaders blog explores all sorts of amazing stuff relating to helping young people become who they are meant to be. Recently, Elmore posted on the Netflix phenomenon, Squid Game. He draws out some key insights into the generation. Here’s a quick excerpt:
Photo by Jonas Augustin on Unsplash
“Gen Z’s top value is equality, and this show depicts this battle.
When we pause and reflect on the issues we’ve seen young adults today take a stand for, they are almost all about equality and justice: ethnic (BLM), gender (#MeToo), LGBTQ (#Rainbow). Director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk summarizes the characters in the show:
There is a population of society’s elite.
There is a population of society’s blue-collar workers.
There is a population of undocumented immigrant workers.
There is a population of elderly people who are victims of poverty.
In many ways, this is a hyperbolic illustration of what Generation Z sees in society. They are naturally attracted to a series that represents these marginalized groups.”
There’s lots more in his full post including some imporant questions for us to ponder like,
“What are we doing that engages students like this but is emotionally healthy?”
It’s well worth your while to check out the full post on Elmore’s Growing Leaders blog. Heck, you could even subscribe and get his posts in your inbox!