Youth – Adult Partnerships and Growing Communities
By: Zakia Carpenter
I have noticed a break down in youth-adult functionality that I’m just beginning to articulate. From what I have read about the millennial generation, i.e. youth born between 1977 and 1998, I’ve learned that experts predict this generation to be more separate from previous generations due to the technological divide; however, this is just one factor that divides us. Every generation has ideas and values differentiating them from prior generations; our histories shape us differently. Essentially, we are our own entity, separate from those who gave birth to us, but the problem is not our differences. Millennials are the first to celebrate rather than tolerate difference.
My concern is with the lack of support my millennial generation is getting. This disconnect frightens me because it takes both leadership and support to change the world. We cannot do this alone. Therefore, how do we integrate the past and present so that fellowship between generations not only thrives but also transforms society?
This intergenerational discord mimics our tumultuous relationship to the past, present, and future. Schools tend to be anchored to the past, and students tend to leave school without any meaningful relationship to their history. Intergenerational relationships mediate this issue. Acknowledging the past-present link allows us to begin harmonizing these elements as we build transformative dialogue and learning spaces. There is a need for change.
A place for tradition and change, inexperience and knowledge, exists, and if we find the harmony of these seemingly opposing elements, then we can truly transform social interactions and society. Often youths’ ideas are discarded for breaking with past norms in traditional cross-generational spaces. If we are truly dedicated to change, we must acknowledge EVERYONE’S voice. Rejecting anyone’s contribution is not conducive to social transformation.
Working towards change has shown me the usefulness of our past, how it clarifies our present, and launches visions of the future. Youth inherit different conditions than older generations and therefore different limitations; we can come up with new truths. It is this rethinking that generates ideas for transformative learning communities and prompts me to open this dialogue. I keep thinking that if innovation is to be nourished in step with community values, then there must be an acknowledgment and acceptance of the necessary break between the ideology of older and younger generations. Somehow this necessary break must bring the community closer.
We must strive for transformative and mutually nourishing relationships beyond the confines of programming and school hours. Julie, a friend of mine, suggests that both youth and adults actively seek out relationships with each other, and I think this is a great idea. My connection with a former dance instructor, around thirty years my senior, has become one of my most rewarding relationships. Because she was known for working 12 — 18hr days, we got creative with time utilizing the telephone, lunch, and dance class to interact, proving that building meaningful relationships on a limited time budget is possible. Actually I would recommend beginning with youth/ adults that you encounter regularly or those in your vicinity. Adults, make your availability to talk known and visible. Young people will respond. We recognize genuine efforts.
Older generations have so much to offer young people and can ensure that we are not reinventing the wheel while still allowing our freedom and imagination to flourish. This is an issue that I am working on. Its contradictions are everywhere, and I have often been furious at the lack of intergenerational collaboration, but I’ve learned that creating, sharing, and implementing a vision is empowering, whereas anger tends to deplete power. Therefore I encourage you to envision and build. Together we will build mutually nourishing and inclusive intergenerational relationships that are stronger than the naturally occurring breaks in ideology.
Please contribute your thoughts on the issue
Possible Questions to Explore:
1. What is your vision for youth-adult relationships?
2. What obligations do youth and adults have to each other? What connects us in a symbiotic way? What are our differences?
3. How do we build intergenerational relationships that are mutually beneficial and supportive? How do we harmonize our diversity in order to create social change?
4. When is it appropriate for an older person to share his/her past experiences with a younger person? When is it appropriate to encourage youth to seek out his/her own truth? Where is the balance?
5. How does the dialogue change once we acknowledge that each individual and each generation must come up with their own truths? Does our perception of “error” change, how so? If the goal in educating, rearing, and engaging in dialectical dialogue with youth is no longer about teaching fact or discipline as the presenter sees it, then what is the new goal?
6. How can we open up leadership so that youth make more of the decisions affecting their lives?
7. Would the structure of intergenerational interaction change if the goal is to be mutually inclusive and developmental?
8. In what ways will you work to improve your intergenerational relationships?
Please continue the dialogue.
Thanks for listening!
Zakia
The Boggs Blog 
March 19, 2008 at 5:10 pm
At this time, I want to thank you for sharing this insightful article which I intend to pass along. I work with youth and adult populations in a variety of “alternate education” settings and see first hand how imperative it is that we find new intergenerational ways of being and doing. My life and this work has been made so much richer and I hope deeper by genuinely “experiencing” the lives of those around me, be they older or younger. I now appreciate my feelings of vulnerability going into a settting where I don’t quite know the outcome and challenge myself with the question “What am I to learn from this experience”
I am working on the answers to the questions you pose, which I will post as well.
Thank you again, take care, and peace!!
April 9, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I have to say that this article is very well written. I agree that we have to close the gap between the old and young. Because the old have a knowledge and experience which could be passed down to us which would prevent us from repeating the same history or staying stagnant. They could teach us of yesterday which would give us a knowledge and understanding on how we got to today, and together we can invision tommorow and the ways in which to bring that dream to life.
Your right, the youths voice need to be heard…they are the future and it is their new ideas that will free us from the norm and take us to higher levels.
Peace
Ressurect Allah
May 15, 2008 at 12:34 pm
[thanks to the SereneAmbition.com weblog for pointing me here]
My generation, the “Boomers”, felt very distinct from the previous generations due to a a number of factors, including technological (the first generation to grow up with television, which radically changed our perception of events at home and in other parts of the world). Many of us addressed this perceived divide by striking out on our own, we did not feel the need of our elders’ advice, support or narrow views. I suspect that many of us now regret our naive rejection of the previous generation’s experience.
I think the Millennials are a very interesting generation and I do applaud your aspirations for a better world. You deserve to be supported in that, and we Boomers should take heed of your questions. Danny Goldberg wrote a very interesting book called How the Left Lost Teen Spirit in which he calls on Boomers to support the younger generation in its idealistic aspirations, not to walk away as he felt that the previous generation did when Boomers were young. Each generation builds on the shoulders of the previous one, let’s put our shoulders to this one.
I for one am fascinated by the energy and willingness to get involved of your generation. I see my youthful self in you. It is very difficult though to define exactly how one puts support in action. One of your questions refers to that dilemma: when is it good to give advice from experience and when is it good to keep your mouth shut? There are no easy answers, no hard and fast rules for discerning wise action.
How we open up leadership so that youth make more decisions though is really up to you. We can’t “give” you leadership, you have to “take” it on. Go for it!