Gen Z Identity Lab is making a space where people of various opinions and stances can come together to make social and political change! Read on below!
Tell us all about you and your organization!
I founded the Gen Z Identity Lab out of a deep passion for the world my generation is hoping to create. I realized that we need a place to develop and discuss our ideas on important social and political topics. At my old school in NYC, like many teenagers, I felt unable to develop my own ideas. The idea that politics is extremely nuanced is no longer taught in institutions, rather, everything is portrayed as black and white. I strongly believe that my generation can exemplify a better way to talk about differing views. That’s why I created the Gen Z Identity Lab, where my team of 15 contributors writes opinion pieces that are posted on our website and engages with our readers on our Instagram.
Why do you think it’s important for your generation to let their voices be heard?
We are the voices of the future, and we are frequently misrepresented by the media. I’ve been told multiple times by adults that Gen Z doesn’t really care about what is going on in the world. This is fundamentally incorrect. Gen Z’s defining factor is that we are passionate. When we care about an issue, we invest all our efforts to advancing our cause. Whether that is through spreading awareness on social media, signing petitions, or starting organizations, we are the most engaged generation in history. However, often we find it difficult to channel our passion into an organized and accessible format so that people of all ages can hear what we have to say. That is why the Gen Z Identity Lab is so important, as well as organizations like yours.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
At the Gen Z Identity Lab, we are decidedly optimistic about the future. Unlike many other generations, we view political and social issues from a place of compassion and empathy. This empathy is what will drive us to better the world around us. Even as teenagers, we are positively impacting the world more than many adults ever have. Our power lies in our activism. As a generation, if our efforts are organized effectively, we have every reason to be positive about the future.
What are the most important issues facing our world right now? And in the future?
At the Gen Z Identity Lab, as an organization, we purposefully do not like to choose one issue. The goal of our platform is to provide a space for Gen Z-ers to write about their opinions of any issues - big or small - that matter to them. However, we do believe that the biggest threat to the success of our generation at enacting positive change is the division and hostility that defines our current political discussions. Without this division and lack of diversity of thought, our potential as a generation would multiply greatly.
What does your organization offer that helps the world be a better place?
Our organization offers a place for young people to take the center stage and express their opinions on any topic that they are passionate about. At our website, people of all ages can engage in young people’s diverse views by reading our intellectually stimulating, powerful opinion pieces written by contributors from several different countries. We are changing the way we talk about political and social issues to make a more unified and inclusive generation.
Will you be voting in the next election?
Being a rising junior, I am not of the voting age.
Please tell us all about your current campaigns, projects and endeavors.
My chief endeavor is the Gen Z Identity Lab. I am also combining my passion for history and for creating positive change by spearheading the creation of a podcast called Untextbooked. Our team of 14 impressive young people are creating the world’s first podcast by young people, for young people on interesting books of history that can inspire us to connect with one another and with our community. We have 15 young people, each of whom will be reading one great history book and will be interviewing the author about their work. Our podcast will be distributed to high schools across the country as a curriculum resource, impacting millions of students. We are sponsored in this effort by got history?, an organization devoted to making history learning a force of democracy and civic wellbeing. We are also working in partnership with Randomhouse and PRX, two established podcasting companies. This podcast is something that I am personally involved in that is separate from the Gen Z Identity Lab. In addition to developing this podcast, I am working with a nonprofit called Student Aces to develop a writing workshop to help improve the writing skills of underprivileged high school students, arming them with the power or persuasion and eloquent writing.
Tell everyone where to find you online and on social platforms.
Here is the Gen Z Identity Lab website: https://genzidentitylab.com/
Our instagram is @genzidentity.lab
You can find photos of myself and my contributors on the “About Us” page of our website.