Generation Z: Shaping The Future
It’s time for Gen Z to be welcomed as partners in shaping their future, rather than simply bystanders.
For any change to endure, it must be rooted in communities, driven by the people it will serve, and informed by those who know our children best. Who knows our children better than themselves? It’s time for Gen Z to be welcomed as partners in shaping their future, rather than simply bystanders.
The Walton Family Foundation is committed to opening the education echo chamber, listening to what Gen Z wants for themselves, and calling on allies and communities to support. As the next generation of leaders, it is crucial that we acknowledge Gen Z’s values to better understand the future of our country. That is why, for the past year and a half, we have been hosting conversations with youth around the country and investing in research and polling to uncover their beliefs, identities and needs.
Watch Now
The Walton Family Foundation is committed to opening the education echo chamber, listening to what Gen Z wants for themselves, and calling on allies and communities to support. As the next generation of leaders, it is crucial that we acknowledge Gen Z’s values to better understand the future of our country. That is why, for the past year and a half, we have been hosting conversations with youth around the country and investing in research and polling to uncover their beliefs, identities and needs.
Watch Now
At the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival, Generation Z shared a very important message: If you trust us, we will strengthen our communities and civil society at large.
Featured Reports
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How high schoolers are feeling as the school year begins and the midterm election campaign heats up -
The Gen Z Identity Lab seeks to show that Gen Z’s views are nuanced and cannot be reduced to a single narrative -
Learn more about one of the largest surveys to date on how Gen Z sees themselves and their future
Voices of Generation Z
As we turn the page on a school year we won’t soon forget, we’re exploring what the future of education looks like with the doers, thinkers and learners at the heart of it.
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"When working across differences, it’s important to enter the setting with the idea that ‘I’m coming here to learn from someone else."
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"I'm showing all of my family the difference. I’m showing my community the difference. I will do whatever it takes to make a change and be that change for others."
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"Gen Z is a lot more communitarian. To me, that’s really powerful—the idea that doing good looks like doing good for as many people in our community as possible."
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“We need teaching that’s more interactive, more off-script, where students can think independently and present their ideas and lead discussions.”
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“We want to learn through our passions and what we believe is our purpose.”
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“We are the generation to advocate for things to change.”
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“I learned that giving back is something I want to do and that I’m effective in doing.”
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“I believe I’m here today because of the teachers who chose to give me time and attention and donate all of their efforts and emotion to me.”
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“Education cannot be thought of as a commodity or as a means of maximizing profit. It is a sacred rite of passage that must be afforded to all in recognition of our human dignity.”
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“You need to have an ideology that you’re going to change things. You have to work hard and expect to have pushback from people.”
