Tim Elmore and Dan Cathy (foreword), Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future. Poet Gardener Publishing, 2010.
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Referenced in: Generational Issues in Churches
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This book starts out scary and becomes increasingly resourceful. It is my first recommendation in reading about millennials (Generation Y), followed by a close second in Rainer’s Millennials. Actually, it’s about Generation iY, the second wave of millennials born after 1990 (first wave started in 1984). They are defined more by the internet, thus the “i” in iY.
The “scary” part is chapter 1, a fictitious letter written by a parent in 2030 to his son who was born in 1992 and is about to become a parent himself. It is a confession of failure by a generation of parents who raised their children to become mid-life adults who are socially isolated, incapable of marital commitment, emotionally and relationally incompetent, obese due the lack of discipline to eat right and exercise, depressed and addicted to “happy pills,” degreed but not educated, gender-confused, and having “love you hate you” relationships with their aged parents. The rest of the book describes what is happening now to get them there, and what can be done now to reverse the trend, thus The Last Chance to Save Their Future. Interestingly, he provides an online mini-novel that actually describes a high school reunion in 2030 that vividly portrays the potential lifestyles of Generation iY (warning, it’s even scarier).
Chapter 2 then presents a portrait of Generation iY, highlighting that they are overwhelmingly stressed and depressed, overconnected, overprotected, and overserved. It is here Elmore begins with several helpful charts, with a comparison of the Five Generations:
- Seniors, “The Greatest Generation”
- Builders, “The Silent Generation”
- Boomers, “Pig in a Python”
- Busters, “Generation X”
- Generations Y and iY, “Millennials”
Chapter 3 builds on this by discussing the incredible culture shift that shaped this generation, and how this has resulted in the pros and cons of the iYs (again great charts and lists). Here he introduces several paradoxes in Gen iY:
- They are sheltered…yet pressured
- They are self-absorbed…yet generous
- They are social…yet isolated by technology
- They are ambitious…yet anxious
- They are adventurous…yet protected
- They are diverse…yet harmonious
- They are visionary…yet vacillating
- They are high achievement…yet high maintenance
He then makes seven suggestions on getting through to the iY Generation:
- They want to belong before they believe.
- They want an experience before an explanation.
- They want a cause before they want a course.
- They want a guide on the side before they want a sage on the stage.
- They want to play before they pay.
- They want to use by not be used by others.
- That want a transformation, not merely a touch.
The above is a good taste of Elmore’s quality. The remainder of the book is just as helpful. Chapter 4 discusses why iY kids are getting stuck in adolescence and how to help them toward maturity. Chapter 5 addresses the special challenge of iY boys, those loaded with potential who seem to stall out in their twenties. Chapter 6 suggests ways to deal with what seems to be the most engaged batch of parents in American history. Chapter 7 talks about how difficult it is for today’s adults to tell hard truth to Gen iY, and how to become more adept at truth-telling. Chapter 8 offers a prediction about Generation iY in the workplace. Chapter 9 takes this a step farther into what to expect of them worldwide. Chapter 10 discusses how to help them find their futures. Chapters 11 and 12 discuss education and leadership development with iY.
From the Publisher
The one book every parent, teacher, coach, and youth pastor should read. This landmark book paints a compelling-and sobering-picture of what could happen to our society if we don’t change the way we relate to today’s teens and young adults. Researched-based and solution-biased, it moves beyond sounding an alarm to outlining practical strategies to:
- Guide “stuck” adolescents and at-risk boys to productive adulthood
- Correct crippling parenting styles
- Repair damage from (unintentional) lies we’ve told kids
- Guide them toward real success instead of superficial “self-esteem”
- Adopt education strategies that engage (instead of bore) an “i” generation
- Pull youth out of their “digital” ghetto into the real world
- Employ their strengths and work with their weaknesses on the job
- Defuse a worldwide demographic time bomb
- Equip Generation iY to lead us into the future
About the Author
Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and president of Growing Leaders (www.GrowingLeaders.com), an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization created to develop emerging leaders. Since founding Growing Leaders, Elmore has spoken to more than 300,000 students, faculty, and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country, including the University of Oklahoma, Stanford University, Duke University, Rutgers University, the University of South Carolina, and Louisiana State University. Elmore has also provided leadership training and resources for multiple athletic programs, including the University of Texas football team, the University of Miami football team, the University of Alabama athletic department, and the Kansas City Royals Baseball Club. In addition, a number of government offices in Washington, D.C. have utilized Dr. Elmore’s curriculum. From the classroom to the boardroom, Elmore is a dynamic communicator who uses principles, images, and stories to strengthen leaders. He has taught leadership to Chick-fil-A, Inc., The Home Depot, HomeBanc, and Gold Kist, Inc., among others. He has also taught courses on leadership and mentoring at nine universities and graduate schools across the U.S. Committed to developing young leaders on every continent of the world, Elmore also has shared his insights in more than thirty countries-including India, Russia, China, and Australia.
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