gen... why?
People are always making claims about this thing they love to call 'Generation Y'.
In particular they seem to be convinced that young people today are not interested in politics and social action. (YAPA members definitely don't fit this stereotype!)
Here's some articles on Australia's youth, their world, their attitudes and their engagement with "the wider community" ... and "the wider community's" engagement with young people.
Make up your own mind.
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Gen Y a flighty job lot: They're flighty, they're fickle, they're selfish. Meet Generation Y smh.com.au 21/6/07
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The pace of change: The world, we are told, is changing faster than ever before. Technology is transforming the way we live, relate and do business. Yet are we really coping with more change than ever before in human history? While YouTube is certainly amazing, does it really compare with the invention of refrigeration? smh.com.au 23/6/07
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New electoral laws pass parliament: Young Australians will find it harder to enrol to vote. smh.com.au 21/6/06
* Howard Government's second attempt to silence young voters -
Youth activists: Are you surrounded by apathetic young people? And what effect does this have on what you want to do? At the YAPA youth conference in Katoomba in 2006, Peta Waller-Bryant interviewed other young people on this topic. Listen to her active youth mp3 audiofile (2.8 MB - broadband recommended) 10/06
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Market does the work men won't: More than 40% of boys say their future wives will provide the domestic labour. "My lady is doing the cleaning," said Mike, a year 11 student from Sydney. "I'll just be on the porch having a beer." smh.com.au 1/11/06 media release (PDF) tai.org.au 2004
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Gen Ys dish it back, for the right reasons: Generation Y youngsters seem to be displeasing their elders, which, of course, is what younger generations are supposed to do. smh.com.au 19/10/06
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Voting fails to ignite teenagers: Some of the best things about turning 18 are completing school and going to the formal, getting a licence and legal drinking. Least important is voting. smh.com.au 12/10/06
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Gen Y and the modern art of politics: Branding 16- to 24-year-olds as apolitical has become a generational cliche. smh.com.au 5/10/06
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Y bother? This generation inhabits a different world: Don't be too hard on generation Y. Conventional, measured and uninterested in bold ideas? Yes, but who made them? A conservative and materialistic society. smh.com.au 3/10/06
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The generation that chases no rainbows: Young people are materialistic, optimistic and "untroubled by ideas". smh.com.au 30/9/06
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Me generation may yet have its own protest songs: Dissent is beginning to find a voice in modern music. smh.com.au 14/9/06
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Taking to the streets in cyberspace AUSTRALIAN eDEMOCRACY 30/8/06
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Turned off, a generation tunes out smh.com.au 3/06
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What's the big deal about Gen Y? Articles about “youth culture” are repetitive and based on little more than clichés. onlineopinion.com.au 12/05
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Political parties ignore Gen Y at their own peril onlineopinion.com.au 8/05
