PRE-SURVEY
THE DO-ERS
These are the faces of the millennials: the dreamers, the thinkers, the innovators, the ones who are fearlessly doing things differently.
Here, read the stories of the millennials challenging the stereo-types assigned to Generation-Y through their extraordinary acts of kindness and empathetic responses to challenges facing our world today. After reading, visit their websites to share your intention just like they do on a daily basis and read personal interviews @ revealingkind.com.
Here, read the stories of the millennials challenging the stereo-types assigned to Generation-Y through their extraordinary acts of kindness and empathetic responses to challenges facing our world today. After reading, visit their websites to share your intention just like they do on a daily basis and read personal interviews @ revealingkind.com.
BRENT CAMALICH
Founder, DUDE. be nice
Founder, DUDE. be nice
DUDE. be nice is a lifestyle apparel brand based in Ventura, CA. who realized there are a lot of brands that don't stand for much and decided they wanted to be different. DUDE. be nice is a brand that's relevant enough that young people want to wear their great, and that isn't "anti-something" but FOR being nice. Every DUDE. be nice item that's purchased help fund the DUDE. be nice projects; a platform to say thanks to unsung heroes on campuses and in the community in really fun, creative and meaningful ways- one more thing? They're created by students; that's right- millennials.
What Brent says about Generation-Y:
"I just want people to know in general that there's so many people who think that this generation, and this up-and-coming generation, is a very selfish and self-absorbed generation that only cares about social media and the world that comes along with that, versus caring about the real world and how they are going to contribute to it. At DUDE. be nice, we see it differently. We think that these generations care more about other people than any other generation and that they're just showing how they care in a different way. We hope to be a platform for this generation to showcase their true hearts. There's a reason this generation is going to be successful... I think it's because this generation is tired of all the negative crap they see on T.V. or hear over social media, and they want to change it. They want a vehicle to make life better for themselves, for other people, and for future generations and we want to be that vehicle."
JESSICA MARKOWITZ
Founder, Richard's Rwanda- IMPUHWE
Founder, Richard's Rwanda- IMPUHWE
"Richard’s Rwanda/IMPUHWE is a student-led group that is committed to girls’ education and cultural exchange. The organization supports the scholarship fees for a minimum of 20 Rwandan girls through 2018. The scholarships go to girls in the rural area of Nyamata to enable them to complete their primary education and six years of secondary school. By having the opportunity to complete their secondary school education, each girl’s ability to earn an income and become leaders in their community is enhanced." -Richardsrwanda.org
Markowtiz's Advice for Generation-Y:
"My advice would be to not overthink it. I was twelve years-old [when I founded Richard's Rwanda and] I just kind of went with it... Despite all the advantages I had, it's [creating change is] so doable no matter who you are or where you are. I think it's often forgotten and you end up telling yourself things like, 'I'm just twelve years-old,' and nowadays there's a lot of twelve year-olds doing things, it's just this notion of knowing that you are capable and that is something that should never be doubted."
AKBAR KHAN
Founder, Bags to Riches
Founder, Bags to Riches
"Bags to Riches is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to making education more accessible to underprivileged youth. We do this by collecting unused and unwanted conference bags and donating them to children across the globe. The bags are not only functional, but symbolic. They make travel for students easier, as children are often faced with a long trek to school with nothing to carry their supplies, and also give them a more personal connection to their education. We do this by first contacting conferences and explaining our cause and ask if they are interested in participating. When they accept, we place donation boxes in the conference area, talk to the convention attendees, and collect the bags. Finally, we consolidate the donations, fill the packs with school supplies if the budget allows, and ship them to a partnering organization who will deal with redistribution or travel to the location personally." -Bagstoriches.org
What Akbar says about Generation-Y:
"In my opinion, our Generation-Y’s greatest asset is our access to information. This of course, is kind of a double-edged sword because there’s different types of information— there’s your Instagram feed and your Facebook feed, and that kind of information— but we also have the access to learn about anything we want, at our fingertips, almost immediately, and that’s something that hasn’t been true for any other generation and will be more true for the coming generations. Really the point is that there’s less of a barrier to impact now because there’s no lack of information out there; anything you want to learn— whether it’s how to start a nonprofit, how to organize an event, even getting in contact with people that can help you— you can, and it’s so much easier now and it’s this access that’s really inspiring a lot of change and a lot of impact and that’s something I hope our generation continues to utilize to its best ability because the possibilities are virtually limitless."
CHRIS TEMPLE
Co-Founder and Director, Living on One
Co-Founder and Director, Living on One
"Living on One is a production and social impact studio that creates films and educational videos to raise awareness and inspire action around extreme poverty. Our journey began in 2010 when, as four university students, we took two cameras and spent our summer living on $1 a day in a rural Guatemalan village... While there, we released short YouTube videos about the experience to help our friends learn alongside us in real time. The videos quickly received over 700,000 views, inspiring us to complete a feature-length film, Living on One Dollar, to mobilize others to help end extreme poverty." -Livingonone.org
Today, Living on One has three projects: Living on One Dollar, Salam Neighbor, and Change Series. You can learn more at livingonone.org.
Today, Living on One has three projects: Living on One Dollar, Salam Neighbor, and Change Series. You can learn more at livingonone.org.
What Chris says about Generation-Y:
In my interview with Chris, I asked him to answer the question: what do you think are the three most important elements to leading a life of meaning and purpose? His response? “It’s a really good question— and in some ways I think it’s Generation-Y’s greatest asset— the fact that we’re asking these questions and that I see so many friends of mine and people my age looking for the answer to the real-world challenge of actually living a life of meaning and purpose.”
When asked about Generation-Y’s greatest asset specifically, Chris responded: “On a more practical level, I think our generation is so lucky to have technology. In some ways, technology is such a great equalizer. Technology allowed us— four college kids who had never made a film before— to make Living On One Dollar using just a few small cameras. We were able to travel to this community, do our own filming, do our own editing, and ultimately create a feature documentary that had no marketing budget, and no distributor and it got through to being a film on Netflix. Technology is just another example of the power allowed to our generation to be able to pursue our passions, to create that life of meaning and purpose that we all want. Technology can play a huge role in that. Our ability to travel so inexpensively, the opportunity we have thanks to outlets like Facebook to be friends with people like Rosa, Anthony, and Chino (Guatemalan villagers), the low cost of camera equipment as compared to what it used to cost to make a documentary, are all just really amazing assets that our Generation is lucky to have.”
SAM LEVIN
Founder, Independent Project
Founder, Independent Project
"The Independent Project is essentially an "alternative" school within the Massachusetts public high school that's completely run by students -- no teachers, parents, or adults allowed -- and they're in charge of deciding their entire curriculum. What these teens study in the classroom, their homework assignments, and their academic priorities are all entirely up to them. Students aren't taking this lightly -- instead of reacting irresponsibly to the freedom to design their own studies, they're ambitiously tackling their own interests by writing poetry collections, learning instruments and taking flight lessons. The only structure to the program is this: On Mondays students come up with questions that pique their interest in relation to one of their school subjects, then they spend the rest of the week researching and coming up with potential conclusions to these inquiries. On Fridays, they present this information to their fellow classmates. Teens express their satisfaction with the program because it accommodates different kinds of learners, even those who don't always succeed in a traditional academic sense." -Huffington Post
Learn more about the Independent Project:
If Students Designed Their Own Schools
What Sam Says about Generation-Y (and youth):
"Why High Schoolers Should Be In Charge"
Learn more about the Independent Project:
If Students Designed Their Own Schools
What Sam Says about Generation-Y (and youth):
"Why High Schoolers Should Be In Charge"
AVERY BURN & GENAE VANEK
Founders, Love My Reflection
Founders, Love My Reflection
What Avery and Genae say about Generation-Y:
Love My Reflection, founded by seventh graders Avery Burn and Genae Vanek is a response to the negative body image and self-talk that Avery and Genae witnessed at their middle schools. The movement, in which the girls write positive and inspiring messages on handheld mirrors and hand them out to girls at their middle schools, is picking up nationwide attention. The intention behind it all? To inspire and boost positive self-esteem in middle school girls reminding everyone that they are beautiful and that it's all a matter of believing in yourself, recognizing your worth, and being confident in who you are, and the mirrors, reflecting back at the user with phrases such as "you are beautiful" or "you shine" encourage exactly that.
"The greatest asset of young people is that we’re still in a period of learning and figuring out what we’re going to do, and how everything works, and so we’re more willing to try new things and accept new ideas because we’re still in that state of learning."
What WE'RE saying
Boise State Students on our generation's greatest asset
"I really think Internet and technology are our greatest assets as a generation. 10 years ago we couldn't have the internet and access to information right at our fingertips. We have it constantly with us now, on our phones, on our watches... we could have never imagined that type of access but we have it now."
-Takuya Yamamoto (1st year master student)
"I think technology is our greatest asset, but it can also be a weakness. The sheer amount we know now, and can know now, as compared to our parents and older generations- technology allows us to access any kind of learning, about any kind of subject, and at this certain level of speed. It can go both ways though, our exposure to technology can also cause us to a miss a lot of things. I know for myself, kindness is an important aspect of my life- I see it as a two-way street, it helps the recipient, but it also helps you feel good- but kindness is something I forget a lot, because I, like a lot of people often become self-absorbed. We isolate ourselves in our own worlds for various reasons, and I think that has also come as a result from our dependency on technology and it's something we need to be aware of."
-Alec (1st year master student)
Interestingly enough, I encountered Takuya and Alec in the Interactive Learning Center at Boise State as I was working on writing this page. I was plugged in- I had my headphones on and had my eyes locked on my computer screen, only to look up when I saw what appeared to be a newly blind man bumping into people and tables, trying to find his way with his white cane. No one seemed to do anything except maybe give him a harsh look here or there, or scoot their chair in, acting as if it was a big deal they had to move. A moment later, the man walked into Takuya and Alec's table where the two were enjoying lunch with another friend. Takuya immediately jumped up, placing his hand on the man's shoulder and asking him if he needed help getting somewhere. Not knowing where the room the man indicated was, Alec jumped up to help. The two carefully led the man to the elevator and I assume directed him to his desired location on the second floor of the building. It is these exact types of generosity, compassion and empathy that remind me of the tremendous potential my generation possesses, and that I wish everyone could see. To Alec's point, I think sometimes we're all just a little too busy, wrapped up in our own worlds to notice what others are doing- I hope that this story inspires those in my generation to constantly be on the look out for ways to help, and for those older to remember that not all millennials are as bad as everyone keeps saying we are.
"I think our generation's greatest asset is our ability to adapt so easily."
-Cynthia Mouzis, Boise State Freshman
"I think our generation's greatest asset is our adaptability and utilization of technology; not only are we able to be social online and offline, but we also have the ability to play multiple roles in one day while staying true to who we are. We can be a student, a friend, a roommate, a daughter/son etc. all without straying from who we are."
-Morgan Sherwood, Boise State Freshman