The place of coaching among Generation Z. Do those born after 1997 use coaching and what to expect in the future?

May 9, 2022

/an account from first person - a Gen-Z employee/

We, Generation Z-ters, grew up in a time of political change, environmental problems, terrorist attacks, wars, economic crises, pandemics… No, we are not complaining! We are also the generation that benefited from the ever evolving technology and all the possibilities this creates. For us it’s normality to be able to reach any corner of the globe, to be citizens of the world and to be able to share sentiments with people on any continent we wish. Those two sides of our world largely determnied our entire mindset and outlook on life. 

In such complex conditions, our main priority is unsurprisingly the search for truth, in both a personal and a communal form. We connect and mobilize around different causes and shared interests through the online space. 

 The changes Generation Z brings…

Young people have always embodied the spirit of the times of their societies, having a profound influence on trends and behaviours.  We are not an exception. The question is - what does Gen Z, or as we call it “the first generation of real digital locals”, bring?  What is specific about us is that we feel free to express ourselves, which brings a huge change to communication, relationships and ways of connecting.  Adults of this generation, who recently have started their professional journeys, have different expectations and views as a consequence from all of the above.  

A recent Pearson survey found that 59% of Generation Z prefer to learn by watching videos on YouTube, and 55% also say YouTube has contributed to their education, learning and / or personal development over the past 12 months.  Employers are now strongly nudged to plan how to adapt training and development for this segment of the population and how to keep up with today's flexible work environment.  

Interestingly enough, at the time of writing this article, unemployment is at historically low levels, with Generation Z starting to fill huge gaps in the workforce - a positive economical development which also carries new expectations and problems to tackle.

What problems will Generation Z have and what we need to be ready for?

 All the possibilities that technology gives us are undoubtedly great.  Nevertheless everything has its drawbacks. 

  • We have grown entirely with technology and many of us have lost touch with the real world, we forget to have normal conversations, despite wanting to express ourselves and face to face interactions can feel awkward. 
  • We often fail to draw the line between offline and online friends and an increasing number of young people are creating a virtual reality - Metaverse. 
  • Many of our peers suffer from loneliness, are unaware of the things that await them in life and have traumas from childhood or adolescence that they bury deep by relying on their virtual personas. 
  • On top of that, many of us lead a sedentary lifestyle from a very early age, leading to healthcare problems early on.

Generation Z is just beginning to face the real world - finding a job, paying bills, dealing with the daily stress of life as an adult.  This raises the question: How can we Generation Z-ers deal with mental health resilience and actually support ourselves going forward?

According to a report by the American Psychiatric Association, Gen Z is more likely to use therapy (37% of them have already done so), while Millennials (35%) and Gen-X'ers ​​(26%) are following behind. The reason for this trend is attributed to the introduction of various stressors that didn’t exist before. 

On the positive side, we are people who not only seek the truth but also are inclined to accept whole-heartedly differences in people. Thanks to social media Gen Z connects with different stories of strangers which helps us all to be more aware of our problems and leads to open discussions.

Just look  at any of the numerous pages designed to motivate people, tell stories that touch everyone. These pages quite often receive messages like:  "Wow, people! I want to say a big THANK YOU.  Looking at your profile every day, I am convinced that everything still makes sense, and gives me a way and a reason to fight.  I want you to know that you are helping in many difficult times, not just me, but dozens of people! "

Our generation has the ability to deal with problems and we will not remain stagnant for long despite challenges.

Coaching will be a very important part of the lives of generations to come, including Gen Z.

We do not want to be limited by our problems and this is the reason why we seek help when we need it. We understand that we can feel better and most importantly, we want that fefeling for ourselves. 

Lots of love from those born after 1997.

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