Great story of inspiration about how Gen Y is changing our world.

NASA Gen Y Presentation Inspires Canadian Space Exploration

“Forget stories about tension and misunderstandings. Y’s and Boomers are finding that they enjoy spending time together—and learning from each other.”

Read the full article here on Business Week. 

I had someone ask me yesterday what I thought about the Miley Cyrus situation (like I am some expert on pop culture). But…I have to admit that I do follow pop culture closely, because it always offers insight into what some of the greater concerns are for Generation Y (and to me, it’s just fun to follow). While I know our pop tarts are not a true representation of “regular life”, their lives are blown up enough for us to learn a few things from them.

To be honest, as a parent who has had my ups and downs, I have to say that we will all never know the full story of what really went on during the photo shoot, nor would I ever want to pass judgment on the situation . When I look at the slideshow of the photo shoot, it appears to me that Miley and her family were very present and in control of the situation. And…the photos with the sheet show Miley at least wearing jeans underneath. It is also quite well known that Annie Liebowitz does not play it safe as a photographer, and she is a well-respected photographer. The Cirus family is smart…they’ve been doing this a long time, and my hunch is they knew a lot going into this, so I really have more questions than answers.

I would just leave this one question to all Gen Y’s to consider “If your actions, photos, facebook comments or e-mail conversations end up on the front of the newspaper (or in this case Vanity Fair), will you be okay with it?” Also…just know that our Gen Y’s brains are not fully developed until age 21, so even though our kids say they don’t want direction or advice from their parents, they will be grateful later on that you cared enough to step in and guide them along the way. As I always tell my kids who are all Gen Y’s…”I’m  a pain, because I love you. Would you rather I not say anything, because I don’t care about you?” They always say “No…I guess I would rather you care.”

Jacci Schiff is an amazing Gen Y leader.  She hit the streets two weeks ago in Washington D.C. for Y Talk Radio to ask a few Gen Y’s about their views on the state of the economy.  Really insightful interview. Download the interview here.

Jacci is a pro with interview style podcasts and pulled this great snippet together in less than a week.  So, check out what she is up to.  And…if you are interested in having a professionally done audio interview like this one, contact Jacci through the Schiff Report.

The podcast below includes the above linked interview and a few other thoughts from Jacci about Gen Y and the state of the economy from a recent interview on Y Talk.  Thanks Jacci for all you are doing!

An article appeared on the AP yesterday about Yoani Sanchez who is the author for the Blog Generacion Y in Cuba.  The site, which grabs 1 million visitors daily, offers visitors uncensored views about the Cuban government.  Yoani is actually a Gen X (she was born in 1975), and the blog is named Generacion Y after people whose names begin in Y, but this story is an interesting one and worth checking out.  Sanchez does offer insights into teen life in Cuba as well as some great rants.  The English translation version is here. 

Some fresh faces…Gen Y’s who are making a significant mark on the biz world…Just expect more of this to come!

Congratulations!

Faces of the Future 

It was a glorious day yesterday. Trevor Immelman, age 28, walked home with a green jacket on his back.

And here come the young superstars! Congratulations Trevor. You were amazing!

Millennial Leaders

The big day is today…the final round of the Masters Golf Tournament, and guess who’s at the top of the leaderboard? Two Gen Y’s: Trevor Immelman born in December of 1979 (is 28) and Brandt Snedeker, born October of 1980 (is 27).

There are all sorts of thoughts swirling around today about why they are not just in the lead but widening the gap. My take on this is that this is classic Gen Y…unphased by the bravado which usually swirls during the Masters and unaffected by what I call the “Tiger halo” that always comes when T. Woods starts moving to the head of the pack. Snedeker just seems to me like he’s having fun, and Immelman…well…he does not seem to be afraid to go low.

This again is another great example of Gen Y’s belief that they can do it all/be it all. We’ll see it if pays off today.

Good luck to everyone!

Millennial Leaders

If you are reading this blog, we encourage you to vote for Arel and Bert. These guys are amazing (and are featured in Millennial Leaders):

Binghamton University Alumni Arel Moodie (24) and Bert Gervais (23) are founders of The Place Finder LLC. An idea spawned from their personal frustrations, the class project for an off-campus housing website, www.placefinder.com, was catapulted into a full-fledge business by winning Binghamton University’s 2004 Business Plan Competition.

Now the company is in the running to win “best idea” from ideablob.com’s monthly $10,000 grand-prize competition. Moodie and Gervais are calling for a movement to get votes from the public to win by showing the power of a community. Please go to this link to vote!

Moodie and Gervais began their undergraduate careers as Politic Science and History majors, both looking to enter law school after graduation. Then, while having a difficult time finding off-campus housing, the unlikely entrepreneurs came up with a solution they knew would help other students in the same situation. Fueled by entrepreneurial passion, they decided to switch gears and pursue placefinder.com full time after graduation.

Despite being denied loans by banks because of youth, lack of assets, and inexperience, Moodie and Gervais kept the company afloat through a 4-year winning streak of entrepreneurial contests since 2004. They have used the winnings from these contest to help them fund the growth of placefinder.com.

Why this is relevant:

Now at a critical juncture in their startup where they must sink or win, they are tasked with trying to win a “best idea” competition from www.ideablob.com. Moodie and Gervais plan to use the prize to enhance the website with new features such as a “neighborhood rating system” for college towns and increase marketing. With so many people interested in starting businesses, this is a great story to show creative ways for startups to get funding. To win the competition the duo needs to get the most possible votes between now and March 31^st, 2008 voters can to go to placefinder.com and click the vote link on the home page.

Quote:

“Who ever thinks that you can’t fund a business because of lack of opportunity has not explored all of the options out there. If you can generate genuine exitement about your business idea, then you are well on your way. ”
-Bert Gervais (23) , Male, BU Alumni

Listen in (audio link is at the end of this post) as I interview Sumaya Kazi (what an amazing young woman…such a leader, and so humble and bright!), Founder and Executive Director of The Cultural Connect. I encourage you to check out this project, and sign up for one, two, three (or all) of their weekly e-magazines (really great information).

ABOUT SUMAYA KAZI

Sumaya, 25, serves as the Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief at The CulturalConnect. She has been recognized by BusinessWeek Magazine as one of America’s ‘Top 10 Entrepreneurs Under 25′, CNN as a ‘Young Person Who Rocks’, and has also been recognized as a 2007 Who’s Who of Global Emerging Leaders. She frequently keynotes at Universities and business conferences across the U.S. on topics of entrepreneurship, community-building and bridging the non-profit community with other industries.

In her spare time, Sumaya works full-time as a Marketing Manager for the Global Communications Group at Sun Microsystems, the youngest in her division. Additionally, she serves as a high school entrepreneur adviser and mentor for BUILD, a social venture that empowers under-resourced students to excel in education and succeed professionally.

Her interests include connecting young professionals with each other, traveling, technology and International human rights.

Sumaya graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Marketing & Strategic Planning. She is a Bangladeshi-American residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Contact her at sumaya@theculturalconnect.com.

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