Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future

by Tim Elmore, Dan T. Cathy (Introduction)

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 * 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

Genres: Nonfiction, Leadership, Parenting, Education, Family, Communication, Cultural

220 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2010

Reviews

[Dave/Maggie Bean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having spent the last month reading serious thinkers and observers of the human condition in general, and the political and itellectual scenes in particular, I've actually had trouble getting through this one. Although Generation iY is an accurate (if cursory and superficial) survey of what's wrong with Gen iY, the author's ideas simply don't merit serious consideration.

Unlike Highet, Arendt, Niebuhr, or even Chesterton (all of whose insights are so keen as to be timeless; even prophetic), Elmore offers fluffy pop-psychology -- intellectual cotton candy. The book's most appalling flaw, however, is its utter lack of historical perspective. A little (unnecessary, as it happened) digging into the author's background confirmed that he's a "boomer." The breed, of course, needs no introduction to Gen-Xers, whose "slacking" was a conscious revolt against boomer consumerism, avarice, superficiality, arrogance, and ruthlessness. (David Brooks's _BoBos in Paradise_ provides valuable insight into the boomer mind,so I'd recommend it -- with the following caveat: The tone will positively *floor* most Gen-Xers, and leave them muttering "Get a grip, dude! It ain't all about you...") This explains the lack of historical perspective: The boomers were the first generation whose members were too arrogant to acknowledge that they stood on the shoulders of giants -- and not a few ogres. (Elmore's unconscious reliance on the verbiage of Freud, Marx, Derrida, Boas, and even Nietzsche, for example, starkly underscores the "most educated generation's" unfamiliarity with the sources of the ideas they parrot. For this reason, I'd also recommend Allan Bloom's _The Closing of the American Mind_ as supplemental/background reading).

Philosophically speaking, it's kudzu: a tangled mass of references to diversity, pluralism, emotion, and co-called creativity; in desperate need of an epistemological scything. (Another boomer flaw: The first American generation to rebel against the very notion of an objective, external universe; they seldom if ever questioned the *validity* of their opinions, feelings, and presumed knowledge.)

And yet _Generation iY_ isn't utterly devoid of merit. When read in conjunction with Brooks and Bloom, it's a fascinating look into the minds of the generation that gave us corporate raiders, junk bonds, hostile takeovers, supply-side economics, downsizing, outsourcing, offshoring, etc.; and the minds of their children.

One star for content, three stars for intel value (sadly, the boomers' lack of introspection limits even this).

[MrWalterN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thus far, Elmore appears to make some legitimate observations, but comes away seeming like an old man longing for the good ol days when kids were "better". Also, this book seems to position itself as being somewhat researched-based, but seems to rely less upon external data, and more upon personal reflection. Frequently, Elmore speaks in generalized terms, using non-exact figures, and saying things like, "my research shows," or "statistics have demonstrated," while failing to demonstrate supporting research.

[Update August 2011] My feelings about this book have remained the fairly consistent throughout this read. Elmore provides some great advice and intelligent reflections, but then follows up with emotional gibberish. For example, on page 172 he talks about how generation iY never rode a bike without a helmet, or in a car without a seatbelt. One almost gets the feeling from reading this material that he wishes for a time when kids did ride in cars without seatbelts, or that he wants to go back to the time when women had more difficulty getting into colleges, as in his discussion on page 75.

Perhaps I am being unfair, but Generation iY is not entirely convincing to me. It seems more like a doomsday proclamation, than being a fair-minded approach to the problems of this generation.

[Aaron Cochrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for employers, coaches, teachers, parents or anyone who wants to get a better glimpse into our youth of today. Some parts of it are very academic, while others share enlightening stories and insight from individuals. This is one that I physically have on my bookshelf now to reference back to.

[Addy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Written for leaders and adults, but I, as a member of Generation iY, loved it anyway!!!

[Guy Chmieleski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone working with the Millennial generation!

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generation iY is a good, but not great, book about working with and mentoring people from the generation born between about 1990 and 2000. The "i" in the name is because this is the first generation to grow up entirely with the Internet and i-devices. Much of the book (especially the first chapters) is repetition of information I've either read elsewhere or learned simply by supervising young people such as Tim Elmore is writing about. Some of Elmore's assertions about Generation iY seem to me applicable to any generation--more human nature than specific to one group--and some of his complaints about Generation iY sound like the way all middle-aged generations talk about younger generations. However, a few chapters in the book were genuinely useful for me. In Chapter 8, Elmore outlines eight predictions about Generation iY in the marketplace, and these predictions match very closely what I've seen in the young people I've led in my organization:

1. Job-hopping in search of the perfect career
2. Innovations in use of technology
3. Waves of depression and disappointment in the workplace
4. Parent involvement in their children's work life
5. The expectation of change and amusement
6. A search for meaning, not just money
7. Low tolerance for jobs that fail to provide speedy rewards
8. The pursuit of both influence and affluence

Chapter 11 includes good ideas about educating and mentoring members of Generation iY, and Chapter 12 (the final chapter) outlines a plan for launching leaders from Generation iY:

1. Let them be different from previous generations
2. Work with them to develop strong personal values
3. Help them learn to make and keep short-term commitments
4. Work with them to simplify their lives and deal with stress
5. Communicate that there is meaning even in the small, mundane tasks
6. Help them to focus
7. Work with them to appreciate strengths in others
8. Create opportunities for face-to-face interaction so they can learn to interact in the non-virtual world
9. Provide opportunities for kids to participate in a cause that's bigger than they are
10. Enable them to take control of their lives, to boss their calendars
11. Resource them with your network
12. Challenge them to take their place in history

These points are of course more filled out in the book, and I recommend these chapters on their own if you work with young people from the generation Elmore is writing about.

[Carolyn Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elmore feels that the generation of young people born from 1984 to 2002 are doomed. DOOOOOOMED! This is because they have grown up overprotected and isolated from real world experiences. He has a list of nine lies that we tell kids, which are all spot on. It is altogether a good summary of this generation and the challenges that they face. But there are a few flaws.

1) The author is very down on modern technology and its influence on the values of young people and the relationships that they form. But his complaint seems to be chiefly that young people rely TOO MUCH on technology. It is true that like any activity (reading, working out) online gaming and social networking can be used to excess. But how it is intrinsically bad? Seriously parents - make a rule requiring that all cell phones are docked at the front door and don't put electronics in your kids' bedrooms. Problem solved!

2) The game of Second Life is described completely wrong. I couldn't even tell what game he was talking about at first. I had to look online to see if there was some other version of Second Life that I was unaware of. And again, his only real complaint about it is that it can be overused and become the only form of relationship that a person knows. The game of Second Life is hardly the cornerstone of the book, but it did make me wonder what else he completely misrepresented.

3) The gender thing. I was full of foreboding when I saw that the forward was written by the president of Chick-Fil-A. Whenever gender is brought up in the book, it is brought up in a way that makes me roll my eyes or squirm. Gender bending and homosexuality is dismissed as a chemical mutation caused by BPA plastics. A whole chapter is devoted to the "special" problem of iY generation boys, whose education has been derailed by "misguided feminist educators." The same chapter worries about the devaluation of masculinity, and the absence of the questions, "Can I win the affection of a beautiful woman?" and "Am I competent to provide?" among young men anymore.

In general, the book goes contain some interesting stories and good advice. But there is enough wrong with the book to make me hesitant about lending it out.

[Charmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Matching our primary strength to our daily work can almost feel like magic.*

2. When young people make the right decisions about their strengths based on the right motives, they will thrive.

3. They are looking for mentors, authentic mentors

4. Parents simply fail to lead their offspring or help them become independent. Damaging parenting styles that prevent kids from preparing for the real world. Kids get ambushed by adulthood and then retreat. * Too many parents forget their #1 job is to prepare their children or life without them. **

5. What an adolescent needs are an adult who makes appropriate demands and sets appropriate standards for them in a responsible environment of belief and concern. Responsive and demanding.*

6. GenY needs a healthy dose of actual reality.*

7. *Teachers must remember that lecture isn’t enough anymore – or at least we cannot begin with a lecture. If we want to be heard, we must engage iYers interest with an “experience” that captures their imagination.

8. *As communicators, we have to grab their attention up front, demonstrating swiftly that our content is relevant.

9. Mentoring: Expose. Explain. Exemplify. Evaluate. Encourage.

10. GenY is paralyzed by so many visions. They need just one.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent, I think this book is a must-read for every parent of a Generation Y young adult or child - those born between 1984-2002. It is a must-read for every teacher and coach. It is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future.

All three of my children are part of the younger population in Generation Y, or Generation Iy as the author calls them - those born after 1990. The I stands for internet since this population has basically grown up "connected" to it.

The book is a sobering wake-up call about the challenges this generation will face as a result of the influences of always being connected. I found it insightful and full of the important lessons of history juxtaposed with today's quickly changing culture. Not only is the book thought-provoking, but it sometimes fear-inducing in its warnings and predictions.

As an educator in a large high school full of Generation Iyer's , I see firsthand what Tim is describing. I am concerned...yet hopeful, too, for their futures. Tim offers practical solutions for affecting change with this generation in the last few chapters of the book.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone!

[Rachel Blom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generation Y, also called the Millennials, are the young people born between 1984 and 2002. The youngest group of these, those born after 1990, are what author Tim Elmore calls Generation iY: the generation defined by technology (‘i’) and for whom life is pretty much about ‘I’.

His book Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future is aptly titled, for the whole book is a somber picture of what the future of this generation looks like if we (parents, teachers, youth leaders, etc) don’t act. It’s the strength of the book, for Elmore bases his conclusions on plenty of hard facts, data and reports. It’s also the weakness of the book, because his message of ‘the last chance to save their future’ becomes somewhat repetitive to the point of irritating me. There’s on the whole a bit too much repetition in this book, but that doesn’t take away from the valuable insights it gives into the minds of the Millennials.

For a full review, see: http://www.youthleadersacademy.com/bo...

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for parents. Tim's one of the most leader developers I know. Some take-aways:

* These students have far too much confirdence and far too little experience to be left to their own devices.

* We believe we are protecting their futures by protecting them. In reality, we may be harming their future.

* The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in February 2010 that kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend 7.5 hours each day in front of a screen.

* Today's kids are EPIC: Experiential. Participatory. Image-rich. Connected.

* Our job is to prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child.

* 5 questions kids can ask help find their future:

1. What are my values?
2. What vision do I want to pursue?
3. What is my virtue? (Strengths, gifts)
4. What's the best venue for me?
5. What vehicles (actions) will help me reach my goal?

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a parent of a young adult, a pastor, teacher, or work with young adults for any reason you want to read this book. It is one of the most accurate discriptions of this generation that I have come across.

It will not only help you understand who this generation is but what makes them who they are. You might not like all that is included here if you are a parent or working with this generation.

One of the most important sections in the book is titled 7 Lies That Can Disable a Generation. Most of this generation has lived with at least some if not all the lies.

There are also lists of observations, paradoxs, important decisions and predictions. Each area will make you think about how you might be impacting this generation.

I am putting this on my list of everyone should read!

[Zjjohnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though some of the advice at the end of the book is valuable, too much of the book lacks citations. Elmore frequently states a fact (at least it is cited) and then explains why this fact is so, except that he gives no documentation to back up his reasoning. He employs false dichotomies unashamedly. He reminds readers frequently that this iY generation is used to instant gratification: they get what they want immediately. While I agree that technology has greatly reduced wait time for many of us in many circumstances, there are many many "iYers" who did and are growing up in poverty, even here in the United States. Elmore seems to ignore that entirely.
For me this book was problematic from the front cover. Resorting to histrionics ("Our Last CHance to Save their Future") suggests a lack of strength in the argument.

[Heather Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an assignment for work and it was quite good. My company uses lots of interns and has several staff in this generation, so the insight given on how they learn and respond best was important. It's crazy to me that both my sister and my son are considered Millennials. I certainly see a difference between my sister and my iY son though! I felt the author mentioned his Growing Leaders work a little too frequently, although since that's where most of his work and research come from it can be forgiven. Overall, a very insightful look at this future generation, with some practical tips on how to best engage them and assist them in becoming the leaders we'll need in the future.

[Borchers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book for those trying to change to the needs of todays learner. Great insight into how to relate and help the next generation capture their power and forge toward greatness. Create a 'river' instead of a 'flood'.

Really great quotable statements. Here are a few from just the end of the book.

Train leaders from the inside out so they can turn the world upside-down.

Leadership is more about a disposition than it is about a position!

Teach students to think like a leader to see beyond their own life so they can be good at their ‘position’ later.

Education needs to be about relationships before it is about results! Build a relationship that can bear the weight of truth.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once the reader realizes that this book is the result of a counselor who is speaking from years of experience and personal observation, in addition to the typical generation research (specifically Howe and Strausse), it is easier to digest. Don't look for hard numbers and deep analysis, or the defense of a hard thesis. This is practical advice for those who are trying to understand the culture of Gen iY.
Naturally, that means a lot of anecdotes and personal examples. It can get trite and cliche, but his overall observations seem to ring pretty true.

Read if you are working to develop young leaders.

[Connie Collins Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read the one star scathing review...granted I am an older gem x, but as the parent of millennials and someone who works with kids and their parents, I found his very telling in terms of understanding aspects of out culture. Let's not bash any generation here but consider the influences and strengths of this generation...they are a group if amazing people. If anything, this book is a wake up call to helicopter parents and the neurotic of suburbia who over parent these kids and don't give the them the real life experience that is needed to build resilience and empathy...this generation will be unstoppable.

[Larashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book for all of generation, even if you are baby boomers gen!
This book describe very detail and clear the best explanation of my generation, Y Generation
We love freedom,technology savvy, high spirit, easy to get bored, fun, clumsy, but we really want to conquer and change the world we live.
It seems like people in parents age cannot understand how to treat us because yeah,we are different!
This is my favourite book in 2012.
I am grateful i have read this before and i laugh a lot coz he resemble my life so much xD
It is just...right description toward my generation :D

[Franklin Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, statistical books are NOT highly rated in my bookshelves. To be honest, I own very few.
This one, however, surprised me greatly, not only as scholarly work, but also as practical and timely. As a youth minister that works with teenagers and their families, I see the things Tim Elmore has outlined in his book. The man knows what he is talking about. It's obvious he is "in the trenches" with others who work with youth.
I don't necessarily agree with every sentence of the book, but it is one I intend to re-read. That should be endorsement enough for you to consider buying this book!

[Jes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be really poorly researched, with little actual data backing up any of the observed patterns of behaviour in this book. I liked what he was trying for, but found that its blanket approach was far too general. While it may apply to white upper-middle class kids in the US, it certainly doesn't extend to many other communities whose experiences both socially and economically will have shaped entirely different attitudes and behaviours. If there would have been a little more social science and a little less supposition it would have been a far better and more useful read.

[Kaitlyn]

This book is incredibly deep and will make you question and think. Generation iY describes teens in today's world and how they are a brand new type of teenager than anything. Since technology is so prevalent among this generation, our brains have rewired to think, communicate, listen, and respond to everything. This interested, yet slightly alarming book will bring you to your senses to guide this next generation in the right way, effectively. I would recommend this book to any high schooler. They would really enjoy it because it is interesting to learn more about their own brains.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful---anyone who has anything to do with Generation Y should read this book. Today's kiddos--college through infants--will experience life so differently from generations before. The book provided strategies that we adults can use to help approach, engage, and turn these kids into leaders who can influence the world in a positive way.
Though I typically dread nonfiction, Elmore was a breeze to read and kept my attention throughout.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a thought-provoking read. The first couple of chapters are not strongly-written, and I almost put down the book. Elmore quotes Jean Twenge's book, "Generation Me", which is very well written and based on significant research. However, the strength of this book is in the final chapters, where Elmore draws upon his own experiences working with teens to offer suggestions on how to best work with and challenge young people of today to be great leaders.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently taking a class with Stephanie Ortman Arrington. My granddaughter is not old enough to text and work websites like Facebook, but she knows alot about the techology.
Great book for someone who has older children or grandchildren.
There are chapters about raising boys and one on types parents. Learning alot. Wish I had this book when I was raising my boys.

Finished book and the class. Enjoyed both very much.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first couple of chapters are just a screed -- a bunch of generalizations about this generation that aren't more true now than they have been for the past several decades.

The middle has some interesting content on maturity, helping kids grow into leaders (if not Leaders), and how to help them as new employees.

There's the mandatory bad parenting chapter, with sections in other chapters.

Lots of trumpeting of his company and their materials.

[Miranda Moberg Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening read about the well intentioned but misguided new generation of parents. Great insight into generational parenting differences including: the impacts of technology, an everybody wins mentality, and over abundance of praise. Really insightful read, with some practical suggestions for how to turn the tide and raise more accountable, balanced kids and future leaders. A little redundant at times though.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Elmore has done a lot of research on the generation born 84-02. It is insightful for anyone who teaches, or parents these kids. He is a youth minister and his voice is slightly didactic and leans toward the fear-monger at times, but he points to the combination of sometimes obvious and sometimes hidden influences this generation is under then extrapolates the potential results.

[Brianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended to me by many people about working with this new generation (iY). I found it to be informative, but slightly repetitive. It was interesting to identify with some of the struggles, but I largely found that I knew much of the information from previous readings.
If you haven't done much study on working with Millennials, it's a great read.

[Julie Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book for me to read since I will soon be starting to work with middle school girls in Sunday School. The majority of the book is spent describing what the iY generation looks like with the last two chapters offering some useful helps on how to work with the iY generation. The classroom that I help in is either going to keep me on my toes or leave me rolling in the dust! GULP!

[Colleen Fontaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a teacher of the iY Generation the author did an excellent job of identifying all of the concerns that cross my mind. I was hoping as the book went on that he would also offer more practical so,unions of what to do about it. Although I gained some insight, I was left disappointed as well. Perhaps this is a product of the fact that I myself am an early member of this generation.