The ability of Generation Z to face up to important issues is gaining more recognition, as many have played important roles in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters in the last couple of years, according to Zhuo Yue, a student of German at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and a Gen Z-er herself.
The 21-year-old from Belarus, who has a Chinese father and a Belarusian mother, said in her speech at Vision China that many of the medical workers, soldiers and volunteers in the battle against the pandemic and this summer's floods, as well as medal-winning athletes at the recent Tokyo Olympics, were fairly young.
Speaking of a female Chinese friend, who is a student at the Shanghai Maritime University and who volunteered to assist the disaster relief efforts after floods hit Central China's Henan province in July, she said: "At first, I had my doubts and asked her what she could do. Then she answered: 'I can give first aid, it was in our curriculum. I can pilot lifeboats, that is what I am studying'."
Zhuo said that she saw many young faces doing their best to help people cope with the terrible disaster on TV, and after talking with her friend, she now believes even more in the courage and ability of her generation to face and overcome challenges.
"I know that we are still young, and our courage is questioned all the time … But like our predecessors, Generation Z will grow up one day, carrying our best qualities with us," she said.
Generation Z is a term used to refer to those born between 1995 and 2009, who grew up with the internet, information technology and devices like smartphones.
As a result, Zhuo said that the generation she and her peers represent has a few things in common－wider access to the world, a flexible mentality, the ability to adjust and quickly accept new situations and differences, the desire to create and the courage to not just follow rules blindly.
With the world becoming increasingly open, and people able to go anywhere they want, as different cultures live side by side, she feels that her generation needs to sharpen their intercultural skills and, as representatives of the future, must also take responsibility for making the world a better place. The first step, she said, is to find a dream that serves as motivation to push you forward.
Inspired by her mother, Zhuo has had such a dream since she was seven. "Seeing my mother talking to people from different countries in different languages, I was impressed and made it my lifetime goal to build bridges between China, Belarus and Germany, no matter what field."
To do so, Zhuo decided to learn German, which brought her to BFSU.
She also thinks it's important for members of Generation Z to be proud of their respective cultures and show them to the world.
"One of our roles is to be culture carriers," she said. "Every country has its own culture, it would be a shame for civilization if any disappeared. So apart from protecting cultures, we should also share them with the world."
