By Audrey Willett:
Society of Gen Z is an organization that hopes to create non-partisan content to advocate for global issues. The main goal is to teach Gen Z individuals about current subjects and help them through the times we live in. Read our interview with founders Stephanie Chen and Ka Yan Ho.
AW: Tell us all about you and your organization!
SC & KYH: Society of Gen Z advocates for global issues occurring around the world and also hopes to share different perspectives on social justice. We hope to provide a community for our writers to express themselves freely about our world today and relevant topics they believe are important to discuss. As the founders of Society of Gen Z, [we] also take an interest in the social injustices occurring today. It appears that Gen Z has become much more involved in worldly issues, and we believe that it is also our duty to participate and inform others about them.
AW: Why do you think it’s important for your generation to let their voices be heard?
SC & KYH: Everyone has a voice, and it's important that it can be heard. Society of Gen Z is all about sharing the voices of Gen Z writers and interviewees, so it is definitely a part of what we stand for. Without voices, everyone simply fades into a crowd without disputes, but is that really what we want? Open discussion and having voices heard is what truly makes our world what it is today. Tiny voices sometimes have the brightest ideas, and this paves the way for innovation. Having various opinions allows a path for new discoveries and willingness to explore new ideas, so amplifying the voices of Gen Z is certainly important. Our generation lives in a world that is dynamic and constantly changing, so we must learn to adapt through communication. Therefore, voices are extremely powerful and important.
AW: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
SC & KYH: We want to remain optimistic about the future and hope that our generation is able to help the world solve many of its issues. In our opinion, Gen Z has been much more open-minded and willing to spread awareness for various issues that previous generations have been hesitant about. We have been given the circumstances to aid our generation through the internet, which is definitely both a privilege and a blessing. We look forward to what our generation can do for this world, and we truly believe that we can make a difference with our voices.
AW: What are the most important issues facing our world right now? And in the future?
SC & KYH: The most important issues penetrating our world are the various social injustices, whether it's racism or gender inequality. We’ve seen various communities attacked over the course of the pandemic, and it was devastating to see so much conflict within the United States. It seems that our world is still very culturally and ethnically divided seeing the events occurring in the Middle East. Such events have expanded through decades, and we definitely see such tensions pursuing the future even as generations pass by. However, we hope to see our generation make a difference and lessen the strain.
AW: What does your organization offer that helps the world be a better place?
SC & KYH: We are an organization that aims to advocate for our world’s issues and inform people about various ways they can help. We typically introduce the topic and provide links to fund or ways to help the difficult situations occurring during these times. However, true to our beliefs, we are confident that advocating for the voices of our generation is of utmost importance. By spreading awareness for such issues, more people can take active roles in lending a helping hand, and we believe that social media has become a very powerful tool in today’s society. If technology is used in the right way, we can get more people to recognize injustices and help us make a difference.
AW: Will you be voting in the next election?
SC & KYH: Our founders will be voting in the next election, and they have very active political perspectives.
AW: Please tell us all about your current campaigns, projects, and endeavors. Tell everyone where to find you online and on social platforms.
SC & KYH: Currently, we attempt to stay active about current events on our social media pages, and we hold interviews to share the stories of fellow Gen Z youth organization founders. In the future, we are considering webinars, but for us, there’s still a lot to figure out. Here is the link to our website, and our Instagram is @societyofgenz.
AW: If there is anything else you would like to say, please do!
SC & KYH: As a Gen Z organization, we really have come to admire the various youth organizations we’ve collaborated or spoken with. We’ve learned so much about our generation and the different perspectives from our writers or those we interview. There are so many approaches in viewing our world, but we are definitely all here to help. Here, we’d like to thank everyone who’s advocating such issues together with us and let’s continue to fight!
Audrey Willett is a southern California sophomore in high school. She is an activist and aspiring filmmaker, and the Social Media Outreach coordinator for The Gen Z Collective.