Taking Action+-

Taking Action

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Taking Action

Taking Action

Investing in Generation Z did not stop at the Forum in February. Over the course of two days, more than 1,200 of you narrowed down a list of ideas to the top eight investment strategies you wanted to embrace in order to support Gen Z and the future of North Carolina’s economy.

We want you to learn more about each of these strategies, so we’ve provided context for each of them. We’ll also host a series of webinars and other events for you to learn more about how to get started on one of these projects. See below for the schedule of webinars.

Click on one of the investments below to learn more about each of these strategies: why they are important, best practices, the current context in North Carolina, and other resources.

2. Cultivate mentorships

Encourage two-way intergenerational mentorships and interactions. This would create opportunities for youth adults to learn from each other.

5. Entrepreneurial Education

Include business and entrepreneurial skills in school curricula in order to equip students with a background in that area, making entrepreneurship less of an idea and more of a viable possibility for those students.

7. Promote service learning

Civic engagement is instrumental in building community awareness, teaching tolerance and cultivating socially conscious young people. Service learning should be integrated into K-20 education.

8. Teach risk-taking

We must teach our youth to look for opportunities and that failure in pursuit of them is a learning opportunity and “badge of honor,” not a stigma to avoid at all costs.

Moving to Action Faster for Generation Z:
Webinar Series Ideas Worth Funding

You have a great idea. You have your community organized around it. But how do you fund it? This webinar will address how to gather resources to put innovative ideas into action. Whether you are organizing youth for collective action, trying to address a need in your community through a nonprofit, or have a great idea for a new business, this webinar will help you think strategically about putting dollars behind your dreams. Listen to Damon Circosta from the AJ Fletcher Foundation, Rick Larson from the Natural Capital Investment Fund, and Eric Braxton from the the Funders’ Collaborative for Youth Organizing discuss how you can find the finances to get your idea off the ground.

Organizing Your Community for Collective Action

You’ve got a great idea. You care about an issue. But how do you gather people around you to make a difference? This webinar featured speakers that know gather the right people together to move ideas into action. Questions answered included the following: How do you identify the right people to move your ideas? How do you work across generations? What are the various methods to gather these individuals together? And how can you channel enthusiasm for action? UNC Professor Charles Price; Burns Stanfield, the president of the nationally renowned Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO); and Linda Harrill from Communities in Schools of North Carolina shared how to inspire and mobilize your community!

Moving to Action Faster: Communicating Your Message

Now that you have an idea to support Gen Z in your community, we want to help you move to action faster. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be hosting a series of webinars that will help foster the skills you need to implement your project that supports Gen Z. Our first webinar will focus on communicating your message. How do you present yourself and your message? How do you sell your story to the media? When do you use print vs. online media? What steps do you need to help your story thrive on social media? Raleigh ToastMasters president Martin Petherbridge, UNC journalism professor Winston Cavin and PR specialist Shellie Edge shared their expertise to help you best communicate your message. Watch the webinar below to see how you can start moving to action faster.

Supporting Gen Z: Webinar Series and Resources Entrepreneurial Education

Malinda Todd from NC REAL, Bryan Toney from the UNC-Greensboro NC Entrepreneurship Center, and Brad Lienhart from EntreDot shared best practices for supporting entrepreneurs in our communities. Weren’t able to attend the webinar?

View our slideshow presentation on educating entrepreneurs, and follow along with our notes here.

Best Practices in Service Learning

Engaging students in their communities is a critical part of pushing this generation to thrive. Join us for our latest webinar on service learning. It will feature best practices from schools around the state on how service learning can be integrated into the education curriculum. With presenters like eighth grade teacher Frank McKay from Exploris Middle School and guidance counselor Katrina Kremer from Duplin Early College High School, you’ll hear panelists from urban and rural schools share their service learning experiences with middle and high school students. Watch the webinar below.

Broadband

We recently hosted a discussion on broadband, discussing the difficulties and opportunities for increased access in rural areas as well as faster access in urban areas. Panelists include Angie Bailey, Director of NC Broadband at the NC Department of Commerce, Hunter Goosmann, Director of ERC Broadband, Ron Walters, Executive Director of PANGAEA, Gail Roper, Chief Information & Community Relations Officer, City of Raleigh, and Aly Khalifa, Owner of Gamil Design, Inc. Watch the webinar below, and download the presentation here. .

Community Guidebook

Now that you have background information, we want to help you get to community action faster. Our community guidebook will help you brainstorm, develop and implement initiatives to support Generation Z in your community. Click here to download the workbook and start taking action today.

Visit the Emerging Issues Commons and see how you can facilitate this kind of action in your own communities.

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