Generation Alpha
Spiritually Savvy?
A ‘generation’ is described as a set of people born around the same time. People in a ‘birth cohort’ have experienced the same historical events, fashions, media, new technologies etc. The idea is that as a group they will generally exhibit similar values, preferences, characteristics, and motivations over their lifetimes.
There has been a lot written about Gen Z, but the latest ‘generation’ to be identified is ‘Generation Alpha’. They are the cohort who were/will be born between 2010 (the year of the iPad) and 2024/5. They are mostly the children of ‘millennials’. They will be the first generation to all be born within the 21st century and they will be the largest generation in history.
While some of them are yet to be born, others have already entered our education system. For many of those already in school their education and social skills may have been affected by a global pandemic. They have experienced lock-downs and online school.
They will have access to more information than any previous generation and will be a very visual generation, they will be connected to their peer group (and therefore shaped by them, for better or worse) across the world, and they will be the most digitally comfortable generation ever. Indeed, many of them will have played or been pacified with phones or tablet devices even while in their prams.
It is predicted they will have long lives, smaller families and they will have to work for longer. They will probably do jobs that do not exist yet and they may well have a number of different employment roles over a lifetime.
So, what might this mean for faith in this next generation?
To consider:
Do you know which generation you belong to and ‘your’ characteristics? How might that affect how you serve Generation Alpha?
Are we prepared for Generation Alpha?
How will we serve or share our beliefs with Generation Alpha?
How can we be intentional about connecting with Generation Alpha?
What challenges do you think Generation Alpha will encounter?
What are the timeless needs of every generation?
Do we need to rethink how we share, teach/present, and parent Generation Alpha in light of their characteristics?
What should our prayers be for Generation Alpha?
About the Author
Fiona Walton (A ‘baby boomer’) works for Christians & Sheffield Schools (CaSS). She also teaches and is the Open the Book Training and Development Officer for Yorkshire.