A generation that is not afraid
At 17 years old, Paula Henrsez Cruz is clear that no person is above another. For this reason, the adolescent highlights the change in mentality that, among other transformations, has given way to a more equitable society for women.
Recently elected student president at her school, Paula likes to speak up and find ways to improve her environment.
That's how he resembles other members of his generation.
“My generation doesn't stay silent when something bothers them,” says the sixth-grader, who highlights how her contemporaries organize protests in order to achieve a more just society.
The ideals behind their struggles reflect part of the cultural transformation that is taking place in the country.
EMERGING VALUES
At the end of 2020, the Dominican Institute for the Evaluation and Research of Educational Quality (Ideice) published the report of the World Values Survey (EMV) applied in the Dominican Republic (the EMV is an international research program that studies from 1981 the social, political, economic, religious and cultural values of people in the world).
Among its conclusions, the document establishes that in Dominican society materialist values predominate over post-materialist ones.
“This means that the majority of the Dominican population finds itself in more urgency for matters related to the satisfaction of economic and social security needs than for self-expression and self-realization needs”, reads the text prepared by the sociologist José Leopoldo Artiles Gil .
The report, however, highlights at least three emerging post-materialist values in the country: participation, recognition of women at work and in politics, and protection of the environment.
These emerging values coincide with some of the concerns that, according to global surveys, concern young people today, including Dominicans.
SHIFT MINDSET
“Dominican society is experiencing an era of rapid change in terms of cultural references,” says Italian educator, sociologist, and political scientist Roberto Codazzi.
Young people have grown up in a society where access to information suffers less from family or school mediation, since it can be accessed directly through different means.
“This makes the attitude of the new generations more progressive and open -he explains-, especially regarding the issue of gender equality, the environment and the acceptance of diversities (cultural, sexual orientation and disability)”.
Marriage at an early age, which Codazzi describes as "a plague" in the Dominican Republic, is not as normalized as before and young women, in particular, are developing a way of thinking that leads them to plan a life outside and before marriage. marriage, a “positive turn for individual empowerment.”
The environment, he says, is another sensitive issue among young people, as demonstrated by mobilizations in recent years, as well as the development of ecotourism, hiking, and coastal and street cleaning activities.
Paula is one of those who promotes “simple actions” such as recycling and disposing of waste correctly, because they make “a real difference”.
“We ourselves are taking care of the destruction of what we call home,” laments the teenager. "My contribution is awareness, since I see many people who do not do the right thing."
CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The psychologist and educator Julio Valeirón agrees that the environmental issue is a "matter of great interest" that attracts "an important participation" of the current generation, known as generation Z and whose members share social perspectives and lifestyles similar internationally.
As an example, he mentions the names of activists who rise up in the world against climate change: Greta Thunberg, from Sweden; Timoci Naulusala, from Fiji; Alexandria Villaseñor, from the United States; Sathviga 'Sona' Sridhar, from India, and Kherann Yao, from the Ivory Coast.
From the country, Eddy Frank Vásquez Sánchez stands out, second regional place in the United Nations Young Champions of the Earth Award.
“Like them, many other young people are dabbling in various fields, generating important contributions,” says Valeirón.
In the opinion of clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Natalia Nin, we are facing a generation that is “more awake” to its rights and “less afraid” to defend them.
“Around the world and in our country, we have seen how many of the social marches to demand rights, changes in laws, care for the environment, have been led by young people”, observes the behavior professional.
Nin underlines how, "within the development of chemical, biological and emotional maturity that today's adolescents and young people understand", a generation "more involved" in different environments and sectors "with a level of responsibility and desire to create a positive impact on the world.
SELF-EMPLOYED AND INDIVIDUALISTS
Of the 10.5 million inhabitants of the Dominican Republic according to projections from the National Statistics Office (“Estimates and projections of total population per year according to sex and age 2000-2030”), 4.7 are under 25 years of age. About two million belong to the so-called generation Z, made up of those born between approximately 1995 and 2005.
And although in some sectors of this generation there are concerns about social issues, Valeirón estimates that the majority lives “absent” from such projects. On the contrary, he asserts, "egocentrism and individualism prevail, hence the strong tendency towards selfies."
The members of today's young generation, according to the doctor of education, feel above the values and principles of behavior of their parents and families and live "a great relativization of social and family principles."
They have a strong inclination towards autonomy and, therefore, it is difficult for them to adhere to the rules of coexistence. They question all authority figures.
Valeirón also highlights their tendency to achieve success “at all costs and with the least effort”, something that leads them to be “impatient with everything and everyone”.
They make very quick decisions about what they want and want quick answers when it comes to a felt need.
As a “product of high-speed technologies”, these guys are “lovers of fast connections”.
On the other hand, they have developed attitudes and behaviors of high consumption, especially of branded clothing and electronic products, mainly video games.
The expert refers to a study carried out by Sandro Marzo, from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), according to which 12% of generation Z surveyed in Latin America affirm that in 2022 they will spend much more than they spend in this moment.
“This speaks directly of consumption as a value”, judges Valeirón.
HOW DO SOCIAL NETWORKS INFLUENCE?
The Internet has contributed to overcome part of the isolation that the Dominican Republic suffers due to its island nature, says Codazzi.
It has also contributed to breaking the North American monocultural influence that permeates the traditional media.
Thanks to the web, young people can access countless different stimuli and, as proof of this, Codazzi cites the spread of Asian culture linked to music and comics.
“Social networks have provided spaces where young people can express themselves freely, often autonomously, and are a space for debate where they learn to defend their ideas and, sometimes, to change them”, says the Italian educator and sociologist .
Codazzi warns that this also entails a series of dangers linked to false information, since "there is a great lack of ability to identify valuable sources of information."
Another danger, according to him, lies in the excessive search for social validation that is measured by the number of likes.
But, on the other hand, Nin understands that what most “limits” the formation of values in today's generation is not technology, but the high cost of living.
“This has an impact on parents to be able to achieve what is necessary and offer a dignified life, for which the issue of sharing, quality time between parents and children and the action 'of being present' is less and less during the stage growth," he argues.
This generation, indicates the psychotherapist, has been guided by networks, nannies and, "in the best of cases", spaces of extracurricular and school programs.
“Our young people -says Nin- are the result of our upbringing and management as parents”.
“IT IS DIFFICULT TO CROSS DUE TO TWO YEARS OF SANITARY EMERGENCY WITHOUT SUFFERING SOME CONSEQUENCE”
Experts agree that the pandemic - with the lockdown and subsequent economic crisis - has impacted everyone, albeit in different ways. That includes the youngest.
In the case of the Z, particularly those at relatively high social scales, Valeirón says they were negatively impacted by the limitations on going out.
Staying in their rooms for a long time has increased “exponentially” the use of networks and video games.
“The processes of direct social interaction and all that this implies in the constitution of the subjects in social persons have decreased significantly”, warns the psychologist and educator.
Regarding the value system, Codazzi says that, “of course”, the health crisis can change it.
In this sense, remember that the current crisis has put children in front of several extreme situations such as the loss of loved ones, social isolation and the exasperation of the differences of social classes.
“What wasn't important before might be now,” he muses.
The cell phone, for example, became from a means for free time to a fundamental instrument for education.
“It is not possible to know if the effects will be positive (valuing more what one has, knows, relationships and projects for the future) or negative (seeking economic well-being at any price, social envy, breaking the pact social)”, clarifies Codazzi.
“What is quite certain -he concludes- is that it is difficult to go through two years of health emergency without suffering some consequence”.
GLOBAL SURVEYS
The Deloitte Global Survey of Millennials and Generation Z found that the pandemic may have awakened a sense of solidarity in these two groups.
“They feel more sympathetic to members of their communities and have taken steps to help those in need,” reads the 2021 report.
While a global intergenerational survey released in November by Unicef found that today's youth are more globally minded than older generations.
The UNICEF consultation also found that young people want faster progress in the fight against discrimination and have concerns for the future, but see themselves as part of the solution.