Where Generation Fix Fits In

As a magazine columnist and book author, Elizabeth Rusch has spent years interviewing kids between the ages of 6-18. The media portrays this group as selfish, undisciplined, cynical, and apathetic. In stark contrast, Rusch has found the younger generation to be notably empathetic, engaged, energetic, and hopeful. To describe this phenomenon, Rusch coined the term “Generation Fix.” Gen Fixers, she found, care deeply about other people and have already begun to attack problems in the world with remarkable passion, freshness, and commitment. Gen Fixers’ drive to make the world a better, safer place has been heightened by the events of September 11.

Generations at a Glance

Evidence of Generation Fix

• An overwhelming majority (93 percent) of America’s 60 million young people believe they can make a difference in their community (Do Something Young People’s Involvement Survey/Princeton Survey Research, 1998)
• 60 percent of teenagers volunteer compared with 50 percent of adults (Independent Sector/Gallup 1996)
• Teens rank volunteering, along with the environment and eating healthy, as the top three activities they consider “cool.” (Teenage Marketing and Lifestyle Study, 1998)
• Every student Rusch interviewed responded passionately and creatively when asked for solutions to world problems. Anyone can confirm this phenomenon.

Key Influences on Generation Fix

• Home Life: Gen Fixers have been raised by optimistic Boomer parents who run democratic families where kids’ ideas are valued.
• School Lessons: Service-learning, in which schools offer community-service projects linked to academics, has swept the country. The number of students involved in service-related school projects has increased 1,400 percent from 900,000 to 12.6 million in fifteen years. (U.S. Department of Education)
• Shrinking Globe: With the growth of global telecommunications and the Internet, world problems seem closer to home — but so is information that helps kids create solutions.