Meet Generation C: Drivers of Positive Change

Creation, curation, connection, and community… These four “C” words are deeply valued by people in Generation C, a powerful new cultural force. I observed this in person—and in spades—at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit, organized in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the U.S. Department of State.

It was invigorating to bring together 490 young South East Asian leaders in diverse areas, such as civic engagement, natural resource management, and economic development. ASEAN and international experts organized highly successful skill-building workshops and social events for them that facilitated strong connections and networks, supported collaborative curation and action, and sowed seeds of sustainable development across the region.

We channeled the passion of young leaders to find common ground as well as Gen-C’s drive to create, curate, connect, and build community. For example, we launched an inter-country team challenge: to produce an information campaign that raised awareness about a key problem in the region and instigated positive change. In just a few hours, the young leaders at the Summit curated and created a series of videos that tackled obstacles to social and economic inclusion. One of these, #OpenUrDoors, an ingenious and poignant short video that centers on a refugee named John, has been viewed more than 22,000 times on Facebook.  

I invite you to take a few more minutes to watch two more videos created by young leaders at the Summit: Stop Saying "I don't know" and Equal Access to Quality Education. These products, together with all my rewarding and stimulating experiences at the YSEALI Summit, confirmed my strong belief that the world is in good hands with Gen C.

Fiona Macaulay is a lifelong social entrepreneur. The first company she founded, Making Cents International, was recently aquired by her employees. She now works with select partners through Equal Means. Follow her on twitter @F_Macaulay