Ypulse has partnered with Alexander Steed (Alex), a Gen Yer planning an ambitious journey across the U.S. to interview other young activists who are tapping into technology to help create social change. Here is his third dispatch from the road…

I would suggest to anyone trying to market positive community and civic opportunities by establishing any sort of substantial connection with the Millennial generation - connections important with regard to selling an idea, a volunteer or giving opportunity, or any other buy in for an organization - to learn as much about the generation as possible. Anastasia’s blog is, of course, a great place to do this, and now that I have had an opportunity both to meet with Eric Greenberg, and read his book Generation We [you can download the book], I can confidently say that I can’t imagine a more authoritative study on my generation. It is thoughtful, thorough, deep, and extremely easy to digest. Further, based on what I’ve seen on the road, I can attest to the fact that it is quite factual in its assessment of Generation Y.

In Generation We, Greenberg offers one of the most comprehensive studies of the generation’s attitudes towards politics, society, doing good, civic responsibility and more. If you’re out to engage the Millennials, the largest generation America has yet seen, you need to know who they are and why they care. What have we been influenced by? How do we feel? What moves us? These questions are important to answer when going after the hearts of these young globalists. It is not sufficient to just go after us where we are (the Internet ); it is imperative to understand who and why we are. Greenberg has done an amazing job of illustrating just this.

What’s also extremely interesting is that Greenberg has issued a declaration of potential for the generation. He takes generational concerns and turns them into digestable and actionable suggestions for movement. I met with him recently and he explained that it isn’t up to him to make these decisions, as he is just an observer - a researcher. It is up to young people to take what is meaningful to us and to turn it into action. Perhaps, in looking for how to reach out to and resonate with the Millennial, you will find the appropriate language and sentiment already articulated in part in Greenberg’s book. This work is a comprehensive guide to understanding what sticks and what doesn’t with this emerging force. I cannot recommend diving into it soon enough.

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