Postkiwi

I’ve just been up to Alexandra Park on the Sunshine Coast to be at the Calvary Christian College staff retreat. There’s something like 130 staff there, teaching at a P1 to 12 school on two campuses.

I was there to take a workshop for 25 people on generational change. We looked at the formation of new generations, including our own, and considered the role of educationalist in the emergence of young adults.

There was a fair bit of energy given to the question of engagement with teenage tribes or communities. Peer groups have always been a part of youth culture. But now they’re not so easy to observe. Many teenagers are members of several communities, some of them online.

I heard from a couple of the teachers on their experience of online gaming communities, including their observation that teenagers are being coached by men in their thirties. The coaching in some cases includes the development of racist and sexist ‘redneck’ language and attitudes.

Another reflection from staff was on the distinctions between youth culture in the USA, Europe and Asia. I’ll write it up soon at Postkiwi’s Generational Posts.