Some people say the word ‘millennials’ like it’s a bad thing.
Millennials, born between 1982 and 2004, depending on which source your read, are the next labeled generation, and the antithesis of baby boomers (born in the post-war era between 1946 and 1964).
Despite the popular stereotype that millennials are lazy and narcissistic, last year this generation surpassed Generation X (1961 to 1981) to become the largest number of people in the American workforce, and although statistics weren’t readily available, most likely the same in Canada’s workforce too.
They are also the first generation to live their lives so publicly, thanks to social media. Generations that came before them often look upon this with disdain (see previous stereotype above), but those generations had their own technological wonders and oddities too: like disco, and Richard Simmons.
As the graduating classes from Alberni District Secondary School and Eighth Avenue Learning Centre complete their final exams, and the euphoria of grad ceremonies and prom events fades, may they remember that millennials are considered the largest generation in Western history—and they are a part of it.
May all the other generations that preceded millennials treat them with respect—because they are the ones that we will look to for leadership and care in the coming years. The torch is now theirs to bear.
Congratulations to all of the Alberni Valley’s 2016 high school graduates, and a shout out as well to everyone from the Valley who graduated this year from North Island College, Vancouver Island University and other higher learning institutions both near and far.