Engaging the Next Generation

This year's MT Week them speaks to engaging the next generation. How do we do that? Past studies have shown that the average age of an MT continues to rise. That says to me we don't have enough of those next generation folks coming into our profession or our association.

The past year I've had the opportunity to work with our school program at my company. We have many younger students in that group and I believe they have different needs. I also think unless we (as an association) are meeting the needs people have, they will not be attracted to us or see a need to belong and get involved.

In the program my company has in Barbados, we have students who range in age from 16 to 60. That's a broad group. Many of these students are a part of this next generation and their desires are indeed quite different that the age group I happen to be in.

Let me share with you some of the things I have seen:
First, they don't want to be bogged down with a myriad of details, rules, and lists of "how to." This is a group who has creativity and wants to simply know what the end result is and then figure out how to make that happen.
They are invigorated about the FUTURE, with no real desire to spend a lot of time on the past. It matters not to them where our profession came from, that we used to use typewriters (most of them have never typed on a typewriter!) or how we didn't use to have reference materials. What they ARE excited about is today and how they can change the future for themselves, their families, and the profession.
They want to see results. They are focused on results-oriented action. What that generally means is no busy work. They DO want to be involved, but they want to be involved in things that are meaningful and have clear results and benefits.
They are more likely to say "how can we?" instead of "can we?" I do love this about this group because I have always felt this is a better question.
They are, in general, also a family-focused group. What that means as volunteers is that they want opportunities that allow them to fit those in their personal priorities of taking care of their families. This is not a group who will "just say yes" to everything that comes along.

Take a look at this list. I believe it's time we ask those same questions of ourselves and our association. Where is our focus? Too often we get bogged down in the details, bylaws, policies and procedures, etc. We sometimes create task forces and committees that are focused on how to do things a certain way "because that's how we've always done it." We sometimes hear "well, we can't do it that way because we decided in 19xx that won't work." I have often heard people say "Well, I was on this task force all year but we really didn't accomplish anything." This next generation group won't stand for that.

It's time we take a long hard look at how we do things, folks. It is time to start saying "how" instead of "can we?" And it's time to create meaningful opportunities for involvement that don't get mired down in details. The result? An infusion of enthusiastic next generation members who are passionate and can and will remind each of us why we love this profession! They won't do things like "we have always done it" and that's okay. I challenge this year's HOD and membership to take this campaign seriously, rethink our ways of doing business, and give this group the opportunities to change their world and their future. It doesn't mean our history isn't important, it does mean times, they are changing!

Kathy