Gen Z is redefining the possibilities of generosity by demanding more bang for their charitable buck

Charities would be wrong to neglect reaching out to those born after 1997 because of their relative lack of disposable income and their penchant for moral one-upmanship

Instead, the humanitarian aid industry must answer the two questions Gen Z is posing: how do you measure impact? What’s in it for me?

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Jenna Cozza, 17, speaks during a youth town hall meeting inside a church in East Palestine, Ohio, on on April 1. Gen Z comprises slightly over 20 per cent of the US population. Photo: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette / TNS

Fabio Richter

Fabio Richter is a technology entrepreneur based in London, UK.

Published: 3:30am, 16 Aug 2023Updated: 9:20am, 21 Aug 2023

Social media timelines are inundated with posts expressing sympathy for flood victims, declaring allegiance to social movements, or decrying a celebrity’s insensitive comments. For Generation Z, appearing to be doing good – not merely doing good – seems to be their defining generational experience.

Critics are quick to cast this as performative posturing void of any real-world impact. But it is a grave mistake for the global humanitarian community to dismiss this generation as self-absorbed virtue signallers.

Every year on August 19, the world celebrates people who help others and remembers those who have died serving humanitarian causes. The United Nations General Assembly designated World Humanitarian Day to commemorate the 22 victims of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.

Sadly, 20 years on, the urgency of World Humanitarian Day is as pressing as ever. Over 360 million people depend on tireless humanitarian workers to deliver basic necessities like food, water, education and safety.