Musical stars Misha B and Stooshe were just a few of the celebrities attending vInspired’s launch campaign to help the Beta Generation at the Book Club on Monday (28th Jan).
The star-studded event also doubled as a charity workshop to support young people with entrepreneurial aspirations. Among the charitable supporters were Olympic boxer Luke Campbell, along with TV presenters Cherry Healey and Will Best.
Research currently shows that the economic climate has created a generation of young people determined to shape their own future. They are collectively known as the Beta Generation, and if you’re aged between 16 and 21 you’re included.
The leading youth charity vInspired identified entrepreneurs of the Beta Generation, who are characterised as risk-takers willing to take responsibility for their own future with 81 % of 16 – 21 year olds saying they will not sit back and wait for things to happen to them.
“I’m fed up hearing nothing but doom and gloom about our young people – lazy, unskilled, selfish, unmotivated and with no hope. I must be living in a parallel universe! This is not what we see at vInspired. As the youth unemployment rates have shown little sign of improvement, we have been heartened by the positivity, energy and refusal to ‘lie down and be done to’ of the young people we meet,” says Terry Ryall, vInspired’s Chief Executive.
The backdrop of the current economic climate and developments in technology as a networking, marketing and learning tool, combined with the key neurological characteristics of this age group, are factors identified by vInspired to have led to the rise of the Beta Generation. See below the statistics in full:
Background of the Beta Generation
- Aged between 16 and 21, all reached 16 after the economic recession hit in 2008
- One in five out of work
- 46% worried about finding a job
- 56% fearful for their own future
- One in five (21%) describe themselves as entrepreneurial
Characteristics of the Beta Generation
- 97% driven to try new things and develop their own career paths that reflect their own passions and interests above any other factor
- 65% would consider other options of making money if they are unable to find employment with a company (such as selling products they have made online)
- 85% say they are taking sole responsibility for their own career
- 93% have gone out of their way to learn something new, such as speaking a new language, learning how to code or how to repair things
Using technological developments to their advantage
- One in five (22%) using the internet to set-up their own ventures
- 75% using online media as a resource to learn from other people
- 18% have used social media as a way of making money through their own skills
A generation of social entrepreneurs
- 61% want their career to have an impact on society
- 75% want their work to make a difference to others
- 94% want to feel satisfied that they have done something good
- One in three (32%) agree that enjoying their work is more important than the salary they earn (21%)
The vInspired Cashpoint: £500 grants for young people’s own community projects. They try out their ideas and build their confidence and skills for entrepreneurship
Retail Ready People (RRP) – offer young volunteers opportunities to learn skills for business while setting up their own pop-up shops in disused High Street stores
The vInspired Igniter: First crowdfunding platform for young social activists’ community projects. Young people with great ideas use their energy and passion to raise funds themselves
Team v: National network of future community leaders. They tackle social issues in their own ways – leading their own teams, managing their own projects and tying out new ideas
vinspired.com: connecting young people to volunteering opportunities in their area of interest