Synopsis

The Covid-19 pandemic presents unusual challenges for parents, teachers, school counselors, childcare providers, pediatricians, policymakers, and marketing professionals alike—what are the unique expectations of kids growing up during the Coronavirus pandemic? Just as previous generations have faced world wars (Greatest Generation) and social upheaval (Baby Boomers) which shaped their future, GenZ is experiencing a once-in-100-year event, which provides them a unique worldview and frame of reference for the rest of their lives. In the short term, our ability to educate, care, nurture, and relate to American youth will require an ability to understand the zeitgeist in a sophisticated and systemic manner. In the long-term, there are impacts yet to be determined as far as how the pandemic will shape the future.

This book will present a futurist interpretation of young people living through the pandemic, forecasting ten- and twenty-year scenarios for Gen Z and, by extension, the future of America. Growing Up Corona will decode the future needs and wants of American youth in the context of their generational experience. The classic consumer studies approach known as Nystrom’s Framework—with a futurist spin—will be the foundation for the analysis. This framework guides a process of social analysis based on five components of generational identity: key events, technologies, social groups, attitudes, and ideals. Nystrom’s Framework holds that if we understand these five elements, we can reveal the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times. In this book, I will adapt Nystrom’s Framework to make future predictions. Interviews and surveys of young people will form the basis for insights and major themes, which will be drawn out to reveal deep findings about the current and future zeitgeist.

As an experienced author of futurist books and articles, I will bring my readers with me on a mental time-travel journey to experience future times and places. I also bring years of experience working with young people in an educational setting, as well as a passion for future studies. I’ve been involved in a number of futurist research projects, volunteered as a peer-reviewer for foresight journals, and conducted dozens of speeches/workshops about the future. I hold degrees in anthropology and studies of the future from the University of Houston, where I now teach about society and technology. My skills for giving diverse audiences a relatable overview of the futurist perspective will ensure the book has wide appeal.

Sales arguments

• Author is highly involved in the foresight community as a member of the Lifeboat Foundation, XPrize, and the Grey Swan Guild.
• The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020 found that GenZ remains committed to social progress, despite the uncertainty and anxiety caused by the pandemic.
• Author has an engaged futurist network of 3000+ LinkedIn contacts. Reword: Author has an engaged futurist network of 3k+ contacts, subscribers?

Similar titles

• Coronavirus: Leadership and Recovery: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review: HBR Insights Series. Harvard Business Publishing (2020). Practical guidance for organizations and individuals recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. Harper Collins (1991). Established a set of four generational archetypes in US history, projecting future patterns of social, political, and economic order.
• Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population. Poet Gardner Publishing (2019). Offers evidence that distinguishes Generation Z from previous generations, and practical advice for how to best help them achieve success.

Audience

Anyone (including parents, teachers, school counselors, childcare providers, pediatricians, policymakers, marketing professionals) who needs to meet expectations of kids who have grown up during the pandemic.