Invitation to write about our Generations at GenUnison
Are you a writer who is concerned about the future of Gen Z and our youngest generation Generation Alpha in the era of Climate Change?
Come join our GenUnison Publication here on Medium where you will be joined by a collection of generational guardians who are preparing Gen Z and Gen Alpha for their future inheritance of our world. Our core goals are to revive mentorship, build bridges across the generation gap, and unite into online teams that prepare our communities for Climate Change.
GenUnison is a non-profit dedicated to facilitating intergenerational dialogues and building multigenerational teams. Our GenUnison Publication fulfills this mission by writing stories of how we can pass through the grist of our generational differences and so we can arrive at real-life solutions for our society’s struggles. Tell a story about a community garden where grandma, her son, and her grandchildren harvest their veggies. Talk about the push back a community is having by trying to install solar panels or re-establish a prairie for flood absorption. Most importantly, include a triumph that supersedes the Doom and Gloom.
GenUnison’s voice as a publication follows these values:
Straight Talk
We need to clear the air about our vastly different generational priorities and values. With the Climate Change tipping points quickly approaching, we don’t have time to avoid difficult conversations. The goal is honestly share our points of view in order to build enough trust between our generations that we inspire change in our communities of our readers. Speak plainly, be transparent, own your judgments, and express yourself clearly.
Check your Lens
Documentarians are taught to be aware of their cultural and identity-based lenses when capturing stories. Your race, gender, age, religion or lack thereof, nationality, native language, and a host of other factors can all color our lenses when we view a situation. The same is true for writing about generational differences that can quickly descend into ageism.
Checking your lens means being aware of your biases while writing. Any lens needs to be cleaned from the fingerprints of our past experiences. You don’t need to be perfect. Mistakes and judgements can be conversation starters that lead to a good place. It just means make the effort to know thyself on the page.
What separates a docudrama from a well-made documentary is a docudrama will advance one perspective over all others, assuming that their point of view is superior to all others. A well-crafted documentary attempts to represent the major voices in the dialogue, including the voice of the documentarian, so that the viewer can make up their own minds.
In summary, be fair by including other perspectives. We look for writers that have the humility to admit that they don’t have all the answers, but that doesn’t stop them from passionately sharing their ideas.
End with a Solution or Inspiring Idea
Climate Change has become a Climate Crisis as storms, fires, and flooding reach record levels. We already know it’s bad and doom immobilizes people. Now what are we going to do about it?
GenUnison doesn’t pull our punches when talking about our generational differences, nor does it engage in Doom ’n’ Gloom themes that have been misused in corporate PR campaigns to delay climate action. We stand in the middle, a beacon of truthful expression that seeks to light the path through the storms. We look for stories that tackle real-world problems on a community level, stories that clarify the conflict and bring our readers through the climax of the challenge. At the end of the piece, end with a solution-based resolution or a shimmer of hope.
We welcome submissions about:
- Generational Conflicts about what we should do next to save our society
- A Climate Change solution being implemented in your community
- Generational Polling and Surveys done by reputable sources
- Identity pieces like “Being Gen Z” or “Baby Boomers were at the First Earth Day”
- Social Movements that have a Generational component.
Our editor Ruth Ileka and our publication founder G. K. Hunter welcome your submissions.
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