At 16 years old, Ella Winthers says her generation has been given so much power. And with that power comes expectation. At the same time, she adds it can be hard to get older generations to listen.
A junior at Wheat Ridge High School, Winthers is passionate about the potential of her generation. But it can also bring anxiety and a sense of pressure to fix all of the world’s problems.
“It creates this idea that our worth as a generation — a person — is defined by what we’re doing for someone else,” Winthers said in a TEDxYouth at Cherry Creek talk she gave last year titled “It’s Not Our Job to Save the World.”
She wanted to convey to her generation that people are listening and that it’s important to focus on self-care while still trying to help address global concerns.
“To my generation — I see you," she said. "I see you in the morning when you get up. I see how much effort you spend on everything, and I’m so proud of you. But it’s not your job to be there for everyone else 100% of the time. Preserve yourself.”
She’s one of a number of Colorado high school students from the Front Range who CPR News spoke to for a series of Gen Z Conversations.
The next TEDxYouth at Cherry Creek event will take place March 4.
Explore other Colorado Front Range Gen Z voices:
- When it comes to motivating students, Ava Conley has some ideas for teachers
- Discussing gender is like thinking about clothes, says Ruby George, it’s about what you feel comfortable in
- A failed test critical for a chance at MIT sent Sam Law into a spiral. Then he turned failure into success.
- How Cadence Fong’s search for her ikigai allowed her to embrace the ‘I don’t know’
- Maya Dawson says mental health needs to be brought into school curriculum
