GEN Z has faced many stereotypes. Some say that they’re addicted to social media. Some think they are too entitled. Others don’t like to hire them in the workplace due to their perceived laziness and refusal to work hard.
With the proliferation of social media and internet use, it is easy to label Gen Z and call them as ‘too woke’ and ‘self-centered’. The word ‘narcissistic’ is also thrown around to describe the bunch, regardless of its psychological implications.
But just like the generations that came before it, Gen Z is also a victim of being typecasted. In truth, Gen Z is composed of a diverse range of people with different attributes and personalities. Yes, bad Gen Z folks exist, but so do good ones. Just as there were entitled and self-centered individuals in previous generations, there are also generous and community-oriented Gen Zs in the mix.
And there’s no better time to witness Gen Z’s generosity and benevolence than during Christmas.
For this article, republicasia interviewed Gen Zs who are doing charity work this holiday season. From students to athletes, these Gen Zs proved the stereotypes wrong.
ISU’s Christmas Campus Outreach
Ellein Siganlay is a 22 year-old student of Isabela State University (ISU) – Santiago Extension Unit Campus. As the Supreme Student Council in their university, Ellein leads her fellow students in the newly started program Project ISU – LIGHT which aims to help underprivileged families and children who were affected by typhoons.
“I’ve been participating in outreach programs for about three years now since I was [in] first year college, and the Christmas season has always been a special time for me to give back,” said Ellein during an interview.
Isabela is often one of the most affected provinces when typhoons hit the Philippines. In this year alone, it suffered the brunt of typhoons Nika, Kristine, and Ofel. That is why, the ISU administration, along with its students, decided to create the Project ISU – Light. They want to lighten the burden of the affected families during the holiday season, especially those who are near the university’s neighborhood.
“We organize activities such as gift-giving and rely on donations. In partnership with the ISU Santiago administration, we work as a team to deliver assistance to those in need,” added Ellein.
When asked why she joins outreach programs, Ellein said that it was her way of giving back to the community.
“When I was younger, my family went through some challenging times, and I witnessed how small acts of kindness could make a significant difference in someone’s life. That experience inspired me to help others whenever I can,” she said.
Ellein said that helping children is the closest to her heart. She emphasizes the need to provide them access to basic necessities because she believes that the future depends on them.
Ellein also emphasized the capacity of Gen Z to take on tasks that are seemingly bigger than themselves:
“Our generation is often seen as self-centered, but I believe we have the power to make meaningful changes. Giving back reminds us of our responsibilities and the experiences we’ve had in life, while helping us connect with others. We also believe that helping others is a way of helping ourselves, as it brings a sense of healing and fulfillment.”
Baghawi Dragonboat Team
Gen Z’s charity works might be more apparent in the academic settings, but it is not limited there.
Prince Jade “PJ” Belaca-ol is a 19-year old athlete. He is a paddler for the Baghawi Dragonboat, a rowing sports team that conducts outreach programs for Filipino teens and children.
It was PJ’s first time to join the outreach, whose beneficiaries this year were the orphan children of Hospicio De San Jose in Manila.
“Honestly, we don’t need to wait for Christmas to do outreach like these. Sa totoo lang hindi nga namin trabaho ‘to. It’s the government that should be supporting these types of issues sa country, pero may mga talagang malambot ang mga puso, kaya dapat kahit hindi pasko [may outreach] kasi nakakalungkot sa mga bata yun, na tuwing pasko lang sila naaalala,” PJ said during the interview.
Aside from giving them goods, they also mingled and played with the children, which PJ absolutely enjoyed.
“When we were playing with them, ang saya nila, parang wala silang lungkot, sana mas dumalas yun saya nila,” he added.
PJ was a product of one of Baghawi’s outreach programs, which include supporting underprivileged teens like him to pursue the sport.
“Baghawi’s outreach program focuses entirely on children and teens. As a part of our Under 24 program, I get to experience this kind of help from our team. We have other team members that lack financial help. We are so fortunate that we were recruited by our team captain, Mitch Lazaro, who helped us and taught us this kind of sport. From then on we’ve seen how Baghawi reached the young ones, just to show them na may life outside na may magsusuporta sa kanila, na part sila ng community kahit nasa bahay ampunan sila,” he explained.
For PJ, joining Baghawi’s outreach programs was his way of ‘paying it forward’. He believes that Gen Zs should do charity work not for the ‘clout’ they would get from it, but because this is something that is needed by the communities, like those in the Hospicio.
“If you will help, do it sincerely, do it from the heart. Don’t look for credits and applause, just help if you can help. Let’s prove na our generation is a generation na maasahan, na hindi puro tiktok at trend setting ang alam.”
Ellein and PJ are just few of the many Gen Zs who express their care for the community through volunteerism. Their works shed light on what Gen Zs are capable of, despite the labels thrown at them.
With many following the same footsteps Ellein and PJ walk on, it is not absurd to think that there’s still hope for a brighter future.
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