While many youth ministers focus on protecting their teenagers from the New Age, forward thinking youth ministers might do well to prepare their students for the cognitive age.
In the business world and elsewhere, all topics seem to find a link back to the topic of globalization, but it's possible the driving force behind globalization is different than what is often assumed. Many assume globalization is about the way in which many cultures and countries are blending their economies and cultures through the ever-expanding business world. This is true, but what might really lie at the root of globalization is something less tangible and even more important than where companies hire people.
Advertisement
Some who are concerned about the world teenagers are growing up in center their fears around economic matters like "where will they find jobs." As a result, many are fearful from the immense amount of outsourcing occurring within American countries as they find cheaper labor overseas. However, according to Pankaj Ghemawat of the Harvard Business School, only 10 percent of investment around the world is international, leaving 90 percent of a company's profits in the United States.
At this point, some say the real issue we should be concerned about with students is whether or not we are preparing them to engage with the cognitive age.
"In order to thrive, people are compelled to become better at absorbing, processing and combining information ... Does the individual have the capacity to understand the information? Does he or she have the training to exploit it? Are there cultural assumptions that distort the way it is perceived?"
Discussion StartersWhat do you think educators and youth ministers should be focusing on in the development of teenagers? What things are you doing in your youth ministry to help students engage well with the cognitive age? Do you have any activity suggestions?
FULL NYT ARTICLE