Nathalie Janata – Portrait of a TCK and Observer of the iGen (aka Generation Z)
“Nature-ly iGen” – Is the tech-savvy youth redefining how we engage with nature?
Nathalie Janata is one of your friendly neighborhood TCKs – Third Culture Kids. Born in Germany from a Colombian mother and a Czech-German father, Nathalie grew up in Bogota, Frankfurt and Miami. Her parents worked for Lufthansa, and like many airlines children, she grew up moving around. In addition to Spanish and German, she also learned English, French and some Mandarin along the way. After highschool in Germany and a year in Paris, Nathalie returned to Miami to attend university and graduated in 2019.
Nathalie’s inquisitive mind drove her to extensively research the tech-driven Generation Z – also named iGen after smartphones. This is a global and highly urbanized generation, disconnected from nature and at the same time burdened with the increasingly pessimistic outlook of a sick planet. “Never before has a whole generation been fully global. Never before have children had quicker access to information and been more interconnected. iGen / Generation Z is one of entrepreneurs, multi-taskers, and activists. They understand the issues and want their future secured. And yet, never before have psychological disorders been more common among our youth.” And never before, has a whole generation so suddenly been confronted with the unprecedented and deep disruptions as the ones caused by the 2020 COVID-19 global health pandemic.
In a class on Global Issues & Film Making , Nathalie and Jamaican-American Salim Lemond, combined thorough analysis with engaging storytelling into an extensively researched, insightful and singular film called “Nature-ly iGen” which looks at how the iGen and the adults around them are coping with these issues. What are “positive and possible” outcomes for the future? How do we understand the next generation and equip them to handle global pandemics? How will all this define the “new normal”? What if, instead of causing more anxiety, digitization could engage rather than distance them from nature?
The business world, innovators, policy makers, educators, academia, and parents, all are looking to this iGeneration who will inherit the planet and its ills for reasons to hope. “ Nature-ly iGen” offers a few hopeful discoveries but also asks what University of Miami Professor and award winning documentary filmmaker Ali Habashi calls: “good questions that are lacking good answers”.
You can find out more about “Nature-ly iGen” and view it here.