Gen Z wants to do good — and thinks the government should too

Gen Zers in Nepal are at the forefront of rescue, relief and reconstruction efforts after devastating floods and landslides on Aug. 26 left thousands dead or missing.

One 10-person team had started distributing relief materials but decided to pivot to on-the-ground rescues after seeing the effects of the ruin. Sunil Singh, a Gen Zer in Nepal, told Nepali news outlet Ratopati that the generation is “ready to be mobilized at the forefront.”

Prakash Bam, secretary of the National Gen Z Citizen Campaign, said some citizens are still trapped because the government cannot effectively coordinate rescues.

“Citizens are still waiting for life and death. The government should immediately intensify the rescue work, even if it means taking international help,” Bam said.

Young adults in Nepal and the U.S. alike have expressed frustration with their government’s handling of disaster relief, which led them to take matters into their own hands.

A Resilient Tomorrow (ART), co-founded by community members in Altadena, Calif., began hosting distribution drives after the Eaton Fire ravaged their neighborhood.

“We recognized how much government disaster response and disaster aid falls short. We saw a gap in those services,” Savannah Bradley, a 26-year-old co-director of ART, told The Hill.

“There was a lot of frustration that the people in power were not taking this seriously enough, and we needed to protect ourselves,” Bradley said. “We’re young; we’re the future.”

GoFundMe released data in June that found 57 percent of Gen Zers plan for donations in their yearly budget and 40 percent reduce personal spending so they can give.

The survey also looked at the causes Generation Z gives to: 29 percent reported social justice and politics, 17 percent reported conservative political causes and 12 percent reported children’s charities.

Although ART — originally named Altadena Recovery Team — was first created to respond to the destruction of the Eaton Fire, the organization has continued to expand to help the community through advocacy, survivor protection and monthly donation drives. “If we don’t get the support, we do it ourselves,” Bradley said.

Gen Z trends toward wanting to do good in general. A Harvard study released in June found that 79 percent of adults 18-29 reported wanting a job that’s “mainly focused” on helping others or making a positive difference in others’ lives.

Richard Weissbourd, director at Making Caring Common who also conducted the research, said that young adults reported the favorite part of their job was to help others. Those who worked in retail, for example, liked helping people find clothes that made them feel attractive.

“Among Gen Zers, there is a lot of concern about the world, and there’s a wanting to do something meaningful that will make it better,” Weissbourd said.

The first Generation Z member of Congress, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), took on a room full of baby boomers and contended that the government should strike out student loan debt, that Gen Zers are the most politically involved generation , and that young adults can “only read about,” not live, the American Dream.

He appeared on this week’s episode of Jubilee’s YouTube show “Surrounded” that puts a guest, circled by a group of disagreers, in the hot seat to defend their claims.

In a conversation with The Hill, Frost reflected on the episode and said it acts as “a microcosm for how young people feel about things right now, that there’s just a lot of folks just yelling at them, not listening to their concerns.”

Frost was surprised by his competition, who were not only baby boomers, but what he described as “pretty unhinged MAGA people.” And there was significant finger-pointing with one detractor telling Frost that “boomers, Generation X all get slapped down by your generation.”

He also stated on the show that “Gen Z isn’t too spoiled, demanding, or lazy.”

People who disagreed with that point of view argued that Gen Z feels entitled and is unwilling to work hard. Frost wasn’t surprised by their responses.

“I think we all know what older generations usually say about younger generations,” he told The Hill.

The Sunshine State representative wasn’t fazed, though — he’s no stranger to contentious conversations.

“The fact of the matter is I live in Florida. I spent a lot of time in very Republican areas. I’m a jet skier. I do water sports. I go to wrestling and I have these conversations with people all the time,” he said.

While only time will tell if the room was swayed by Frost’s claims, the lawmaker recounted some positivity behind the scenes.

“At the end, most of those people, you know, shook my hand. They said they were proud of me, and they loved having a good conversation with me,” he told The Hill.

What’s trending?: El-Sayed joins ‘Senate Island’

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed heard there was a “Love Island: USA” reunion happening Monday night and decided to debut his own spoof to steal spotlight and Gen Z’s attention.

Does he have what it takes to win “Senate Island?”

Peacock’s hit show of the summer “Love Island: USA” aired its reunion Monday night, sending Gen Z social media into a frenzy. But El-Sayed wanted a piece of the action, creating an original campaign post out of the event to get the attention of young voters who watch the show.

Throughout his campaign, El-Sayed has pulled away from typical campaign strategies, and instead has taken a page out of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) book, focusing on flashy, Gen Z driven advertisements.

El-Sayed’s “Senate Island” campaign post looked like any other “Love Island: USA” introduction, minus the gossipy failed love stories.

“So what’s my type? No corporate PAC money, ready to rock for Medicare for all,” El-Sayed said in front of a pink background with beach balls and a giant inflatable palm tree. “I got one goal here on ‘Senate Island,’ and that’s to pass Medicare for all, and I’m not afraid to step on people’s toes.”

His campaign team told The Hill on Thursday that its staffers are “unafraid” to express creativity in their social media posts and street interviews as he looks to capture relatability with younger generations.

“Abdul and the entire team have always led with an innovative, creative, and a go-anywhere-and-talk-to-anyone approach,” said Elena Bohm, director of content and creators for El-Sayed. “Our ‘Senate Island’ video is just one example of how we’re unafraid to use creative methods to break through to Michigan voters.”

Run into El-Sayed holding a paper fortune teller on the street? That’s actually his back to school “tariff catcher” that he used to show Michigan residents how President Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Canada would impact everyday products.

“One, two, three. All right. Do we want to do buying a car or grocery shopping?” he said to a group of women on the street holding the “tariff catcher.”

“Alright guys, here we go. Beef is up 15 percent,” El-Sayed said. “So, that means if you want to go buy steak, you’re now buying ground chuck.”

Bohm emphasized that El-Sayed and his campaign team will continue to target disengaged, young voters ahead of the November election against former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.).

“Politics can quickly become cynical, divisive, and isolating, especially for young people. As a party, we have to do better to reach disengaged voters if we want to win elections,” Bohm told The Hill in a statement.

Rogers has also recently highlighted Gen Z supporters on social media, weighing in on how the Republican candidate will restore the American Dream for younger generations through his affordable housing plan.

Rogers’s social media posts even include young Democrats who said they would switch parties to support his emphasis on “unlocking homeownership.”

“I have not voted Republican before, I’ve always been a Democrat,” said Ethan from Waterford, Michigan in a video posted by Rogers on the social platform X . “I made the decision to support Mike over Abdul, because he has shown me, through and through, he has the same exact values I do of looking for affordability for young people.”

The Feed is a weekly scoop on Generation Z put together by three Generation Z editors at The Hill. We’re working to understand the ins and outs of our generation’s politics. Send tips or comments to awalker@thehill.com, jfeldstein@thehill.com or cleibowitz@thehill.com.