What's on the minds of Central Ohio's Gen Z girls, and where will they take America? Generation Z – the Zoomers – were born after 1996. The oldest of this rising generation has just graduated from college, and the youngest are now entering their teenage years, having been born just as Barack Obama entered the White House.

Their formative years have been shaped by a global pandemic and the tumult of a divided America. Studies have shown that Gen Z embraces strong values rooted in a passion for racial justice, a deep concern for the planet and environmental sustainability, and as consumers, favor access as much as (or more than) ownership.

Zoomers are digital natives, the first generation to grow up from their earliest childhoods with an ever-present Internet and portable digital technology. They're the fastest-growing segment of the Amercian electorate and the most racially-diverse,with a non-Hispanic white majority of just 52%.

CMC turns its stage over to Central Ohio Gen Z girls for an unfiltered look at how at this rising generation sees the world, themselves, and the future.

The speakers are:

Frankie Madosky, Miss Columbus Teen USA 2023

Lillian Corpening-Morgan, Co-Chair, Black Girl Think Tank, and Honors Senior, Pickerington North High School

Mercy Cala Avila, Undergraduate Student, International Business & Chinese, The Ohio State University

Olivia Graham, High School Student-Athlete, Womanist & Advocate for Representation, Columbus School for Girls,

The host is Camille Seals, Head of School, Columbus School for Girls.

This forum featured opening remarks by Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, Founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), and closing remarks by Kennedy Watkins, recipient of the highest honor in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award.

This forum was sponsored by The Mary Lazarus Legacy in Civic Engagement Fund Celebrating Women in Society, Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), The Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland, Battelle, and the YWCA Columbus.

It was supported by The Ellis.

The livestream was presented by The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch.

This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on October 11, 2023.