Fruit From My Hands

While scanning my Twitter feed, I ran across this article re-tweeted by HootSuite concerning Millennials and the social media skills they lack. I had not heard the Millennials referred to as Generation We or Generation Me but I find that it is an accurate description. Those born between 1980 and 2000 have:

predispositions of Generation Me – idealism, entitlement, a need for instant gratification, and recognition

I find that many have no desire or need to work with their hands.  I wonder if that is a result of needing instant gratification. I’m sure there is no large media splash of recognition for having completed a hand-knit scarf or sewing an adorable baby bib or quilting a lap-quilt.  In addition to social media skills, my informal research has found that they do not know how to thread a needle, replace a button, or hem their pants.

I have stumbled upon several of this generation who have discovered they lack these skills and are interested in acquiring them.  I was a tad surprised, thinking this generation born of YouTube would simply Google anything they wanted to learn and be fine.  But they don’t want to do that.  They want a real, live person to instruct them, be in the room with them and lead them from beginning to end in a project.  The sad thing is there are not many of my generation (late Baby-Boomers) who learned the skills themselves and all home economics programs were eliminated in public schools long ago.

Thus, I am in the middle of planning a (Very) Basic Alterations class that is not my true definition of an alterations class.  This class is a combination of beginning sewing-threading a needle, tying a knot, sewing on a button; hemming-shortening or lengthening pants, shorts, dresses, skirts, tops; and shopping for the correct size clothing online.

Should be interesting.  Maybe they will come.