We won't give you another article about the woes of Gen Y. Spoiled, disillusioned, and with bleak career prospects -- chances are, you've heard this story before. We may be delaying marriage, buying a house, and other "life milestones," but it's no wonder that many of us have experienced a quarter-life crisis way before the quintessential mid-life one.
According to a survey by U.K.-based Gumtree.com, 86 per cent of young people are feeling the pressures to succeed before 30. Furthermore, one in five want a complete career change. And to top it all off, a third of young people are still living at home with our parents while we figure things out. For many of us in this generation who often had clear paths laid down for them, "the real world" seems to bring on feelings of confusion, frustration, and fear. Many of us grew up being told we could be anything we want. We became what we thought we wanted. And then, more often than not, we realize -- what, and for who, is all of this work for?
Unfortunately, there's no clear set of instructions on what to do next.
At the heart of our own quarter-life crisis, we immersed ourselves in the world of inspirational videos and self-help books. We came out the other side more confused than before. The last thing we needed was to blow $100 on a "Follow Your Dreams!" workshop. We wanted reality.
We wanted the real stories from people who are doing things differently, and have results. We wanted to hear from the people who brought ideas to life, who exude passion from what they do, and who are working hard in their communities to create new spaces and lead new movements.
We didn't just want their bios and achievement list -- that, we could Google. We wanted a deeper look at what it really took. We wanted to know what shaped them, what inspired them, and what kept them going across their journeys.
So, we set out to find the people who inspired us in our own city. Through the stories of 15 community game-changers, local to Toronto, we uncovered incredible ideas, passions, and advice. We heard stories of long-held dreams and the determination it took to realize them. We heard stories of dark lows, heart-bursting highs, and unexpected twists. These are stories of resilience, re-education, and re-invention. These are the stories of The INSIGHT Project.
We believe these stories can be catalysts to change our generation's story. We hope they encourage people to step out of their boxes and carve their own paths. At the very least, we hope they help bring inspiration, clarity, and provide whichever little push you may need.
An interesting thing happened along our journey of building The INSIGHT Project. Through these stories, we began to find our own.
We have a sneaking suspicion they may just do the same for you.
The INSIGHT Project is a documentary webseries providing a deeper look at people who followed their passions, brought ideas to life, and are pushing their communities forward in creative new ways. Our focus is to use the stories, insights and advice from these real-life catalysts to inspire and equip you to bring your own ideas to life.
To help bring these stories to life, visit our Kickstarter site. To find our more about our Game-Changers, visit our website.