Half Full (What It Takes to Mentor and Learn From Gen Z)

Mentoring isn’t about fixing young people—it’s about learning to see everyone’s strengths more clearly

In Half Full, Dr. Stephanie J. Hull, longtime educator and President and CEO of Girls Inc., challenges the notion that Gen Z is a lost generation.

Through vivid storytelling, cultural touchstones, and interviews with artists, educators, and leaders, Half Full reframes mentoring as a reciprocal relationship. Gen Z brings unique superpowers (adaptability, coalition-building, digital fluency, and moral clarity) but those strengths don’t develop in isolation. They emerge through relationships with adults who are willing to question their assumptions, move beyond zero-sum thinking, and make real space for young people’s voices. This is not a book about “saving” the next generation. It’s about learning to work with them.

You'll also discover:

• A strengths-based mentoring framework that celebrates difference and builds intergenerational collaboration
• Practical tools for engaging Gen Z and younger generations without imposing outdated expectations or dismissive narratives
• Strategies for fostering inclusion that resonate with educators, youth development advocates, and corporate youth program leaders alike
• How to replace deficit-based thinking with possibility
• How to mentor in ways that allow both young people and adults to grow

An essential resource for principals, heads of school, community center leaders, and corporate executives who foster youth development programs, Half Full provides the inclusive, strengths-based approach needed to mentor Gen Z and beyond toward confident, purposeful leadership.