Much has been said and written about Millennials (also known as Generation Y). Many positive and negative traits have been ascribed to this group and as Kate Lyons writes in The Guardian, the monikers given generally reflect the problems that are fast shaping the future of millennials.

But first, who are Millennials? Millennials are people born between 1984 (+5 years depending on who you ask) and 1996.

Universum recently released a report based on a global study of millennials and their findings confirm what many millennials know. Interestingly, they also stress that it’s important to keep track of how the desires and outlook of Millennials change with time.

Here are notable bits of their first report:

We Welcome Change

We are not afraid of change. Change is part of our milieu. Most of us came of age during times of positive social, political and technological change. Indeed, our sense of optimism is rooted in knowing that things can change for the better. This openness to change means that under the right circumstances, we will take action to make our world better. The campaigns and sit-outs across the continent bear this out. From Nigeria, to Ghana, to South Africa and Kenya – millennials, especially women, show up, organize and bring just causes to the fore.

Setting aside the outcomes and aftermath of these campaigns, there’s no denying our willingness to bring about and embrace change.

We Value Relationships

Africa’s millennial women value relationships. Family and Friends – Home and Country – Work and Business; wherever you look, you will find that Millennials want to stay connected in a very real sense. It shows in our shared desire for work/life balance (though Universum points out that how this balance is defined differs across and within regions). It shows in the growing desire of Millennials in Diaspora to be part of the success of their home countries. And it shows in how we do business.

It is in how we do business that the premium we place on relationships has been most effective. Africa’s millennial women have propelled home-grown fashion and design brands to great success not just by buying from them but by sharing their works and celebrating them.

As Africa’s millennial women continue to exploit this trait, we build the networks that will sustain us and preserve the progress we are so eager to achieve.

We are Digital Natives

Though real access to the internet was delayed for older millennials, coming of age with access to the internet has defined us. It has made us adept at maneuvering a vast and still evolving terrain. The prospect of using these tools to create solutions to old problems is not the only thing that makes our prime digital status a source of power.

Our fearlessness in using and exploring this space is perhaps the greater factor in this dynamic. In the business and web development communities, we are called early adopters.

We give apps, platforms, and creators the momentum they need to sustain their effort. This makes us a driving force. By this alone, we are able to propel ourselves, our entrepreneurs and our communities forward in unprecedented ways.

We are Ambitious

Millennials want to lead and millennial women are stepping up in a big way. For starters, we do not see leadership as strictly a political affair. We recognize leadership in all its facets and we want to lead wherever we find ourselves. For us, leadership is about people not power.

Our ambition to achieve an ideal of leadership that is generous, collaborative and proactive is a powerful force for good in our society.

It means we have it in us to transcend many of the things that have led to the stagnation of our countries and institutions.

We are Dedicated to Empowering Women

We may not all embrace the term, but in practice, Africa’s Millennial women are feminists. We believe in equal opportunity and equal pay. We want to see more women in elective and appointive positions. We are speaking out loudly against the sexual abuse of women and other forms of sexism, and to top it off, we are bridging national, tribal and religious divides by our sentiments & efforts.

With this disposition, we are set to continue the work began by the older women in our communities who dared to aspire to reach their potential long before it was politically correct to do so.