The Vibe Shift – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Michelle, a business professor whose research focuses on calling, purpose, and human flourishing, joined Edward’s week-long seminar on Gen Z at the 2025 Oxford Theology Summer School. In this conversation, she reflects on what the experience revealed to her about Gen Z’s hunger for meaning, the importance of authentic community, and the surprising places young people now turn when seeking order and purpose. Drawing on both her teaching and the seminar discussions, Michelle offers an honest look at the challenges today’s students face—and what educators and faith communities might need to reimagine in response.

The Vibe Shift Podcast is part of The Gen Z Role Models Project, a study exploring how young people today make sense of religion, spirituality, and role models in a digital age. The new King’s Study is now open—anyone aged 18–28, from any background and location, can take part. And it’s easy to get started: https://bit.ly/GenZ2026

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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Kasun Fernando, a young Roman Catholic deacon from Sri Lanka, joined Edward's week-long seminar on Gen Z at the 2025 Oxford Theology Summer School. In this conversation, Kasun reflects on what the experience taught him about listening, and how the five themes—or narrative-types—of The Gen Z Role Models Project has helped him better understand his generation.

The Vibe Shift Podcast is part of The Gen Z Role Models Project, a study exploring how young people today make sense of religion, spirituality, and role models in a digital age. The new King’s Study is now open—anyone aged 18–28, from any background and location, can take part. And it's easy to get started: https://bit.ly/GenZ2026

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire and I speak with Grace, an international student from Malaysia whose family is part of the Chinese diaspora there. Now based in the UK, Grace took part in our study and connected with what we’ve called the Simple Faith Narrative—a story in which Jesse, a fictional Gen Z character, finds peace and meaning through a sacred text shared by a religious influencer.

Together, we read and reflect on a Simple Faith submission from our story archive, using it as a springboard for a wide-ranging conversation. Grace shares her view that Gen Z is a generation marked by open-mindedness—even as many feel distant from formal religion. She offers insight into why some young people are drawn to a simple, unshaken faith, and reflects on how she carefully evaluates religious content encountered online.

This episode explores:

• The appeal of a simple faith and how one's family plays a role
• What Gen Z is seeking—and avoiding—in religion today
• The ethical importance of intentionality and discernment
• What the media gets right (and wrong) about Gen Z spirituality

If you’ve ever wondered how young people—in the East and West—are navigating faith today, this episode offers a thoughtful, grounded perspective.

This is The Vibe Shift. And the conversation keeps unfolding.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire speaks with Saadadden, a former research assistant on the Gen Z Role Models Project with a background in both law and theology.

Drawing on the Islamic tradition, Saadadden reflects on the importance of moral exemplars—and why face-to-face encounters are so central to understanding them. He explains how online interactions often strip role models of their values and context, reducing them to mere image or fragmentary sound bites. In contrast, the Islamic tradition places deep value on personal presence, lived example, and the transmission of character through real-life relationships. Saadadden shares how the Oxford summit created space for in-depth discussions, allowing young people from different backgrounds to move beyond surface-level impressions and into more meaningful dialogue.

This episode explores:

• Why in-person encounters are help us understand moral exemplars
• How digital culture flattens role models into mere 'content'
• An Islamic perspective on moral role modeling
• How face-to-face conversation opens space for reflection and growth

If you’ve ever wondered what we miss when we meet our role models online, this episode offers a deeper lens.

This is The Vibe Shift. And the conversation continues.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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Episode 2: Faith Under Fire and the Urgency of Connection

In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire sits down with Mariia, a young professional from Ukraine and one of the participants in the Oxford workshop of the Gen Z Role Models Project.

Mariia opens up about the role of faith in times of challenge—how it sustains not just individuals, but whole communities facing daily uncertainty. She shares how the quiet strength of a local priest became a spiritual anchor for her family, and how young Ukrainians are turning to faith as a source of resilience. Drawing on her experience co-analysing stories with other Gen Zers, Mariia reflects on the power of listening and the importance of community in a hyper-connected, high-speed world.

This episode explores:

• How faith helps young people find hope in the face of challenge
• Why spiritual role models matter in moments of crisis
• What Gen Zers can learn when they listen across difference
• Why this generation needs space for deep connections

If you're curious about what faith looks like in a time of crisis—and how young people are forging meaning in a fractured world—this episode offers both insight and hope.

This is The Vibe Shift. And the conversation keeps unfolding.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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In this first episode of The Vibe Shift, we sit down with Iris—a London-based student from Southeast Asia and one of the first participants in the Oxford pilot of the Gen Z Role Models Project. The project uses a research method called story completion to surface the unspoken beliefs young people hold about religion and spirituality.

Together, we explore stories of “divine disillusionment”—moments when religious figures and institutions fail to live up to expectations, and when faith begins to unravel. Iris shares her spiritual context back home and explains why Gen Z needs better, braver ways to talk about religion, doubt, and belief. She reflects on the power of fiction to say what can’t always be said out loud—and how the story completion method offered a safe space to process what felt unspeakable. She also shares what it was like to engage face-to-face with other participants—some on completely different ends of the religious spectrum—and still find meaningful common ground.

This episode dives into:

• What spiritual disillusionment looks like for Gen Z
• Why fictional storytelling can offer a kind of catharsis
• How to have honest conversations across deep differences
• The power and complexity of role models in today’s secular age

If you’ve ever wrestled with religion—or struggled to put your spiritual questions into words—this episode’s for you.

This is The Vibe Shift. And this is just the beginning.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

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Phoebe, the Young Adult Mission Enabler for the Diocese of Durham, found faith at the age of 18. A Gen Z Christian herself, she now helps churches listen more deeply to a generation rediscovering spirituality. In this conversation, she reflects on why some young adults experience faith as a direct encounter with God—the “Simple Faith Narrative”—and how that insight shapes her ministry. We also discuss online spirituality, safety and honesty in faith spaces, and the Church of England’s efforts to bring young adults into leadership and decision-making.

This Vibe Shift is part of The Gen Z Role Models Project, a study exploring how young people today make sense of religion, spirituality, and role models in a digital age. Following a successful Oxford Pilot, the new King’s Study is up and running—anyone aged 18–28, from any background and location, can take part: https://bit.ly/GenZ2026

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

James, a London-based student, grew up in a religious home but now calls himself “pro-faith" but not practising. In this conversation, he reflects on why some Gen Zers turn away from organised religion and move toward self-help, how social media shapes shared anxiety and belonging, and why curiosity—and conversation—might be the best kind of therapy.

This episode is part of The Gen Z Role Models Project, a study exploring how young people today make sense of religion, spirituality, and role models in a digital age. Following a successful Oxford Pilot, the new King’s Study is up and running—anyone aged 18–28, from any background and location, can take part: https://bit.ly/GenZ2026

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Edward sits down with Claire, Communications Officer at the University of Oxford, to talk about her role as collaborator on the Gen Z Role Models Project.

They discuss the rewards of doing collaborative research and explore the lessons that Claire is taking forward. They also discuss Gen Z religion in light of what Edward and Claire learnt at the European Academy of Religion in Vienna.

They talk about:

• The aspirations and tensions involved in participatory research
• The joys of researching alongside one's day job
• The unglamorous realities of doing research in higher education
• The diversity of Gen Z approaches to religion, specifically in Indonesia

Join us for this special, behind-the-scenes conversation about the power of teamwork and the excitement of doing participatory research in the humanities.

***

Erica Larson (2023), Ethics of Belonging, University of Hawaii Press.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Edward talks with Noah, a theology graduate and study participant who reflects on the power of asking big questions—and finding simple but profound answers.

Noah shares how reading the medieval theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas, transformed his understanding of religion, why our study's Simple Faith Narrative resonated with him, and how teaching with stories helps students navigate their own life journeys. From thirteenth-century questions to contemporary answers, we explore vital topics in religion and role modelling—for a generation that yearns for connection.

We talk about:

• Why Aquinas still captures the religious imagination
• How distance and closeness shape role-modelling relationships
• How virtues can be taught using stories
• Why a “simple faith” doesn’t mean a simplistic faith

Listen now for a thoughtful conversation about theology, mentoring, and life's exciting quest for meaning.

Visit us at oxfordexemplars.org.

Music: 'Find Yours Dreams' by Art Flower. CC0 1.0 Universal License. 

Copyright: The Vibe Shift, 2025.