Youth and Opportunity: What Should We Do for Future Generations to Thrive?

THIS DISCUSSION GUIDE IS DESIGNED TO HELP AMERICANS DELIBERATE TOGETHER about what we should do to address unprecedented challenges that may hinder future generations from leading successful and economically secure lives. The guide outlines three different ways of considering the issue. Each suggests actions we might take, along with trade-offs we would have to accept. Altogether, these options allow participants to explore important values and tensions shared by many. Information in this guide raises crucial questions for which there are no easy answers.

-Will the next generation, like those before it, be able to build an economically secure future, or will it face too many unprecedented challenges that undercut its prospects?

-Should present-day priorities be more important than our obligations to future generations?

-Is the next generation receiving the education and support it needs to succeed?

-Are there disparities that we should be addressing today to enable future generations to prosper tomorrow?

Bolstering the chances of success for future generations requires us to consider choices that cut across conventional partisan lines and generational differences. What course of action should be a priority as we plan for the future?

The research conducted in developing this guide included a review of policy ideas and polling data from across the political spectrum, interviews and conversations with Americans from all walks of life, focus groups with young people, and appraisals of initial drafts by experts with diverse views and experiences.

About National Issues Forum

The National Issues Forums (NIF) is a network of organizations that brings together citizens around the nation to talk about pressing social and political issues of the day. Thousands of community organizations, including schools, libraries, churches, civic groups, and others, have sponsored forums designed to give people a public voice in the affairs of their communities and their nation. For more information about NIF and for additional publications, see NIF’s website at www.nifi.org.

Dr. Malcolm Elliott Glover is a global leadership scholar and humanitarian who travels the world helping people solve problems. As a crisis manager, inclusion expert, communication analyst, award-winning journalist, and educator; Dr. Glover has worked with academic institutions, corporations, governments, and grassroots organizations in over twelve countries on five continents. He is the founder of Glover Global, an innovative consulting firm that offers clients strategies for leading institutions and teams with compassion and courage.

Starting in 2008 and for about a decade, Dr. Glover worked with the Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums Institute on a nationwide forum series with the National Archives and Records Administration’s Office of Presidential Libraries. During that time, he developed educational materials that assessed the strategic decisions of U.S. presidents on domestic and foreign policy matters. Through training sessions, workshops, and various projects, Dr. Glover also helped several museums and civic organizations build their capacity for convening deliberative forums that address challenging social and economic issues.

Dr. Glover received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University; a Master of Public Service from University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service; a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Mediation from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies from the University of Central Arkansas. His doctoral research examined the interrelated nature of gendered leadership, conflict management, and cultural identity at global organizations and explored the ways leaders manage a multicultural workforce to address humanitarian challenges in an interdependent world.

As a thought leader with an unwavering commitment to equity and community engagement, Dr. Glover has worked with PBS, NPR, MTV, MSNBC, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Winrock International, Heifer International, and several other institutions. In every endeavor, he strives to build coalitions and improve outcomes for initiatives in the public and private sectors.