|
Generation Next is a term for the 42 million 16-to-25 year olds
who watched the Twin Towers collapse, saw a student shoot down
his peers at Virginia Tech University, grew up online and statistically
speaking are better educated than any other generation in history.
The aim of the Generation Next initiative is to unravel this
generation of young people who are hooked to technology, generally
supportive of gay rights and racial differences, partial to postponing
adulthood and swamped in debt.
As part of this documentary and Web site, we consider what makes
Generation Next distinct from its predecessors. We look at the
beliefs, strengths, weaknesses and concerns that galvanize this
generation.
 Broadcast
journalist Judy Woodruff guides
us across the United States as we document the views of 16-to-25
year olds: America's emerging decision-makers and leaders.
Four Generation Next segments aired on the NewsHour
with Jim Lehrer during the fall of 2006. You can view them and read the transcripts on our Audio/Video page.
We produced an hour-long documentary that aired on PBS stations
in January 2007. As a part of the filming process, we traveled
across the country asking myriad people an array of questions.
But more importantly, we listened to what they had to say:
In September 2007, local PBS stations will air Generation
Next 2.0, a second hour of footage and reporting from the
team.
This Web site has not only reported on the interviews and other
findings about this generation but invited those young people
to send feedback as well. Features such as the timelines,
the Gen
Next Dialogues and the op-ed stories in the SpeakUp
section, we intend to offer an interactive platform for discussion
and news gathering.
The Web site has two main sections:
The Documentary offers a
closer look at the production effort
The Demographic provides
reports on the decisions, goals and tastes of 16-to-25 year olds.
We also worked with Yahoo! to arrange discussions between Gen
Nexters and major figures in the media in a project called, Talk
to Power.
So please, click around, comment on the Gen Next Op-eds and e-mail
us your questions, concerns and suggestions.
|
