The generation which is now between the age of 18 and 30 live in a world which is more interconnected, more volatile,

more complex and more potentially liberating than at any previous time. The world in 1980 was a very different place: we had no PCs, mobile phones, Sony Walkmans, CDs, satellite TV, or MTV not to mention the Internet as a consumer service and Virtual Reality. For young people, these are the norm: they are the computer generation at ease with the technology, its power and potential.Issues such as the environment, AIDS, drugs, chronic fatigue syndrome, bulimia and anorexia, animal rights, homelessness and long term unemployment are all part of the lives of young people and have become a focus for their energies. As a direct result of their own greater emphasis on individuality combined with the apparent failure of many of the traditional institutions of society - Church, family, politics, the law, the nation state - young people are turning away from convention and finding new ways of expressing and acting on their beliefs and ideals. The family is dead, long live the family - Young people are inventing relationships and the family in their own image, to reflect the needs, ideals . Who does what, how it is organised, how roles and responsibilities are shared are all being redefined and in some cases literally negotiated. It is not the crisis of moral decline that is perceived when measured according to the traditional family framework, but a redefinition: abandoning the stereotypes and norms. Young people have opted out of the traditional political system in droves: not registering to vote, not voting and even fewer joining the traditional parties. what it hides is their desire for passionate commitment. loss of faith in the institutions of government is a result of the scandals and seeming lack of responsibility on the part of the politicians, their double standards especially when talking about the importance of young people, then doing little for them. Instead, young people are getting involved where they can express their own form of passionate commitment, be true to their ideals and see the results of their efforts. Creativity and self expression are a way of life for this generation and enable them to combine and move between all aspects of their lives in a seamless transition. Music, art, video, film, VR, animation - all provide the opportunity to explore their own identity while also enabling them to be seen and heard. This generation have the confidence and the technology to liberate their creative energies in a way that far exceeds previous potential, both in terms of the technology to do it and the markets in which to sell the end result.Getting it right, is therefore even more important now than in the past. I'll do it my way - This is increasingly the byword of the younger generation. Doing it my way also means taking on less, finding another way to live, putting life and fulfilment before work and conventional measures of success, opting out of conventional career structures. Whereas the older generations are talking about downshifting, the desire to find more time, a greater sense of meaning in their lives, more balance between living and working: the younger generation are doing it, and starting out with that in mind.

Technology, while not driving the changes, will have a critical role in enabling the process. Its power, ease of use, portability and accessibility - both in terms of price and location - will continue to increase such that the constraints in future are more likely to be how we decide to use the technology, the values and aims of the communities,We are moving to world where organisations are more responsive and more consistent in practising what they preach. Not necessarily because they want to, but because they have no choice: their actions will be transparent and trackable. Their values, how they live by them and how they present them will decide whether they are able to attract employees and customers alike.