Philadelphia, PA - 08/23/2007 - A unique generation is coming of age in America. They’ve been called many things, millennials, boomerang kids, generation Y . . . we are calling them Generation Next. They are the 42 million young people aged 16-25 who were born after the Cold War, weaned on technology, came of age rocked by 9/11 and who now face a future marked by complex global challenges.

The second of Judy Woodruff’s documentary reports profiling this generation, Generation Next 2.0, began airing on PBS on September 5. (Check local listings for additional broadcast times.)

This program will round out and deepen a portrait of this generation – their hopes, beliefs and aspirations, and the impact they will have on virtually every aspect of American life as they soon grasp the reigns of political, business and societal leadership.

To get to know her subjects, veteran journalist Judy Woodruff, in partnership with MacNeil Lehrer Productions and supported principally by The Pew Charitable Trusts, traveled across the country in an RV interviewing young people – at colleges, in urban, suburban and rural settings, at workplaces and at home. Additional program funders include the Carnegie Foundation of New York and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Woodruff introduces viewers to a wide range of individuals, including a young entrepreneur from Georgia, an ex-convict and former gang member rebuilding his life in Los Angeles, a farmer trying to coax his future out of the Kansas cornfields, a single-mother struggling to raise 3 children, hold down a job and earn a degree in Detroit and a young lawyer and radio talk show host from California seeking to balance work and family.

“Our main objective is to find out what young people think, to create a profile of the next generation, and to provide current decision-makers with better information about them,” said Woodruff. “We want to help everyone understand the views of young people.”

A representative survey completes the project’s profile of Generation Next. The Pew Research Center completed a survey of 16 – 25 year olds earlier this year.

In Generation Next 2.0, Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center joins Judy Woodruff to illuminate some the key findings of this survey.

“We are delighted to support this unique initiative to illuminate the views of ‘the next generation’,” said Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Today’s young people will shape the future of America. It is critical that we understand their priorities, ideas and aspirations.”

About MacNeil Lehrer Productions 

MacNeil Lehrer Productions produces The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, which airs weeknights on more than 300 local PBS stations, as well as other programs for public, commercial and cable television. MLP also produced complete broadcast coverage of the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions for PBS. Other recent television programs produced by MLP include Free Speech an extended conversation between Jim Lehrer and Ben Bradlee about Bradlee’s career and current issues facing journalism, the award-winning Do You Speak American?, Robert MacNeil’s cross-country trek to discover why American’s speak the way we do; The First Lady: Public Expectations, Private Lives, a look at the expectations of the role of the modern first lady; Debating Our Destiny, Jim Lehrer’s look at presidential and vice presidential debates with candidates; LadyBird, a profile of LadyBird Johnson; Via Dolorosa; Empire of the Bay; and The Story of English. MLP is also the leading force behind the By the People: America in the World civic engagement project.

About The Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trustsis driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.

About the Pew Research Center 

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does so by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by reporting news and analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take positions on policy issues.

About Generation Next

For more information, visit the Generation Next project Web site. Also, you may visit the PBS pressroom for more information and photography of the Generation Next project: www.pbs.org/pressroom.

The Generation Next RV was donated by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), based in Reston, Virginia. RVIA is the national trade association representing more than 550 manufacturers and component suppliers producing approximately 98 percent of all RVs and conversion vehicles manufactured in the United States.