Introduction

Nearly half of the people inhabiting the world today are under the age of twenty-five—the largest generation of young people in human history. Of those, 85 percent are coming of age in developing countries, experiencing disproportionate economic, social, and political representation in relation to powerful forces operating at global, national, and local levels. In addition to facing inadequate access to healthcare and education, gender inequality, widespread unemployment, political conflict, and the proliferation of HIV/AIDS, over 500 million are surviving on less than two dollars per day (UNFPA 2005, 4, 45). Deprivation, poor health, powerlessness, and poverty are however, not the lived experiences of adolescents everywhere. Our world's adolescents encounter and respond to challenges of physiological development, identity formation, risk, culture change, and globalization in unique and diverse ways. With varying degrees of agency, and opportunity, dependent upon factors such as rural or urban living, economic circumstances, gender, religion, family, and social support, this young generation navigates the complex process of adolescent identity development within a changing and challenging world (ibid.).