Dreams and expectations: young people's expected and preferred futures andtheir significance for education

A recent Australian study sought to obtain a better understanding of what y oung people expect and want of their country in 2010, and to assess the val ue of scenarios as an investigative tool. The study had two components: a s eries of eight scenario-development workshops involving a total of 150 youn g people, most aged between 15 and 24 and from a variety of backgrounds; an d a national opinion poll of 800 Australians in this age group. The study s uggests there is a wide gap between young Australians' expected and preferr ed futures. Most do not expect life to be better in 2010, either nationally or globally, but foresee a continuation, and even worsening, of today's pr oblems. Their dreams for Australia are of a society that places less emphas is on the individual, material wealth and competition. and more on communit y and family, the environment and cooperation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Lt d. All rights reserved.