Preparing Adolescents for the Twenty-First Century is the fourth volume of the Johann Jacobs Foundation's Conference Series. Like the previous ones, this volume promotes our Foundation's basic aim: to support young adolescents in becoming healthy and productive adults capable of making valuable contributions to society. This goal is accomplished through financial support of basic research on human development, the elaboration of educational and policy programs, and the furtherance of reliable research-based intervention strategies from which all adolescents can benefit.

This interest of the Johann Jacobs Foundation was particularly well served by two recent conferences. The first was held at our Marbach Castle Communication Center on the topic “Frontiers in the Education of Young Adolescents” (November 3–5,1994). The second took place in Geneva, Switzerland (February 3–5, 1995), on “Schools as Health Promoting Environments.” At both conferences, many interesting and original views were expressed regarding the difficult contexts in which young adolescents are negotiating on the often tortuous path to adulthood.

Not long ago, young people were often considered privileged, handed all the benefits of the consumer society on a silver tray. At the same time, other observers fretted about youth, making them feel guilty for misdeeds and reprehensible behavior for which they were not responsible. It is widely recognized that today's youths face completely different and incomparably more complicated challenges than those that confronted previous generations, including the prospect of a lower standard of living than their parents enjoyed.