As Chief Executive of the National Youth Agency, the author was asked to give her perspective on the lifelong learning prospects for young people. She believes that one's capacity to be a learner and to learn, at whatever stage of life, is directly influenced by every other aspect of one's life, from one's attitudes to one's income. As a young adult of the 1970s, how could she ever hope to understand what it is like to be under 25 now? In this article, the author attempts to paint a picture of their world and the prospects it holds for them, before offering a few reflections. She concludes that we need to create structures and systems which support their participation and influence even if, in so doing, we diminish our own. We need to ensure they have the capacity and opportunity to shape their future prospects, for nothing is more certain: whilst we may shape the present, the future is theirs!