A keynote address by James Martin at The Transition Generation: Fulfilling the Promise seminar hosted by Americans for Informed Democracy
In his new book, The Meaning of the 21st Century, Dr. James Martin argues that as the world gets smaller, the challenges get bigger. Climate change, financial instability, and the spread of deadly weapons know no borders and require global solutions. Dr. Martin therefore calls today's young people the transition generation because it is these young leaders that will play the critical transition role to the next world order. We are traveling at breakneck speed into an era of extremes - extremes of wealth and poverty, extremes in technology, extremes of globalism, he writes. If we are to survive, we must learn how to manage them all."
In collaboration with the World Education Corps at Oxford University, Americans for Informed Democracy hosted a young global leaders summit entitled The Transition Generation: Fulfilling the Promise in New York City on Saturday, September 16th. The summit brought together students and young professionals from across the U.S. for a series of panels, discussions, and workshops aimed at examining the unique responsibilities of the transition generation and the opportunities for young leaders to fulfill these responsibilities through innovative global leadership and social entrepreneurship.
Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization working to raise global awareness and civic participation through town hall forums and conferences focused on the U.S. role in the world. Through these efforts, AID seeks to build a new generation of globally conscious leaders who can shape an American foreign policy appropriate for an increasingly interdependent world.
Bio
Dr. James Martin
James Martin is founder and chairman emeritus of Headstrong, a global consultancy that helps leading companies worldwide create real business values from digital technologies.
Known as 'the Guru of the Information Age' he is widely recognized as an authority on the social and commercial ramifications of computers and technology. He has written more than 100 textbooks, some of which were seminal works that changed perceptions in the IT industry.
In 1977, his book The Wired Society: A Challenge for Tomorrow, which is based on his predictions and progressive views about technology, received a Pulitzer Prize nomination. And Computer World, in its 25th anniversary issue, ranked him fourth among the 25 individuals who have most influenced the world of computer science.
His current book, "The Meaning of the 21st Century: Transformation and Survival," was published by Riverhead/Penguin in October 2006. It is currently being filmed for American Public Broadcasting.