[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H3531-H3532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE WHAT IF ORGANIZATION AND THE POSSIBILITY GENERATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure today of hosting an 
organization of young people in from my district who call themselves 
``What If?''
  What if young people knew how to create their future every day 
through the goals they set and the decisions they make?
  What if today's youth were given opportunities to become team 
members, to solve problems and to resolve differences clearly and 
effectively?
  What if the youth of today created an expectation for leadership and 
accountability, and in doing so, create a shift in the way they view 
themselves and the way they are viewed by others?
  What if a generation, this generation, decided to empower itself by 
giving itself a meaningful name, the Possibility Generation?
  What if the mass youth movement to spread that name around the globe 
taught participants in that movement to produce actions founded on 
choice, personal and social empowerment, integrity, and responsibility?
  In a world where young people feel that the road ahead is so bleak as 
to require dramatic and violent means of self-expression, in a fast-
paced world of uncertainty and change greater than any other time in 
history, we must empower youth to become visionaries, and to invite new 
choices for their future, to make responsible choices, and to take 
responsibility for the choices that they make.
  In a world in which the mere sustainability of our planet cannot be 
taken for granted, we must encourage and produce socially, 
environmentally, politically, and commercially conscious youth 
leadership.
  The What If Organization, founded to address these very issues, is an 
an educational, training, and networking organization which provides 
unique emotional and intellectual development through innovative 
programs that train youth and young adults to become productive in the 
workplace, in their lives, and in their communities.
  The skills acquired through What If interactive programs provide 
long-

[[Page H3532]]

term solutions with broad implications by training students to make 
responsible choices and consciously operate as the CEOs of their lives.
  Youth leaders of the What If organization have renamed their 
generation. Formerly known as Generation Y, the Possibility Generation. 
They are creating history as the first generation to name itself, and 
through that act, they are declaring their leadership. Unwilling to be 
labeled by others, these youth are creating a shift in the way they 
view themselves and the way they are viewed by others.
  Representatives of the What If Organization, founders of the 
Possibility Generation, and their peers are here today to share in the 
creation of new possibilities for generations to come.
  As I read the Possibility Generation, written by these young people,.
  ``The Possibility Generation Proclamation:
  We, the youth and leaders of the future, hereby proclaim our self-
fulfilling right to choose our name, to be accountable for how we are 
perceived, and to be responsible for the manner in which we relate to 
ourselves and others.
  We are shaping our future by naming ourselves the Possibility 
Generation, a name consistent with the future we are creating. We are 
actively forming the Possibility Generation by taking ownership of the 
future today. We know through our own initiative we can design our 
lives and future, building on the knowledge and experiences from 
previous generations.
  We willingly seek partnership in creating our future based on the 
recognition of our unlimited possibilities and what we can accomplish 
by virtue of our strengths, our openness, our quest to explore 
uncharted territory, our willingness to accept and to be proud of who 
we are, and our ability to accept others for who they are.
  We commit to being a model for the generations to follow, thus 
creating a future for our children and providing a choice to lead a 
life by a path of self-determination and celebration. We commit to 
creating a world that accepts all people and provides an equal right to 
explore given potential. In so doing, we become the possibility of 
goodness, peace, and humanitarianism for all.
  We, the members of the Possibility Generation, pledge to each live 
our possibilities in the manner that will empower us as individuals and 
thus positively influence society as a whole.''
  I am delighted, Mr. Speaker, to host this group of fine young people 
in Washington today, where they will meet leaders from our Congress and 
from the administration, and wish them well as they take on these 
glorious endeavors.

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