Designed to promote the creation of programs and policies that meet the needs of young adolescents, this report considers trends and forces affecting children between the ages of 10 and 15 and offers recommendations for drawing out adolescents' positive possibilities. Section 1 acknowledges trends that point to an increasing number of at-risk young adolescents and discusses the growing interest in this group. Section 2 begins with a discussion of the negative impressions of young adolescents fostered by popular depictions of widespread school failure, juvenile delinquency, adolescent pregnancy, and other problems. Discussion then turns to developmental characteristics and needs of young adolescents. Section 3 examines trends and forces likely to affect the lives of young adolescents during the 1990s; these concern: (1) homelessness among children, children in foster or institutional care, and immigrants and refugees; (2) adolescents' health status and social health in the areas of