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Youth did not create the circumstances in which they live, but adults often ignore mediating circumstances and blame and bash youth, instead of providing help and guidance. This is evident in policies and attitudes toward youth that are punitive and harsh in nature. Many adults see youth as a culture to be feared or devalued because the media characteristically present youth negatively, particularly in news stories. The educational terrain is no exception to this trend; the urgency to increase student achievement has persisted. Current students, however, face unprecedented circumstances in a high accountability, high-stakes testing environment, where labeling schools as failing on the front page of newspapers has become common practice. Youth should be viewed as a critical resource. This paper outlines eight factors that illustrate some of the many things about youth to celebrate and eight things that adults should be doing for youth. Drawing upon work by Mary McCaslin and Eleanor DiMarino-Linnen