Social media is a powerful tool to raise awareness and create change. But we must take care not to rely upon it as a reflection of our charitable efforts.

Once upon a time, there was a generation of parents who were certain that Elvis Presley's unashamed hip-swivellingvwas most certainly the end of society.

It has been said already, but bears repeating: no blanket statement can sum up an entire group of people. No book, no chapter, no study, no research report can attempt to do that either. Instead, Understanding Y attempts to start a conversation - one that we hope will delve a little deeper and dispel some commonly held assumptions about Generation Y, a conversation that we hope is the first of many.

Whether or not it has fully dawned on society, the reality is that Gen Y will soon have to assume the responsibility for a world crafted by previous generations.

The vast majority of Gen Y are lucky; we have been raised to handle, even embrace change, It's something we srive for, and something that we feel we have the ability to create ourselves. We might not always suceed in creating the change we seek; but we're committed to continue trying.

Learning how young people work is imperative - because getting the most out of employees can be the difference between success and failure for many companies.