This is a special edition of the Marga Journal, which provides a selective outline of health risks and challenges encountered by the youth of the 21st century. Examples are drawn from Sri Lanka and sometimes across the world. This study attempts to initiate discourse on health factors that may affect the health behavior of the youth; with special attention placed on tobacco, drug and alcohol use. It is a pilot project starting out, and the hope that it will branch out from here, and encourage greater dialogue and support for community based research on pursuit of evidence informed public policy and services, prevails.