This book explores youth civic engagement in three global cities in the Americas: Chicago, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro. Drawing on interviews conducted by the authors in each of the three cities, the book examines the trajectories of youth activists: what influenced them to step out of their private lives and engage in public battles, how they engage to effectively influence institutions in urban spaces that affect their lives, and what kinds of activities they pursued. It also asks whether young people are given rights in the present, or whether they are only conceived as future citizens. This chapter discusses the changing place of youth in public discourse, along with changes in the nature of the public spaces in which young people engage. It also explains the book's definitions of youth and civic engagement, along with its methodology, and gives an overview of the three global cities.