Since the beginning of the American experience, labels have been used to describe generations. Among them are the "Puritan generation," the "greatest generation," the "baby boomer generation" and the "MTV generation." Today, people are creating a new generation--the "lost generation." The lost generation represents a large and growing population of 16- to 24-year-olds who are high school dropouts. The educational system has tagged many of these young people as failures. They have broken spirits and broken lives. Most are unemployed or unemployable. People of color represent a disproportionate percentage of the lost generation. The question now is how to retrieve nearly a third of the would-be high school graduates from this lost generation, guiding them to a pathway of success and happiness. Community colleges are ideally poised to take on this emerging mission. They are "the people's college," with a mission focused on teaching. Community colleges are well positioned to step in and help save those high school dropouts. (Contains 3 figures.)