This study identifies children’s hopes and fears for the future and the role of education in Kyrgyzstan. Like other children, they were concerned about the environment, crime, violence, poverty and health but also about the revival of their national identity. Many worried about political and economic instability, hoping the new political regime would bring prosperity. They appeared to be active consumers of media, but their understanding of local and global issues was often superficial and their actions were teacher-directed and sometimes tokenistic.