"Youngsters" itself is a pretty old-fashioned word, and the folk world is one of the few places you still hear it!

I'm glad to hear the majority of the posts seem to be supportive of young people, rather than the "they just can't be bothered" type of comments. Young people today (in the UK at least) seem to have the odds stacked against them: University education and associated eye-watering debt seen as entry level for non-existent careers, ridiculously high housing costs, little hope of an enjoyable retirement, and an older generation who seem to have it all while complaining that the "youngsters" can't be bothered! So to the many who do get involved in music ("folk" or otherwise) all power to you.

The acoustic vs. electric/electronic thread drift is interesting. I don't have a problem with running purely acoustic festivals/sessions but would like to find a way of mixing acoustic/electric/electronic instruments in sessions & singarounds - I think I'll start a thread...

I dunno about "real" music but Paul's definition (music produced for the joy of the thing rather than an attempt to to be rich or famous) defines pretty well what I like most.