| dc.description.abstract | This research study conveys the perspectives and experiences of the 12 Filipino youth at-risk participating in a training program developed by an NGO in the Philippines. One of the objectives of the study is to explore Filipino youth’s insights on how their involvement with the organization has contributed their quality of lives. Consequently, I aim to acquire and use the interpersonal and intrapersonal motivations of children in joining or cooperating in the program to identify the sociocultural elements that the children consider significant for them. By distinguishing these elements, it offers an opportunity to see how they affect one’s childhood as well as how they contribute to the lives of the youth at-risk. Furthermore, this research study displays the benefits that the children attained as they participate in the program of the NGO, particularly in terms of education and work aspects. In this research, the 12 key informants are identified within the age range of 14-17 years old.
The theoretical framework in this research mainly features childhood studies as a research field, wherein the notions of agency and social constructionism are interconnected, as well as the concept of relational wellbeing. This specific research field and the concepts mentioned explore the conceptualizations on perspectives about children and their childhoods. These emphasize ideas such as viewing children as social actors; empowering children and youth through acknowledging their voices and perspectives; and recognizing variables that can affect the constructions of childhood. Three specific methods were utilized in this research as seen in the methodology: participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and individual drawings. Participant observation was done in different settings which were the recreational activity camp, NGO’s function area, and the youth’s residential centers. However, the individual semi-structured interviews and individual drawings were done in their residential centers, which were referred to in the project as Center A and Center B. Furthermore, the informal conversations that transpired between some of the NGO staff and I, also gave information about the organization, its program, and the key informants.
The findings and interpretations in the analysis and discussions highlight family as a significant component considered by the key informants. This concept is associated with the youth’s feeling of belongingness in their residential homes, which is where they spend time with the NGO staff and other children. Additionally, these chapters bring forward the challenges faced by the youth before joining the NGO’s program. Their narratives give context to the socioeconomic struggles faced by many at-risk Filipino children, which relate to the concept of social constructionism. These chapters also display the elicited motivations of children for joining and continuing the program which were utilized in exploring what kind of agency and how agency is experienced by the key informants. Furthermore, the accounts of the youth at-risk present the influences of their social relations in their wellbeing.
Lastly, I concluded the research study by emphasizing that it is vital to elicit youth at-risk’s views and experiences to be able to comprehend more the realities or actualities of their childhoods. This foregrounds reflections on seeing youth as social actors, who engage into different actions and behavior that can determine their lives. Nonetheless, at the same time, it is also important to explore how distinct sociocultural factors affect the abilities and actions of many youth at-risk. | |