From "Scared" to "Empowered": Lived Experience of Out-of-School Youth in the Philippines

In the Philippines, marginalized youth (e.g. out-of-school) are mostly excluded from civic engagement. This study explores how 5 young Filipino leaders, once out-of-school, navigated a community-based alliance with adults. The lifeworld of these young leaders is accessed through a phenomenological interview guided by Max van Manen’s phenomenological method. Their lived experience tells a transformative journey of being scared youth to becoming empowered young leaders who have found their voice after overcoming insecurities, fear of exclusion, and being misunderstood. It can also be gleaned from their lived experience how the adult partners may have contributed to their transformation. This article recommends strategies for the inclusion of the marginalized youth in civic engagement and a model for youth development initiatives at the grassroots, affirming the crucial role of adult partners in the meaningful engagement of marginalized youth.