Abstract:
The researcher conceptualized on the topic regarding the link of urban poverty and youth activism amidst his growing observation of increased youth participation in social demonstrations. Being a youth activist himself, the researcher, through extensive interviews, was able to establish a connection between the growing socioeconomic problems of the urban poor and the heightened social and political awareness of the youth through their participation in social demonstrations. The research started by tracing the roots of poverty in the whole country. With it comes the study on urbanization and urban poverty. By examining the situation of the urban poor, the researcher was able to empathize with the difficulties this impoverished sector has to face everyday. Evaluation of government programs was also done by the researcher. In his assessment of some of the government policies, he found out that many of these measures are ineffective, especially on the areas of housing, employment and the delivery of basic goods and services. Government and non-govemment organization statistics were also of vital importance in the conduct of this research. The tables and figures used in the research are important in the sense that they give more credibility to the whole study by providing measurements and quantities. The main aim of this thesis is principally to explain youth activism in the context of a rising urban poverty and the ineffectiveness of government programs in addressing the problem. As a representative of the urban poor community, the researcher deliberately chose the railway community of Blumentritt. In his participation on several rallies of the youth sector, he found out that a significant number of youth activists came from this community. The researcher also learned that community organizers have been working to organize the youth in the community. Interviews, life history methods, and focus group discussions were mainly the tools of the researcher in concretizing the general body of the whole study. Promoting the interests of the impoverished and deprived sectors of the society has been the advocacy of the researcher way before die start of this study. In the latter part of the research, the researcher presented measures that must be done by the government in order to solve the pressing problem of poverty.
