Youth lives in poor Manila

Youth Mobilization in Urban Manila is a research project exploring the relationship between youth mobilisation, politics and crime in an urban slum area of Metro Manila. The project is part of a larger research program titled "The Violent Organisation of Political Youth"

As part of the project Steffen Jensen and Elmer Malibiran conducted a qualitative baseline study focusing on ordinary youth lives in the suburb of Bagong Silang. The researchers wanted to understand what life is like through the eyes of young people them selves. To enable the youngster's voices to be heard, the researches gave them cameras and asked them to choose whatever they wanted to photograph. The result is this photo series.

Please note that the present photo series "Youth Lives" depict very young people and most of them have not chosen a criminal path. The series gives an insight into the context youngsters grow up in and what might lead up to the decision of entering a violent criminal network.

Youngsters become both perpetrators and victims
In the research program RCT is seeking knowledge of how violence is generated and regenerated in a social context.

"We want to understand how young people get involved in violence, how they are invited to join groups and how they choose between the various options open to them," Steffen Jensen explains.

Steffen Jensen's point of departure is generational issues and conflicts, and how these, along with gender, race and class, influence young people's involvement in violence.

"If we don't understand the context and boundaries of young people's choices, we can't do anything about it and offer alternative and 'correct' moral choices," Jensen explains.

"In order to design better interventions we have to understand the motives behind the violence as well as the risk factors that make young people both victims and perpetrators,. The choices that young people make - e.g. going to war or joining a gang - are not irrational. They are often the result of long deliberations, in which they consider their past and future, as well as the opportunities and dangers."

 All photos are published with the consent of the portrayed persons.