Filipino Youth
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction The youth, which by legal definition includes those who are 15 to 30 years old, comprises almost one-third of the country’s population (NYC, 1998). As such, the Filipino youth increasingly play an important and vital role in the development of the Philippine society. Their attitudes, values, mind-set, and priorities will determine the progress of the country in the future. Nowadays, the Filipino youth are experiencing a serious decline of discipline and morale.
They have become disrespectful to their parents, teachers, elders, authorities, and the law. The lack of discipline among them is evident in the advent of crimes involving minors. This includes the high incidences of their involvement in illegal activities such as use of prohibited drugs, theft, petty crimes, and illicit sex. However, these are just some of the disturbing facts about Filipino youth. The youth of today are susceptible hostages and targets of the fast changing world, of virtual reality, of the decadence of morality, and of the onset of spiritual decay. As technological advancements mushroom and sky-rocket, the Filipino youth is exposed to greater challenges most of which uproot the solid foundation of values and virtues (Subong, 2008). According to the Filipino youth study survey conducted by the Global Filipino Foundation in 2001, media and technology are the other big things in their life. They are usually more interested to play video games rather than to study when they have free time. This is the reason why it is strongly agreed that games are affecting youth today as it will cause addiction and waste of time, money, and energy. Such things only show that they tend to misuse technologies.
The understanding about youth have come a long way when Margaret Mead pioneered the earliest influential study of youth that examined what “coming of age” meant for Samoan girls (Mead, 1928). She believes that human life is given meaning
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction The youth, which by legal definition includes those who are 15 to 30 years old, comprises almost one-third of the country’s population (NYC, 1998). As such, the Filipino youth increasingly play an important and vital role in the development of the Philippine society. Their attitudes, values, mind-set, and priorities will determine the progress of the country in the future. Nowadays, the Filipino youth are experiencing a serious decline of discipline and morale.
They have become disrespectful to their parents, teachers, elders, authorities, and the law. The lack of discipline among them is evident in the advent of crimes involving minors. This includes the high incidences of their involvement in illegal activities such as use of prohibited drugs, theft, petty crimes, and illicit sex. However, these are just some of the disturbing facts about Filipino youth. The youth of today are susceptible hostages and targets of the fast changing world, of virtual reality, of the decadence of morality, and of the onset of spiritual decay. As technological advancements mushroom and sky-rocket, the Filipino youth is exposed to greater challenges most of which uproot the solid foundation of values and virtues (Subong, 2008). According to the Filipino youth study survey conducted by the Global Filipino Foundation in 2001, media and technology are the other big things in their life. They are usually more interested to play video games rather than to study when they have free time. This is the reason why it is strongly agreed that games are affecting youth today as it will cause addiction and waste of time, money, and energy. Such things only show that they tend to misuse technologies.
The understanding about youth have come a long way when Margaret Mead pioneered the earliest influential study of youth that examined what “coming of age” meant for Samoan girls (Mead, 1928). She believes that human life is given meaning