Research into outcomes for youth at BT Quezon

On 2 March Bahay Tuluyan hosted the launch of the study ‘A Model for Safety and Justice: Filipino Youth Experiences and Outcomes in a Children’s Rights Organization-Run Residential Center’. This study was conducted by Renee Menart as part of the Fulbright program.

Renee conducted the study while living on-site at Bahay Tuluyan’s center in Quezon. She worked with five youth research assistants from BT - Carl V, Carlo E, David P, Ben D and Yhan O - to develop the project, gather data and conduct analysis, using a participatory research approach.

The findings of the study were presented to an audience including various government and non-government stakeholders representing different parts of the child and youth sector.

The study focused on the outcomes for children at risk and children in conflict with the law living at BT’s center in Quezon.

Key findings include:

• Youth report an average 10.33 percent increase in resilience related to psychological caregiving

• 93.33 percent of BT Q youth discharged in the past two years are involved in work or education

• 9 out of 10 youth responses referenced relationships as a reason they feel happy at BT Q

• Youth rank children’s rights highest among key programs as an important part of daily life

• When participants were asked to discuss a time when they learned something new, 81.82 percent of responses referenced farming, making it the most significant theme for this question

• Recommendations for regular family contact and youth placement reviews can improve BT Q programming

We are very grateful to Renee and the Fulbright program for this study. It highlights the power of rights-based, child-centered interventions in changing life trajectories.

For further information about this study, contact Renee Menar (reneemenart@gmail.com) or Bahay Tuluyan (info@bahaytuluyan.org)