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In this biographical, lifeworld-oriented case study, the cases of Ella I. Martillano , Joyce A. Canillas and Kim C. Garcia , who are high school students living in a rural boarding home, are explained. Considering the structural disadvantage that young people face in rural provinces of the Philippines, this book explores their future prospects. Based on narrative interviews, expert interviews and question forms, this paper follows the development of future prospects in their biographies and puts them into their societal context, seeking to understand inter-relationships between the circumstances in their rural province and individual factors. Furthermore, suggestions for youth work in rural areas in the Philippines are outlined. The case analysis shows that the young people have built their future prospects around their individual striving for education and self-improvement. They internalised the expectations of their parents and deferred their personal needs. ( names have been changed)

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Erhard, Maria Christina
Maria Christina Erhard has been a graphic designer, marketing assistant and social worker. At the age of eighteen, a three-month stay in Uganda turned her world upside down. Later, her studies of social work led her to the UK and the Philippines. Born and raised in Austria, Maria currently lives in Sweden and studies on a MSc in Management.

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