Behavioral Change’s Adolescents in The Children and Youth Council of Pathumwan, Bangkok

Abstract

Abstract

The objectives of this research are: (1) to study the behavioral changes of children and youth who participated in the Children and Youth Council and 2) study the problems and provide a guidance for the development of the activities of the Children and Youth Council in Pathumwan District in Bangkok. The research was conducted by using the qualitative method to the sample groups of children and youth, their parents, staff of the Child Development Foundation, and staff of Community Development and Social Welfare who participated in an activity of the Children and Youth Council of Pathumwan District Office. In-depth interviews and group discussions for the focus group that involves 21 people were conducted in order to find out the answers to the research; and thematic analysis to identify the implications and interpretations based on the transcripts, respectively.

The research findings revealed that: 1) The driving force of the Children and Youth Council based on the principle of "Children Think, Children Lead, Adults Support" where the children and youth are operators themselves, tend to make the children and youth learn from what they do by themselves, develop their skills, and change their behaviors in three areas i.e., better self-expression, better self-control, and greater assertiveness. In terms of personality, there was an improvement the way they dress which turn out to be more suitable for the time and place, the given role, the work process, and the work process was planned in a step-by-step manner while at the same time, the responsibilities were clearly defined. 2) The problems concerning the driving force of the Children and Youth Council in Pathumwan District are the Article 24 of the Child and Youth Development Promotion Act (2007) and its amendment (2nd edition, 2017) serve as limitations in recruiting and selecting the executive committee of the Children and Youth Council. They also obstruct the allocation of budget from the government sector which impedes activities from being held throughout the year. The researcher recommends the development of activities on a regular basis and made them accessible for the interested children and youth regardless of gender and ages so they can build rapport and have the real sense of unity among the members of Children and Youth Council in Pathumwan District.