Hoping for a Better Future: Learning from Jakarta greater area street adolescents

No one dreams to live on the street. However, living on the street has been a forced choice for some children and adolescents. Four studies with altogether 230 adolescents (consist of early, middle, and late adolescents) living on the street in Jakarta greater area but attended informal school were carried to look at how prepared they were for a better future. Study 1 looked at the resilience of street adolescents. Study 2 related the resilience with types of values that street adolescents hold. Study 3 looked at the life satisfaction of street adolescents as compared with other, non street adolescents. The last study related street adolescents' self-esteem with their achievement motivation (differentiated as hope of success and fear of failure). Resilience scale from Wagnild and Young (2009) and Connor and Davidson (2003) were used in study 1 and study 2, respectively. Study 2 also used Portrait Values Questionanaire from Schwartz (2006) to measure 10 values. Study 3 used Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale from Huebner (2001). Study 4 used Rosenberg's (1965) Self-esteem Scale and Achievement Motives ScalesRevised from Lang (2006). The results show that street adolescents have relatively good resilience. Street adolescents value conformity as important and power as unimportant. Resilience is found related with values of security, universalism, stimulation and self direction. There is no difference on life satisfaction between street adolecents and non - street adolecents. Self-esteem of street adolescents is also good, and it is related positively with hope of success while negatively with fear of failure. The results of these studies have good implication on how getting education is important to empower street adolescents for their better future.