Preliminary Findings: The Role of Non-Formal Education in Developing Rural Youth Empowerment

High unemployment levels remain a real concern for developing countries like Indonesia, where employment growth is much slower than population growth, with youth experiencing the highest unemployment rate and difficulties finding a place in the national workforce. This is often compounded by poverty which is an entrenched social and economic challenge. To support poverty reduction improve employment opportunities and facilitate empowerment for children and youth in rural Gianyar Bali, the non-formal education facility, the Slukat Learning Center, was established in 2007. With just over a decade of operation, and a number of seemingly positive student outcomes, it is arguably timely to reflect upon the nature of the Slukat curriculum, with the view to informing what has otherwise being a gap in the research literature between the theory and practices in non-formal education (Romi and Schmida, 2009). Aiming to contribute to the research in the field on youth empowerment through non-formal education, this paper draws on the work of Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory to explore how the Slukat Learning Centre curriculum has evolved to provide learning experiences that challenge poverty and facilitate employment. In particular this paper draws upon data collected from 18 SLC alumni to unpack their understanding and experience of the curriculum. Reading these data through the lens of Social Reproduction theory, preliminary analysis indicate that “SLC” comprises which is supportive of youth developing an new new habitus through access to and acquisition of a range of economic, cultural and social capitals.