Possibilities

Abstract

Chapter 6 describes the desire for further change shown by the street-involved youth as they grew older and more mature. They were responding to recognition that their friendships need to change if their life is to change; boredom and wanting something more meaningful; unhappiness with their own drug use; weariness with being financially vulnerable; being frightened about the direction of their lives; a desire to be better than their parents; responsibilities to others, including a partner or a child; and utopian aspirations. The chapter also presents the experiences of some youth who had hopes but, at the time of the authors’ final meeting with them, were discouraged and had absorbed the street identity into their long-term idea about who they were.