Evaluation of Youth Empowerment in Informal Settlements(Case Study: Ali Ibn Abitaleb Neighbourhood, Arak City)

As a social capital, youths are the driving force of a country, and if they are properly planned and trained, they can act as an active force in raising the high goals of the society. But in some areas, including marginal areas, due to geographical conditions, lack of service, poverty, the prevalence of delinquency and addiction, etc., young people are exposed to all kinds of social harm. In the present study, by studying the background of the research and sources, we have extracted the dimensions of youth empowerment in Ali Ibn Abitaleb Neighbourhood (Arak City) by preparing a questionnaire. This research is descriptive-analytical and practical in terms of purpose. The sample size was determined according to the statistical population of this neighborhood using Cochran's formula. According to the census 2015, the population of the area was 37,249 people. First, questionnaires were distributed (online and manually) among young people, after completing the questionnaire, 200 people were selected according to the variance obtained from the initial sample. The data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software. The results indicate that the environmental factor has the highest factor load with a weight of 0.94. Also, the factor of personal context with a factor load of 0.84 is in the next order, which indicates the existence of a high context for empowerment programs among young people.