Meredith A. Whitley

The Reality of Sustaining Community-Based Sport and Physical Activity Programs to Enhance the Development of Underserved Youth: Challenges and Potential Strategies

The number of positive youth development (PYD) programs focusing on providing opportunities for optimal development has grown tremendously in recent years (Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, & Hawkins, 2004). Larson and Walker (2010) assert that it is important to understand challenges program leaders face when implementing programs and strategies they use to overcome such challenges. However, little research or discussion in the literature has focused on the everyday challenges of implementing youth programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present four case studies of programs implemented in four different countries designed to enhance the psychosocial development of underserved youth using the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model and/or life skills framework. Each case study is presented with a forthright discussion of the challenges faced and the strategies implemented to overcome these challenges. In addition, we offer potential strategies for furthering collaboration with nongovernmental organizations, enhancing program implementation, and transferring program ownership.

Growing up in the Kayamandi Township: II. Sport as a setting for the development and transfer of desirable competencies

With calls for increasing accountability in sport programmes, it is critical for researchers to rigorously examine how sport can contribute to the development of young people. This study was designed as an attempt to understand the nature of sport and sport-based youth development in the community of the Kayamandi Township in South Africa. Three topics related to sport-based youth development in a South African Xhosa township were examined: (a) required competencies for young people to develop in order to have a happy and productive life; (b) competencies acquired by young people through sport participation; and (c) transferable competencies from the sport domain into the everyday lives of young people. A phenomenological methodology was used by gathering participants’ perceptions and meanings through semi-structured interviews. Individual interviews were conducted with 10 coaches, 11 community members, and 19 athletes, with the data analysed through independent comprehensive inductive content analysis with constant comparison and critical reflection. The results of this investigation identified specific competencies developed through sport and transferred out of the sport domain, including the southern African philosophy of ubuntu (e.g. respect and caring for others), self-concept, self-discipline, and group skills. These competencies may help young people prepare to overcome the challenges of growing up in this community. The community-driven nature of the study allowed culturally relevant topics to emerge from the data, thus highlighting the need for community-driven research and programmes with widespread community involvement.

Psychosocial Development in Refugee Children and Youth through the Personal–Social Responsibility Model

The Personal–Social Responsibility (PSR) Model is a sport-based model that helps young people build their character through physical activity (Hellison, 2003). This article describes a sport program for refugee children and youth in the United States based on the PSR Model. The goals of the program are presented, along with specific strategies and procedures utilized in the implementation of the program. Lessons learned, challenges faced, and recommendations for other sport psychology specialists are also included.

A Framework for the Design and Implementation of Service-learning Courses

Within the fields of kinesiology and physical education teacher education, there is a growing number of courses and curricula that utilize service-learning as a pedagogical strategy. However, these courses and curricula are often constructed, implemented, and evaluated without a strong framework based on literature in the field, which has led to questions about whether we are maximizing the benefits to participating students, faculty, institutions, and community partners and members. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it presents a framework that was developed based on literature in the field of service-learning to provide a foundation for maximizing the benefits to all individuals involved. Second, it describes a specific physical activity program that serves as the community-service component for a university-based service-learning course. Detailed descriptions of the practical strategies implemented by the university professor are included, along with how the course addresses each component of the framework.

Growing up in the Kayamandi Township: I. The role of sport in helping young people overcome challenges within their community

While the growth of the sport-for-development movement has coincided with the establishment of a number of sport-for-development organisations, many of these organisations have been top-down development projects or outside-in globalisation projects, which are not as effective as they could be. In an effort to address the gap in the literature on inside-up sport-for-development programmes, this study focused on one specific community in South Africa that is being served by various sport programmes. Interviews were conducted with 40 participants, divided into three sub-groups: community members, coaches and athletes. The methodological framework of the study, a description of the community and the role of sport in the community are described in detail. Additionally, the barriers that prevent young people from participating in sport are addressed, along with a look at how sport can help young people overcome the challenges of growing up in this community. The practical implications of these findings are also addressed, with a focus on how to support existing sport programmes in these communities, develop coaching education programmes to better serve young athletes and design and implement new sport programmes within similar communities.

‘Greatness (un)channelled’: the role of sport in the life of an elite athlete who overcame multiple developmental risk factors

Abstract Within under-resourced urban communities, sport is a huge draw for many young males, with a commonly shared belief that sport can lead to a better life. However, there is a paucity of research examining the experience of elite athletes from under-resourced areas. Additionally, there has been insufficient research that examines the interrelated systems impacting youth development (e.g. individuals, families, neighbourhoods, schools), which is needed to understand talent development in sport and personal development through sport. In this article, a qualitative case study will be presented through narrative inquiry. Following a constructivist philosophical orientation, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with a former All-American athlete in one of the major USA sports, along with individuals identified by this athlete as influential during his developmental years (secondary participants). These interviews explored the athlete’s experiences growing up in an under-resourced, violent community, and the role of sport during his childhood and adolescence. While sport was a significant influence in the athlete’s life, his talent development and personal development would have suffered without his faith, family, education, and the influential individuals with whom he interacted during his developmental years.

An exploration of life skill development through sport in three international high schools

The positive relationship between adolescents’ sport participation and life skill development is widely acknowledged by various researchers. However, minimal research has explored the role of life skill development through school-based sport participation, specifically within international settings. In light of this consideration, this study examined the life skills developed through sport participation at three international high schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with high school student-athletes (n = 29). Participants’ responses were analysed using a constructivist approach. Results indicated that: (1) participants used sport as a means of social, emotional, and academic self-improvement, and (2) sport helped participants develop an ability to work with others. Most participants identified how they used life skills within the sport environment and the deliberate strategies they used to transfer them to other domains, while few participants indicated that their coaches used intentional strategies to facilitate life skill transfer from the sport environment to other domains.

Changing methods and methods of change: reflections on qualitative research in Sport for Development and Peace

Abstract This collection of papers is made up of diverse, contemporary, and thought-provoking examples of qualitative methods in the study of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP). In this conclusion, we reflect on some of the key themes that cut across the contributions. Four main topics are discussed: Interpretation (the subjects and voices at the centre of SDP research), Outcomes (the variety of results that are likely to emerge from SDP research), Creativity and Diversity (the need for SDP research that is novel, nuanced, and sometimes messy), and Hope (the productive tension between critique and optimism in SDP research). Through this deliberation, we advocate for an ongoing and even renewed commitment to the qualitative study of SDP, one that moves beyond the rather strict confines of Monitoring & Evaluation and towards an embrace of the full range of social and political implications that emerge from the activities of SDP.

Using a community-based participatory approach to research and programming in Northern Uganda: two researchers’ confessional tales

Sport and physical activity are increasingly being used to promote personal and community development, particularly in developing nations such as Uganda. However, most sport-based research and programming efforts in developing nations have taken an outside-in globalisation approach or a top-down development approach, which may overlook the voices, knowledges and needs of the communities being served. With these concerns in mind, we took a community-based participatory (CBP) approach to our efforts in Uganda. While this approach is optimal for community-engaged research and programming, there are many challenges associated with CBP. During our time in Uganda, we reflected on these challenges in separate reflexivity journals, which are presented in this article in the form of two confessional tales. Through personal, functional and disciplinary reflexivity, we explore the challenges we faced pursuing a CBP approach to research and programming, along with the effective and ineffective strategies we used to try to overcome these challenges. Topics discussed in these confessional tales include goal setting, communication, flexibility, patience, relationship-building and empowerment.

Evaluation of a sport-based youth development programme for refugees

ABSTRACT Various methods have been used to help vulnerable populations, including sport and physical recreation. This study was an initial evaluation of a sport and physical recreation programme for refugee youth based on the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) Model. The purpose was to assess the participants’ perceptions and experiences in this programme, with the conceptual framework for acculturation serving as the theoretical background. Sixteen refugee youth participated in semi-structured interviews, with hierarchical content analysis and consensual validation procedures used for data analysis. The interviews demonstrated the participants’ positive experiences in the programme, including general enjoyment, experiencing and learning new sports, and feeling a sense of belonging. The participants also described the TPSR concepts of respect, teamwork, and leadership, along with transference of these concepts into their everyday lives. This highlights the need for such programmes to aid in the resettlement and acculturation of young refugees into a new society.