The actualities of doing community development to promote the inclusion of low income populations in local sport and recreation

Abstract

While there is literature to suggest that community development is a promising strategy for involving marginalized citizens in local sport and recreation, little research has been done on the actualities of doing this type of work from the perspectives of those engaged in it. Based on our observations and interviews over three years with members of a community‐based project designed to increase the Involvement of women living below the poverty line in local sport and recreation, we identified six key dimensions of community development. These dimensions were highly inter‐related and included: a shared concern about a social problem requiring action, encouraging the active participation of a marginalized group, forming public sector partnerships to pool resources and build political support, adopting collaborative principles of organizing, collectively developing and implementing action plans, and re‐conceptualizing traditional notions of accountability. In this paper, we analyze each dimension by discussing the benefits and challenges encountered from the perspectives of the women on low income and the public sector partners involved in the project. We conclude that while community development is a complex and challenging strategy, it shows considerable promise for including those who are least likely to be involved in the planning and participation of local sport and recreation programs thereby increasing local governments’ ability to meet their mandates of providing access for all citizens.