Young People’s Perceptions of the Influence of a Sport-for-Social-Change Program on Their Life Trajectories

Rob Cunningham,Anne Bunde-Birouste,Patrick Rawstorne,Sally Nathan

doi:10.17645/si.v8i3.2828

Abstract

Sport-for-social-change programs focusing on enhancing young people’s personal and social development emerged in the early to mid-2000s. Children and adolescents who participated in early programs are now adults, providing an opportunity to examine whether these programs have had any influence on their life trajectories. The Football United program has been operating in Sydney, Australia, since 2006 and is used as a case study in this article. This qualitative study draws on 20 interviews conducted in 2018 with a diverse sample of past participants of the program. Key findings were that participants perceived that the relationships they formed at Football United have had a substantial impact on their life trajectories, including influencing education and career decisions. These relationships were found to increase participants’ social capital, creating diverse connections with people and institutions within and external to their geographical communities. This study also found participants embraced a long-term commitment to ‘give back’ to their local geographical, cultural, and ethnic communities, which they attributed to their participation in the program.

Highlights

Youth focused sport-for social-change (SFSC) programs have gained prominence over the past two decades as part of a global movement in using sport as a tool to tackle complex social and development problems (Coakley, 2011; Coalter, 2013; Kay, 2012)
Youth-focused SFSC programs leverage the global popularity of sport to incorporate life-skills, education, and capacity building elements with the aim of positively influencing the personal and social development of participants (Holt et al, 2017)
Football United (FUn) staff members were asked to nominate former program participants who had been involved in the program for any length of time between 2009–2012, allowing for a minimum six-year gap between participants’ initial involvement in the program and participation in the study. This timeframe is important as the current study aims to examine participants’ perceptions of whether FUn had any influence on their life trajectories

Summary

Introduction

Youth focused sport-for social-change (SFSC) programs have gained prominence over the past two decades as part of a global movement in using sport as a tool to tackle complex social and development problems (Coakley, 2011; Coalter, 2013; Kay, 2012). Research into the impact and outcomes of youthfocused SFSC programs suggest they have the potential to contribute to building participants’ life-skills, including enhancing social, emotional and behavioural capabilities (Bunde-Birouste et al, 2012; Holt et al, 2017; Nathan et al, 2013; Weiss, Bolter, & Kipp, 2016; Whitley, Massey, & Farrell, 2017; Whitley, Massey, & Wilkison, 2018) Studies suggest these programs have the potential to positively influence participants’ social connectedness through facilitating relationships outside of their cultural, ethnic, and geographical communities (Spaaij, 2012, 2013). Given some programs have been in place for up to 15 years, longer term impacts can be examined (Hoekman, Schulenkorf, & Welty Peachey, 2018)

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Conclusion