A systems theory of development through sport for traumatized and disadvantaged youth

Whitley, Meredith A.; Massey, William V.; Wilkison, Megan

doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.06.004

Cited by 38 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…While scholars have studied positive youth development through sport among underserved youth, most of this research has focused either on refugee communities or programs located in the Global South, with fewer studies examining the context of racial and ethnic minority communities within the Global North (Whitley et al, 2015;Koopmans and Doidge, 2022). Additionally, more research is needed to understand how stakeholders across multiple levels of contextual influence engage with sport components of youth development (Whitley et al, 2015(Whitley et al, , 2018.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative

Robledo

Edwards

Bocarro

et al. 2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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Youth Development Programs (YDPs) can serve as effective mechanisms to alleviate social and psychological adversities while enhancing and developing resilience among youth. Recently, more YDPs have incorporated sport within Sport for Development (SFD) models to achieve these goals. Due to the growing Latino population in the US and the wide achievement gap between Latinos and other demographic populations, there is a need to explore programs that may support individual development as well as long-term change with regard to social inequality. There is also a need to better understand the ecological contexts within SFD programs and how these contexts may support underserved youth. Specifically, using an ecological systems perspective, this study seeks to explore the implementation of a sport program by a YDP in order to examine the ecological processes that may support or inhibit the efficacy of sport programs working with underserved youth. Juntos is a YDP that primarily serves Latinx youth and families by assisting youth with graduating high school and pursuing higher education opportunities. Juntos incorporates two annual soccer tournaments (i.e., Kicking it with Juntos and Copa Unidos). A qualitative case study approach was implemented in two counties in North Carolina. Interviews were conducted with tournament participants, county coordinators and planning committee members. Findings found three key themes related to three ecological levels 1. At the Microsystem level, sport was implemented to engage youth and connect to non-sport program outcomes, but divergent perceptions of goals among stakeholders potentially inhibited intentional implementation. At the Mesosystem level, sport provided a mechanism to engage in collaborative relationships and encouraged parental participation. At the Macrosystem level, sport celebrated Latino culture and attempted to address social barriers facing Latinx youth, but some aspects of culture may have created barriers to access for girls. Findings suggested that while the programs emphasized mesosystem engagement, more integration across exosystem and macrosystem levels may be needed for sustainable outcomes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative

Robledo

Edwards

Bocarro

et al. 2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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“…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 also 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(Spaaij, , 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Cunningham

Bunde-Birouste

Rawstorne

et al. 2020

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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.

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“…their home culture (Nathan et al, 2013;Whitley et al, 2018). Supporting forced immigrant youth feeling connected to their home culture can be a contributing factor to increased psychological resilience and increased confidence in interacting with youth from different cultural backgrounds (Pieloch et al, 2016;Smith, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For example, feelings of flow have been posited to provide a respite from flashbacks, as no attention span is left for nonactivity thoughts (Hurly, 2019). Engaging in sport can also help forced immigrants regain a sense of being recognized as human again and not just a statistic (Whitley et al, 2018; Woodhouse & Conricode, 2017). Sports can also be socially rich contexts that provide youth from culturally diverse backgrounds with opportunities to “integrate” through shared interests (Hatzigeorgiadis et al, 2013; Luguetti et al, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Qualitative researchers sharing stories from youth participants in ethnocentric sport programs have revealed such programs provide youth the opportunity to reconnect and/or maintain a connection with their home culture values and traditions (e.g., Smith, 2018; Spaaij, 2015). Some sport programs developed by academics and/or host community sport organizations have also focused on providing forced immigrant youth with space to share their own stories and feel comfortable in remaining connected with their home culture (Nathan et al, 2013; Whitley et al, 2018). Supporting forced immigrant youth feeling connected to their home culture can be a contributing factor to increased psychological resilience and increased confidence in interacting with youth from different cultural backgrounds (Pieloch et al, 2016; Smith, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Centralizing forced immigrant male youths’ stories in the development of socially just and inclusive community sport programs.

Middleton¹,

Schinke²,

Habra³

et al. 2022

Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

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Sport is often touted as a context that can foster the development of positive relationships between people from diverse cultures. Researchers seeking to develop knowledge about how integrative sport programs may be developed have rarely recognized the agency and expertise of asylum seeking and refugee (i.e., forced immigrant) youth. Our focus stems from a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project conducted with forced immigrant youth aimed at centralizing their stories around how socially just and integrative sport contexts which sustain their engagement can be developed. Storytelling relationships developed through arts-based conversational interviews and a reflexive thematic analysis, grounded in social constructionism, culminated in the collaborative writing of a polyphonic vignette featuring three composite characters. Scene 1 is used to portray how forced immigrant youth initially engaged informally in sport in the host community. The story transitions in the second scene to youths' engagement in formal, organized sport programs available in the host community. Scene 3 concludes with descriptions of the relationships the youth developed through community sport programs and the corresponding influence on their (sustained) engagement. We then discuss the importance of broadening the focus on individual development and performance that underpin many community sport programs in North America to helping youth feel a sense of connectedness and belonging to their community. We conclude with methodological and practical considerations to affirm the expertise of forced immigrant youth in the development of socially just and integrative sport contexts.

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A systems theory of development through sport for traumatized and disadvantaged youth

Cited by 38 publications

References 32 publications

Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative

Examination of Ecological Systems Contexts Within a Latino-Based Community Sport Youth Development Initiative

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

Centralizing forced immigrant male youths’ stories in the development of socially just and inclusive community sport programs.

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