Youth Recreation - A Pathway To Citizenship?

1. Youth Recreation - A Pathway To Citizenship? Adam Seddon Researcher, Work Network Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) Presented to: Parks & Recreation Ontario’s Conference Uncovering Ontario’s Best Kept Secret April 16, 2002 - Hamilton Ontario

2. Based on Research by CPRN & CCSD • Literature Review on Learning Through Recreation by Caroline Beauvais, Canadian Policy Research Networks, 2001. Paper commissioned & funded by the Laidlaw Foundation • A Data Analysis: Learning Through Recreation by Andrew Jackson, Paul Roberts & Shelley Harman, Canadian Council on Social Development, 2001. Paper commissioned & funded by the Laidlaw Foundation. • A Literature Review on Youth & Citizenship by Caroline Beauvais, Lindsey McKay & Adam Seddon, Canadian Policy Research Networks, 2001 • See: www.cprn.org & www.ccsd.ca

3. Objectives of this Presentation • Through examination of academic literature, illustrate & unpack the links between recreation & citizenship development. • Highlight potential benefits of structured recreation on selected personal, social and political outcomes. • Identify currently existing barriers inhibiting full participation in structured recreation.

4. Scope & Focus of this Presentation • Presentation will primarily focus on the relationship between citizenship and: • Structured recreation - activities involving elements of instruction and/or coaching • Youth aged between 10-15 • Literature from the early 1990s to the present

5. What is Citizenship? • Citizenship has three analytic dimensions: • Rights & Responsibilities • Access • Feelings of Belonging • Full Citizenship means actively seeking to engage in different areas of social life -- to exercise all three elements of citizenship. • Healthy & active citizenship fosters social & economic development -- now and for future generations.

6. Caveat: A General Lack of Research • A general lack of Canadian or American research regarding effects of structured recreation on adolescent behaviour, either as young people or later as adults. • The limited research suggests structured recreation can play a positive role in curtailing delinquent behaviour, increasing educational aspirations, and promoting citizen involvement among young people and later as adults.

7. Less is Known About Youth & Citizenship • Great deal of information & literature on youth issues, but rarely does this literature make the link to citizenship. Youth literature often reflects ‘moral panic.’ • The link to citizenship is one we first explored in a recent CPRN publication entitled A Literature Review on Youth and Citizenship.

8. Rights: Barriers to Participation • The right to participate in recreation is unevenly distributed. Peter Donnelly & Jean Harvey (1996) identify three broad kinds of barriers often faced by young people: • Infrastructural Barriers -- generally material means of access. • Superstructural Barriers -- barriers originating in the sphere of ideas & preconceptions. • Procedural Barriers -- limits arising from social supports & environments.

9. Infrastructural Barriers • Lack of money frequently noted by young people to be a problem. • Lack of time & scheduling difficulties frequently identified by parents as a problem, perhaps a reflection of increased difficulties balancing work and family life. • Family type - children of single parent families less likely to participate in coached sports. Perhaps a reflection of work-life balance and/or family income issues. • Presence of local recreational infrastructure - lack of quality local parks, accessible soccer pitches, community centres, etc.

10. Superstructural Barriers • As young people age, they become less inclined to participate in structured recreation. They express increased interest in casual recreation (e.g. ‘hanging out’) and commercial recreation (e.g. going to the movies, the local pub). • Girls less attracted to team sports than boys; boys less drawn to cultural activities than girls (e.g. dance/gymnastics). Likely a reflection of societal attitudes concerning activities most ‘appropriate’ for boys and girls. • Young people may hold attitudes/stereotypes towards others -- the desire not to be a ‘sports jock,’ ‘computer nerd,’ etc. Cultural attitudes will influence participation in various activities.

11. Procedural Barriers • Statistics Canada’s 1998 General Social Survey found that active youth were more likely than inactive youth to have parents who participated in sport(s). A transmission of lifestyles from parents to youth? • Parents can facilitate participation through verbal encouragement, financial assistance, transportation, etc. • Influence of parents, friends can motivate or inhibit youth participation. • Unclear which of the two holds more sway - presumably differs by age and young person in question.

12. Participation by Gender (1996) • In 1996, roughly two-thirds of young people aged 10-13 took part in coached sports. • While roughly two in five girls took part in dance/gymnastics, true for less than one in five boys. • Girls somewhat more likely to participate in Girl Guides than boys in Scouts (29 versus 23 percent).

13. Urban Versus Rural Participation • Moderate association between population density and participation. • Participation slightly higher in cities than in rural areas with under 2,000 residents -- perhaps reflection of proximity to parks, community centres, etc.

14. Accessing Recreation • Noting the barriers that young people face accessing sports, Europe’s Sport For All movement convinced UN and Council of Europe to promote equal access of young people to sporting activities. • Sport For All has received some attention in Canada but has generally failed to receive active support of public officials. • Recreation as a tool to foster social integration & social cohesion rarely discussed; remains primarily a European concept/movement.

15. Wealthy Families Participate More • Family income affects participation rates, particularly in coached sports. • Whereas 57 percent of children from poorest fifth of families engaged in coached sports, three quarters of children from the richest fifth did so. • Little, if any, effect of family income on dance/gymnastics or Guides/Scouts.

16. Poorer Families Spend Less on Recreation (1998) • Families earning less than $42,000 spent well under $2,000 on recreation activities, representing 7.5 percent of family income. • The wealthiest families earning over $68,000 spent just under 6 percent of income, but three times more in actual dollars. • Families in lower income brackets do not enjoy the same degree of access to recreation as do wealthier families.

17. Rights & Access: Summary • In short, the right to participate in structured recreation is hindered by various infrastructural, superstructural & procedural barriers. • Access also influenced by: • Gender • Family Income • Community Size

18. What is Belonging? • Belonging Consists of Three Elements: • Personal Well-Being • Inclusion • delinquency • education • Civic Participation

19. Well-Being: Recreation Boosts Self-Esteem • Structured recreation believed to boost self-esteem by promoting acceptance among peers & providing a heightened sense of control over one’s life. • Evidence suggests that those who gain most self-esteem tend to be those who lacked it most. Recreation may therefore play an important role in helping at-risk groups. • Important because: • Low self-esteem often results in anti-social behaviour • Strong association between poor self-esteem & anxiety, depression, even suicide.

20. Delinquency • Underprivileged youth in Ottawa who enrolled in skill development programs showed a drop in anti-social behaviour outside of home & school. Unclear whether changed behaviour is long-term. • Structured recreation may take up time that might otherwise be spent with other young delinquents. • Structured recreation may also promote respect for authority, personified by the adult in charge of the recreation, & respect for rules.

21. Recreation & Educational Ambitions • Young people who frequently participated in structured recreation more likely to express a desire to complete college/university. • 60 percent of young non-participants expressed a desire to complete college or university, compared to 72 percent of frequent participants in coached sports.

22. Recreation & Education • Recreation may be associated with the drive to remain in school. • Recreation may be a useful tool to improve the motivation of students at risk of dropping out. • Since research suggests that decisions to attend college/university are often made (perhaps subconsciously) at a very young age, the association between observed educational ambition is particularly noteworthy.

23. Recreation May Encourage Citizen Involvement • Participation in structured recreation may provide young people with opportunities to develop social skills & learn the importance of cooperation/teamwork. • Studies suggest that participation in structured activities when young can promote citizen involvement later in life. Recreation also frequently associated with psychological well-being. • Recreation should therefore be seen as a citizenship right - receive adequate public support & attention to ensure equal access.

24. Belonging: Participation & Volunteering at School • Reasonably strong association between recreation activities and likelihood of taking part in unpaid school activities.

25. Belonging: Involvement in Student Government • Those who were in organized sports or youth group(s) when young were twice as likely to report involvement in student government.

26. Active Youth More Likely to Fundraise • Recreation associated with youth fundraising activities. • One in two children aged 10-13 who frequently participated in structured recreation also helped as volunteer fundraisers. • Consistent trend across all types of recreation examined.

27. Active Youth More Likely To Volunteer • Youth participants in structured recreation more likely to report volunteering in community. • Frequent participants in coached sports three times more likely to report having performed volunteer work; in the case of Guides/Scouts, the rate was double.

28. Does This Behaviour Carry Through To Adulthood? • The data illustrate an association between a young person’s participation in recreation and the increased likelihood of volunteering at school, being involved in fundraising, expressing high educational aspirations and being politically active at a young age in student government. • Does this relationship hold through adulthood? • The available data suggest this to be the case.

29. Engaged Youth Likely to Canvass/Fundraise When Adults • Those who participated in structured recreation when young were twice as likely to canvass or fundraise voluntarily as an adult.

30. Engaged Youth Likely to Volunteer as Adults • 60 percent of respondents who participated in organized sports when young performed volunteer work as adults. For non-participants, the rate was half that. • Similarly, 70 percent of those who were part of a youth group as a child performed volunteer work as adults. For non-participants the rate was one in three.

31. Engaged Youth Likely to be Adult Committee Member • Those who participated in organized sports or a youth group were twice as likely to be a board or committee member as an adult.

32. Engaged Youth More Likely to Vote • Those who participated in structured recreation activities when young were somewhat more likely to have cast a ballot in the 1993 election.

33. Caveat: Recreation Not Always Positive • Continued debate regarding the appropriate age to introduce young people to highly competitive sports/recreation. • Some suggest that starting too early can result in burnout / losing motivation before children reach their potential. • Some forms of recreation may place too much emphasis on competition, perhaps promoting anti-social or dangerous behavior, be it steroid use, stress, violence, etc. • Physical activities may become associated with an unrealistic desire to lose weight or conform to an ‘ideal’ body type (e.g. steroid use).

34. Research Gaps • Long-term effects of recreation are not totally clear. Data suggests recreation plays a positive role, but it’s not conclusive. • Problem of self-selection - we don’t know if those who are most likely to participate in recreation as children come from the same group of people most likely to participate in society while young or as adults. • Correlation Vs. Causation -- it’s not possible at this time to actually link the recreational activities of young people to certain types of behaviour while young or as adults. It’s difficult to say that one causes the other.

35. Concluding Comments • Despite these limitations, there is still good reason to believe that participation in structured recreation brings with it many benefits for individuals & for society. • Benefits for young people include: • reduced delinquent behaviour • heightened self-esteem • heightened educational aspirations • increased likelihood of political engagement • Citizenship benefits for society include: • increased likelihood of performing volunteer work & fundraising • increased voting participation rates • increased likelihood of board or committee membership

36. Group Discussion • What does all of this mean for your community? • What is being done to: • Provide more structured recreation? • Include drama, art & music as well as sports? • Place less emphasis on highly competitive activities for younger children? • Address access issues, especially cost? • Discussion: Examples from your communities.

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