May 8, 2020

Knowledge Center for Sports & Exercise: Give young people a voice

The Sports & Exercise Knowledge Center supports professionals working in sports, healthcare, education, and government with knowledge, advice, and products to make sports and exercise accessible to everyone. Participating in sports and exercise activities is not a given for vulnerable groups, such as children and young people from low-income families. It is expected that a growing number of families will no longer be able to afford sports clubs due to the coronavirus crisis. Laura Butselaar and Jamilla Vervoort are specialists in "Participation through Sports and Exercise." They provide professionals with tools to ensure that vulnerable young people can participate.

"We're working from home due to the coronavirus crisis, but we're still quite busy," says Laura. "We have to find other ways to reach children and young people. We expect that, as a result of the crisis, the group of parents who can no longer afford their sports club will grow. The crisis also presents an opportunity, now that the government is encouraging sports providers to welcome these children as well, but the question is how do we do that? We have to respond to that now. We've published an article with tips on how to do that." Laura: "Sports and exercise should be accessible to all children. Despite all the facilities available, we see that a large group is still not being reached or that they give up after a while. We're looking at the factors that play a role in this."

Future perspective

Sports, exercise, and being part of a social network are important. How do you motivate young people to participate in sports? The logical conclusion is to ask the young people themselves. Laura: “This year, we launched a study to talk to young people. What do sports and exercise mean to them? Do they want it, and if so, how? Based on their answers, we develop recommendations for municipalities, for example. Sports and exercise improve the future prospects of children and young people. Not only because they make you healthy and fit, but also because of the social network. There are rules and agreements at the club; you have to work together and be considerate of each other. So you acquire all kinds of skills that will also benefit you in the future. And a young person can take on a different role within the sports club besides sports. They learn from that, and that's good for their self-confidence.”

Girls

The knowledge center uses a 'human capital model' that identifies no fewer than 79 effects of sports and exercise for each target group. "Thanks to scientific research, we understand these effects," says Laura. "For example, the effect on academic performance. We also see where more needs to be done. For example, Jamilla is working with girls and neighborhood sports. "We know that girls aren't as likely to play sports outside on a neighborhood field," says Jamilla. "We're looking at how girls can still be encouraged to get involved. Discussion is crucial in this regard. Professionals, such as neighborhood sports coaches, can visit schools and ask girls what they want and ensure they're involved in organizing the activity."

The effects of the corona crisis

Due to the coronavirus crisis, many children and young people were stuck at home. Laura: “We don't yet fully understand the impact of this. We do know that it's especially important for this vulnerable group to go to the club. Many people in this target group live in small homes, don't have a garden, and have financial worries. That causes stress. So we're thinking about how we can still offer sports and exercise in this situation. It doesn't have to be so complicated. For example, sports trainer Houda Loukili offers interactive live workouts for women, girls, mothers, and their children. She does this together with her children, and the online participation has been very good. So inspiring!”

Back outside, what now?

Sports clubs are gradually reopening. The government is encouraging sports providers to welcome all children and young people, not just their own members. How do you do that for vulnerable children and young people? Laura: "This is a target group that requires something extra. Clubs need to respond to that. We've compiled a number of tips for involving children and young people. It's good that sports clubs are being asked to open to non-members as well. That offers opportunities. In addition, all sorts of activities can be organized close to home, for example at the Cruyff Courts – and especially in consultation with the target group. We want children and young people to start playing sports but also to keep it up. We have all sorts of tips for that too. Particularly when children reach puberty, you see a dip in participation. It's essential that young people have a voice, and that clubs should utilize that in their offerings. For example, by becoming more flexible in their offerings, not just offering football but collaborating with other clubs. Or combining it with homework support."

This time in particular offers the opportunity to think carefully about how we can best organize things to keep the threshold for sports and exercise as low as possible.”

Read more

• Welcoming children from low-income families to sports: 14 tips
• Interactive live workouts for women, girls, mothers and their children by Houda Loukili