Engaging Youth in Sport and Physical Activity

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Engaging Youth in Sport and Physical Activity
KATHRYN DOUGHTY AkActive Youth Community
Facilitator YMCA Auckland SHONA
BALLINGER Consulting and Training Recreation and
Youth Development
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What is AkActive?

• AkActive is an active communitys programme for
  Auckland City
• Auckland City, SPARC, Sport Auckland, Procare
  Network Auckland, Auckland District Health Board
  and YMCA (Auckland) have partnered on the Active
  Communities, AkActive project with the common
  purpose of increasing physical activity levels.
• AK Active Youth Project purpose
• To build on existing programmes / initiatives
  and enhance their delivery.
• To look for new opportunities for young people
  and develop these in partnership with other
  agencies / organisations.
• To raise awareness among young people of physical
  activity opportunities available to them in
  Auckland City.
• To encourage participation and increase uptake of
  physical activity opportunities by young people
  across Auckland City.
• AkActive programmes currently running
• AkActive Parks and Places programmes, Never Too
  Old
• AkActive Youth Youth Fitness, Youth Holiday
  Activities and Youth Community Engagement

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AkActive YouthHoliday Activities

• Free events held across Auckland City during
  each school holidays focusing on the following
• Awareness of local places and parks that young
  people can go and be active
• Promotion of the need to be active and the health
  benefits gained from a healthy lifestyle
• Knowledge of where young people can be active
  during term time i.e. sports clubs and youth
  focused programmes.

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AkActive Youth Community Facilitation

• To liaise with existing sport and youth groups in
  South Central Auckland communities to create
  opportunities to increase physical activity for
  young people and raise awareness of programmes
  already available.
• Community Development. Support, workshops and
  resources given to sports clubs and community
  groups on how they can engage and provide
  physical activity programmes for young people in
  their club or sport.

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AkActive Youth Fitness

• Development and delivery of Youth Fitness
  Trainers workshops on working with adolescents.
• Promotional material to raise awareness in the
  community, to parents, health organisations,
  schools and young people of the opportunity the
  YMCA provides in making young people feel welcome
  and reduces the cost to join the Y-Fitness
  Centres
• Scholarship fund to assist families who may not
  be able to afford full fees or to support a young
  person who may need a personal trainer to
  overcome obstacles to getting fitter.

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So heres a bit of what we have been doing
Krumping in the Glen Innes Library
Touch Rugby in the park
Hip Hop Class at Wesley Community Centre
Crazy Slide Competition at Pt Erin Pools
Girls Only Kickboxing and self defense
Cricket in the park at Three Kings
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The Voices of Young People
What they say about why they do and dont play
sport

• Research Conducted by 18 Ltd
• Three elements
• Adults qualitative
• Young people quantitative
• Young people - qualitative

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Key Statistics from research

• Quantitative study of 14 21 year olds
• 55 of young people are sedentary
• 15 of young people are relatively inactive
• 15 of young people are relatively active
• 15 of young people are active
• 70 of young people who participate in sport
  drop out between 13 and 17
• 50 of young people dont do any sport
• 62 of young people who play sport indicate they
  are highly likely to drop out of sport

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Core motivators and de-motivators
Biological currency looking good, staying fit
Social currency hanging out, inclusion,
relationships
Adult involvement coaches are the central
motivator
Actions that undermine confidence, friendships,
enjoyment
Being pushed / personal limitations not recognised
Adult involvement coaches are the central
de-motivator
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Adult Involvement

• Adults encourage teenagers to get involved.
• Adults and administrators respect kids (e.g.
  dont mistreat or hassle, are polite)
• Adults support teenagers when they need help and
  teach them what they need to know to improve
  their game/ability.
• Good organisation of sports activities.
• Sports staff behave in a professional and fair
  manner.

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Parents say problem is TV / Internet / computer
game use.
Parent and Child perception
Young People say Its lack of fun and too much
competition
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The Cool scale
The pinnacle of cool
Losing it
Cool potential
Becoming cool
Totally lost its coolness
Never was cool
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Is sport cool?
Hanging out with friends 86
Non-competitive sport 69
Sport 24
Listening to music 72
Shopping 24
Internet 17
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• So what could sports clubs and youth
  organisations do to engage better with young
  people so that they are providing for and
  increasing their physical activity?

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• In your experience, what is
• important in regard to young
• persons experience in
• physical activity sessions,
• either individually or part of a
• sports club or team?

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Youth Participation

• Engaging young people in the process
• Getting young peoples views in planning
• Involve young people not only by asking for their
  opinions and advice (consultation), but also,
  with your support, as leaders, advisers and
  decision-makers of how we deliver sport and
  physical activity.

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Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa The Vision

• A community where young people are vibrant and
  optimistic through being supported and encouraged
  to take up challenges

• Principles of Youth Development
• The six principles for an effective youth
  development approach
• Youth development is shaped by the big picture
• Youth development is about young people being
  connected
• Youth development is based on a consistent
  strengths-based approach
• Youth development happens through quality
  relationships
• Youth development is triggered when young people
  fully participate
• Youth development needs good information

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Planning physical activity for youth

• Using the Recreation Model of providing sport we
  can incorporate Youth Participation, Youth
  Development and Community Collaboration into how
  we provide sport and physical activity
  opportunities for young people.

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• STAGE 5
• Evaluation
• Review outcomes and
• asses what worked
• and what didnt.
• Encourage young people and adults
• to feedback.
• Internal club evaluation
• with partners. i.e. High School
• and committee.

• Stage 1
• Needs
• Whats provided in the
• community?
• Review your club/organisation
• through needs
• assessment

Youth Participation Involve young people in the
planning and decision making process of sport in
your club. Youth Development Using the six
principles creates Better outcomes for young
people and the wider community. Collaboration A
partnership as part of a sports wide concept
between high schools, community groups, Sport
Auckland and AkActive

• STAGE 4
• Delivery
• Provide opportunities
• and pathways that are
• not only about high
• performance sport
• Increase the social
• aspect of young
• peoples sport.

• STAGE 2
• Research
• Survey Youth
• Run Focus Groups
• Ask what young
• people want

• STAGE 3
• Marketing and Promotion
• SWOT Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Promotion Plan

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What benefits would youth participation and youth
development make to a club or youth group in
getting more people more active?

• Ownership of the programme by young people
• Fresh new ideas and a different perspective
• Young people involved in the process of creating
  and decision making
• More commitment to the programme by young people.
• Creation of quality adult relationships with
  young people and connectedness to the community.
• Increase in physical activity levels of young
  people.

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PathwaysNon Competitive to Competitive/Volunteeri
ng
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Motivating young people to get active is all about

• Youth engagement in the process
• Positive adult involvement
• Social environment
• FUN
• Pathways to other opportunities

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ENGAGING YOUTH IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY

• A RESOURCE FOR
• COMMUNITY CLUBS AND GROUPS

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Questions??

• Kathryn Doughty
• akactiveyouth_at_nzymca.com
• Shona Ballinger
• shonaballinger_at_xtra.co.nz