Strategies for Gaining Access to Deliver Sport Programs with Highly Vulnerable Youth

Authors

  • Jenn M. Jacobs Northern Illinois University
  • Zachary Wahl-Alexander Northern Illinois University
  • Timothy Mack Northern Illinois University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2019.723

Keywords:

sport-based youth development, at-risk youth, partnerships

Abstract

Sport programs have been widely studied for their efficacy in helping youth develop important social, psychological, and physical skills. Extensive research has explored the challenges related to design, implementation, and evaluation of sport programs with a developmental focus. However, when designing sport programs specifically tailored for youth from vulnerable backgrounds, the challenges become multiplied, particularly when accounting for barriers that exist before the program starts. The following article describes best practices for gaining access to non-traditional, hard-to-access environments, such as foster care systems, juvenile detention centers, youth residential mental health facilities, and programs situated in high-risk communities. Recommendations are provided for the initial phase of sport program development for vulnerable populations, including protecting youth, choosing appropriate sport content, and addressing barriers in the research process. Generally, these best practices are applicable for the development of any youth program. However, this article provides context-specific guidance and precautions that should be considered to protect and foster the well-being and welfare of youth from highly vulnerable populations.

Author Biographies

Jenn M. Jacobs, Northern Illinois University

Assistant Professor, Sport Psychology

Zachary Wahl-Alexander, Northern Illinois University

Assistant Professor, Physical Education Teacher Education

Timothy Mack, Northern Illinois University

Graduate Student, Sport Managment

References

Armstrong, T. L., & Jackson, L. (2005). Overrepresentation of minorities in youth correctional confinement in the United States: A promising aftercare approach for ameliorating this problem. Youth Crime and Juvenile Justice, 1-30.

Brunelle, J., Danish, S. J., & Forneris, T. (2007). The impact of a sport-based life skill program on adolescent prosocial values. Applied Developmental Science, 11(1), 43-55.

Buckle, M. E., & Walsh, D. (2013). Teaching responsibility to gang-affiliated youth. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 84(3), 53-58. doi:10.1080/07303084.2013.757193

Cauce, A. M., Domenech-Rodríguez, M., Paradise, M., Cochran, B. N., Shea, J. M., Srebnik, D., & Baydar, N. (2002). Cultural and contextual influences in mental health help seeking: A focus on ethnic minority youth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(1), 44.

Danish, S. D., & Nellen, V. J. (1997). New roles for sport psychologists: Teaching life skills through sport to at-risk youth. Quest, 49(1), 100-113. doi:10.1080/00336297.1997.10484226

Ewart, C. K., Jorgensen, R. S., Suchday, S., Chen, E., & Matthews, K. A. (2002). Measuring stress resilience and coping in vulnerable youth: The social competence interview. Psychological Assessment, 14(3), 339.

Gordon, B., Jacobs, J.M., & Wright, P.M. (2016). Social and emotional learning through a teaching personal and social responsibility based after-school program for disengaged middle-school boys. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 35, 358-369. doi:10.1123/jtpe.2016-0106

Harper, G. W., & Carver, L. J. (1999). “Out-of-the-mainstream” youth as partners in collaborative research: exploring the benefits and challenges. Health Education & Behavior, 26(2), 250-265. doi:10.1177/109019819902600208

Hellison, D. R. (2011). Teaching personal and social responsibility through physical activity. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Larson, R. (2006). Positive youth development, willful adolescents, and mentoring. Journal of Community Psychology, 34(6), 677-689. doi:10.1002/jcop.20123

Laursen, E. K., & Birmingham, S. M. (2003). Caring relationships as a protective factor for at-risk youth: An ethnographic study. Families in Society, 84(2), 240-246. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.101

Lerner, R. M., Almerigi, J. B., Theokas, C., & Lerner, J. V. (2005). Positive youth development a view of the issues. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 25(1), 10-16. doi:10.1177/0272431604273211

Metzler, M. (2017). Instructional models in physical education. New York, NY: Routledge.

Mor Barak, M. E., Nissly, J. A., & Levin, A. (2001). Antecedents to retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees: What can we learn from past research? A review and metanalysis. Social Service Review, 75(4), 625-661. doi:10.1086/323166

Schwamberger, B. & Wahl-Alexander, Z. (2016). Children’s activity levels and lesson context during summer swim instruction. The Physical Educator, 73 (4), 733 – 744. doi:10.18666/TPE-2016-V73-I4-6977

Wahl-Alexander, Z., Hastie, P., & Johnson, N. (2018). Using a fishing sport education season to promote outside engagement. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 89(7), 28-33. doi:10.1080/07303084.2018.1490222

Walsh, D. (2008). Helping youth in underserved communities envision possible futures: An extension of the teaching personal and social responsibility model. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 79(2), 209-221. doi:10.1080/02701367.2008.10599484

Weiss, M. R., Stuntz, C. P., Bhalla, J. A., Bolter, N. D., & Price, M. S. (2013). More than a game: Impact of The First Tee life skills programme on positive youth development: Project introduction and year 1 findings. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 5(2), 214-244. doi:10.1080/2159676X.2012.712997

Wilkinson, D. L., Beaty, C. C., & Lurry, R. M. (2009). Youth violence—crime or self-Help? Marginalized urban males' perspectives on the limited efficacy of the criminal justice system to stop youth violence. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 623(1), 25-38. doi:10.1177/0002716208330484

Zweig, J. M. (2003). Vulnerable youth: Identifying their need for alternative educational settings. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

Downloads

Published

2019-03-12

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2019)

Section

Program & Practice Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.