Helping kids connect: Participant and staff perspectives on facilitating social relationships in a physical activity-based positive youth development program for youth from low-income families.

Abstract

Physical activity-based positive youth development (PYD) programs are designed to nurture personal and social assets in youth, and in underserved populations, often provide unique opportunities for physical activity and mentoring. Supportive relationships with peers and adults in such programs are associated with positive changes in developmental outcomes (Ullrich-French, McDonough, & Smith, 2012). In this case study, we examined youths' and staff members' perspectives on interpersonal relationships within a physical activity-based PYD program, their understanding of what experiences and interactions within the program help or hinder forming high-quality relationships, and their perspectives on how those relationships affect youth and transfer to contexts outside of the PYD program. We interviewed 20 youth and 6 program staff about their perspectives on social experiences in the PYD program, and conducted follow-up interviews with 10 youth participants 8 months later. We developed a figure describing youth and staff perspectives of program context factors, and how elements of interpersonal relationships among youth and between youth and staff affect youth intra-and interpersonal assets, and transfer to community contexts such as home, neighborhoods, and school. These findings provide insight into ways to promote positive social relationships in PYD programs in ways that are meaningful to youth.

Social Work and Youth Sport

“…Although often a secondary outcome associated with participation, sports are important settings for addressing risk factors and promoting assets evident in families, schools, peer groups, and communities. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest youth sport may promote family involvement and communication, school climate and engagement, peer relationships and attachment, and broader social development (Anderson-Butcher, 2019;Lower-Hoppe et al, in press;McDonough et al, 2017).…”

Life Skill Development and Transfer: “They’re Not Just Meant for Playing Sports”

“…The ability to develop relationships, specifically peer relationships, has been recognized as being a critical life skill that youth are able to develop and later transfer through their participation in sport-based PYD programs (Bean & Forneris, 2014; McDonough et al, 2017). For example, Bean and Forneris (2014) posited that sport-based PYD programs are not “hyper-competitive” environments and, as such, enable long-lasting, and inherently transferrable friendships to emerge (p. 66).…”

“…For example, Bean and Forneris (2014) posited that sport-based PYD programs are not “hyper-competitive” environments and, as such, enable long-lasting, and inherently transferrable friendships to emerge (p. 66). Additionally, McDonough and colleagues (2017) examined the experiences and interactions of youth within a community sport-based PYD program related to how relationships affect youth both within the program and when they transfer to contexts outside of the program. Specifically, they found that peer relationships affect other intra- and interpersonal assets, as well as transfer to other life domains such as at home, in school, and throughout the community.…”

“…One explanation for this finding was that skills associated with developing relationships may need to be intentionally taught to youth. For instance, McDonough et al (2017) stated that:The integration of the life skills curriculum throughout the program was an important component of relationship building for youth, as it provided them with a framework for understanding what a good friend is, skills and opportunities for forming positive relationships, and friendships that could be maintained beyond the program. (p. 13)Perhaps this complex interpersonal life skill may need to be intentionally taught in order to effectively promote its transfer to other life domains.…”

Aligning Physical Literacy With Critical Positive Youth Development and Student-Centered Pedagogy: Implications for Today's Youth

“…Further, intrapersonal psychological outcomes consist of self-identity (Newman et al, 2021 ), character (Weiss et al, 2019 ), and values (Koh et al, 2017 ), and academic performance (McDavid et al, 2019 ). Socially, youth participation in sport-based PYD program has been found to foster new social relationships (McDonough et al, 2018 ), a sense of belonging (Martin et al, 2016 ), as well as decreases in delinquency (Spruit et al, 2018 ). These positive outcomes have been postulated as components of a holistic perspective of healthy youth development, which emphases the importance of the whole person.…”