Inclusive Leisure as a Resource for Socio-Educational Intervention during the COVID-19 Pandemic with Care Leavers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reduction in leisure activities involving human contact. Social isolation has increased, particularly amongst vulnerable individuals with a fragile support network, as is the case with young people who have left care. The aim of the present research was to identify socio-educational proposals and interventions implemented during the pandemic pertaining to leisure as a form of promoting social inclusion of these young people. To this end, a qualitative study was carried out in which twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people who had left care system, in addition to fifteen interviews with professionals working with this group when delivering socio-educational interventions. Discourse analysis revealed that isolation due to the health crisis had greater repercussions in normalised settings in which leisure activity was reduced with this increasing risk of social inclusion amongst these young people. Proposals and experiences emerging from this setting provide evidence that socio-educational interventions targeting leisure facilitate social inclusion. In this sense, future lines of research are suggested to optimise the outcomes of socio-educational interventions within this group.

Menores y educadores sociales en los centros de protección a la infancia

“…Las figuras educativas hacen de los recursos residenciales, que Lugo es la provincia con consideraciones más positivas sobre los centros de menores en los siguientes aspectos: cobertura de necesidades básicas, apoyo emocional a los menores, fomento de autonomía, entre otros (Fernández et al, 2018). Obviando la provincia, en el presente estudio, aparece reflejado, tanto para los menores como para los educadores, que la cobertura de necesidades básicas, el apoyo socioefectivo (De Juanas et al, 2022) y el fomento de la autono-Menores y educadores sociales en los centros de protección a la infancia mía (Melendro et al, 2013) son elementos positivos de los centros de menores analizados, actuando como factores de protección (De-Juanas et al, 2020;Díaz-Esterri et al, 2021;Fernandez-Simo et al, 2022;Mansilla et al, 2018;Wulczyn et al, 2021) que les facilita la adquisición de competencias para su futura vida adulta (Bernal et al, 2020;Häggman-Laitila et al, 2019).…”

Salud mental en juventud extutelada: estrategias de promoción y prevención sociosanitaria

“…Al respecto, en esta investigación se evidencia que existen estrategias de prevención y promoción sociosanitaria cuya implementación ejerce como factor protector ante patologías de salud mental en este colectivo: reconstruir el vínculo afectivo dañado mediante referentes adultos positivos; el trabajo en red de recursos sanitarios comunitarios y educativos y el ocio como elemento terapéutico e inclusivo, especialmente el deporte, como ya señalan Díaz-Esterri et al, (2021) y Heckmann et al, (2021. Son los ejes principales de una intervención que permita que estas personas jóvenes tengan un tránsito saludable a la vida adulta.…”

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Leisure among the Youth of Spain

“…In addition, confinement has modified habits and routines, with a possible medium and long-term impact on the lifestyle and well-being of young people [20][21][22], which in turn seems to have an impact on their mental health [23]. According to several experts, these psychological problems will increase worldwide as a consequence of the pandemic [24,25]; some have even affirmed that the impact caused by COVID-19 on psychological health will be as significant as its impact on physical health, especially in vulnerable populations [26,27].…”

“…Some of the published research on leisure and COVID-19 has begun to show how the pandemic has changed habits and routines [20][21][22] and the disproportionate effect on an age group for whom peer group interaction is a vital means of development [19], with a possible medium-and long-term impact on young people's lifestyles and wellbeing [23][24][25][26][27]. Therefore, we would like to know their opinion and answers to the following question: do you feel that the pandemic has affected aspects of your life such as routines, relationships with friends, and your psychological well-being?…”