Methodological handbook Resource Guide
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Methodological handbook
Resource Guide
This report was produced by the University of Barcelona (UB) (P2) - Partner of the project. Report written by Ramon Crespo, Anna Mundet, Teresa Lleixà, Albert Batalla i Montserrat Simó.
Suggestions and good practices have been jointly identified with NGO Marathon Sarajevo, LUGI Handball, Hašk-Mladost, Granollers City Council, GO! Atheneum Ieper and other partners of the Sport!Op! project. The UB team would like to thank them all for their contributions and collaboration.
June 2022
University of Barcelona - (UB) - Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585, 08007 Barcelona
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Theoretical foundation
Sport, education and social inclusion
Can sport promote social inclusion? 09
What makes sport educational? 10
What values can be promoted through sport? 11 What are the educational sports programmes like? 12
Resiliency and Social inclusion
What does it mean to make an educational initiative resilient and, thereby, more inclusive? 15
How can we adopt a resiliency-based approach? 17 Methodology 23
Results
A-Proposals for the general design phase of the project 29 B-Proposals for the annual general planning phase 40 C-Proposals for the design phase and application of the sessions 52
3 Contents Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport 61
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Bibliographic references
Presentation
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OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport!
Presentation
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Presentation
In 2020, the project ‘Sport!OP! (Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport)’ was launched. This EU-funded project1 has been implemented in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Spain and Sweden2, and aims to strengthen local and community strategies that use sport as a vehicle for the social inclusion of the vulnerable youngsters.
Within the framework of the project, a collaborative process has been initiated to pool the knowledge and experience of 2 city councils, 2 sports clubs, 1 education centre and 1 non-governmental organisation, working together to advocate participation in sport as a means of driving forward social inclusion processes, with the theoretical and methodological insight of a multidisciplinary team at the University of Barcelona with expertise in physical education, resiliency and socioeducational interventions with children and young people.
1Within the framework of the Erasmus + Sport programme: EAC/ A03/ 2018 -2019
2The Granollers City Council (ES) takes the role of lead project partner, and the University of Barcelona (ES), Grigny City Council (FR), Atheneum Ieper (BE), LUGI Hand-bollsförening (SE), Hašk Mladost (HR) and Marathon Sarajevo Club (BA) constitute a consortium created to jointly develop a local strategy that facilitates the promotion of sporting activity as a vehicle for social inclusion.
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Within the framework of the Erasmus + Sport programme: EAC/ A03/ 2018 -2019
The Granollers City Council (ES) takes the role of lead project partner, and the University of Barcelona (ES), Grigny City Council (FR), Atheneum Ieper (BE), LUGI Hand-bollsförening (SE), Hašk Mladost (HR) and Marathon Sarajevo Club (BA) constitute a consortium created to jointly develop a local strategy that facilitates the promotion of sporting activity as a vehicle for social inclusion.
3The initiatives based on the Sport Plus approach are led and/or conducted by organizations whose main activity is sport (or physical activity), which they use and adapt in different ways in order to achieve certain social development goals.
This handbook is the result of this joint work. It aims to bring together all the key lessons learned and the recommendations gathered throughout the process, with the objective facilitating decision-making for any organisations want to implement projects that could be characterised as ‘Sport Plus’3 or, in other words, projects based on promoting sport and physical activity that are designed to develop the participants’ resiliency with the goal of preventing and neutralising potential situa tions of social exclusion.
There is no single way to use this handbook and its contributions are not intended to be a definitive outline of practice or experience. We believe that there is still a great deal to learn and explore, and we will achieve this through the offshoots and inputs developed by different professional teams in the course of the creative task of planning and implementing Sport Plus projects.
It only remains for us to invite you to read the handbook and hope that you find enough arguments to question hegemonic approaches to physical education and sport, as well as outlining new possibilities and supporting you in your educational endeavours, sharing insight into a range of technical and methodological sugges tions that make your games, training and competitions more transformational.
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OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport!
Theoretical foundations
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Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
1Sport, education and social inclusion
When is sport really educational and inclusive? In line with the objectives of this Methodological Handbook, we will present a few guidelines with respect to the crucial aspects for making sport educational and, as a result, an instrument for social inclusion.
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities
Can sport promote social inclusion?
There is broad consensus that physical activity and sport are a valuable support for personal and social development. Moreover, the European Commission (n.d.) considers that sport promotes tolerance, solidarity and social inclusion, giving groups at risk of exclusion the possibility to interact with other social groups. In addition, taking part in sport can facilitate the development of social and life skills, generating improved individual and collective well-being.
The factors to take into consideration to ensure that sport promotes the desired social inclusion can be classified into three key priorities: participation, equal opportunities and the educational potential of sport. Participation entails getting involved and making effort to achieve common goals. Collectively, this participation can certainly create the bonds and connections required for living in a community. It must also be active participation in terms of making decisions and evaluating proposals. Moreover, access to sport is not always equal. Striving to ensure equal opportunities for taking part in sport by closing the gender gap, for instance, will prove to be essential to make progress along the road towards inclusion (European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, 2022). Lastly, particular attention must be paid to activities that enable us to exploit the true educational potential of sport, which we will analyse in the following sections.
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
What makes sport educational?
A clear and widely accepted premise is that sport, in itself, is not intrinsically educational, but rather only insofar as its practice is aimed towards educational purposes and this intention is applied to the different situations and circumstances that accompany this practice.
Sport’s capacity to impact people and groups is evident. However, this impact does not always have the most desirable expression. The behaviour of some sportspeople who display detrimental attitudes of violence, sexism, racism, foul play, or the use of performance-enhancing substances can hardly be taken as a role model for young sportspeople. While these behaviours are a scourge, many of the key characteristics of sport make it a very effective means for educating young people. Firstly, there are parallels between sport and real life, insofar as the goals to be achieved are dependent on the knowledge of the possibilities available, effort and collaboration with other people. Moreover, the diverse selection of sporting activities, as well as the option of playing competitively or just for fun, offer an extremely broad range of possibilities that make sport accessible to anybody. The well-being and fun that sport generates make it a motivating activity. Likewise, sport highlights the progress that comes from personal effort, as well as the risks and challenges that can be overcome, in some cases. Lastly, the disputes that can arise in sporting contexts provide an opportunity to put knowledge and skills into practice to resolve them.
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Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
All in all, this leads us to an indisputable conclusion. Sport does not educate, but rather it is the professionals using sport who educate. Education is really the product of the series of decisions that are made and the set of conditions that characterise the task. As such, these decisions and conditions have to be aligned in order to give sporting activity an educational facet.
What values can be promoted through sport?
The transmission and development of attitudes and values constitutes one of the ways in which sport can certainly make an impact. Therefore, the different agents involved in the sporting activity, particularly the technical staff, will have a big role to play in ensuring that these attitudes and values are the most desirable ones. But what values are we talking about? Sánchez-Alcaraz, López, Valero and Gómez (2016) conducted a review of different studies on sportbased value education programmes and highlight the following values: respect, self-control, self-esteem, empathy, effort, autonomy, cooperation, helping others and leadership. There are another few that we could add to complete the list: honesty, fairness responsibility and solidarity.
Of course, it is not necessary to forgo sporting goals in order to educate in values, but it is essential to complement these goals with other objectives related to personal and collective development.
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What are the educational sports programmes?
Prior to ours, many studies have addressed the topic of educational sports programmes. After an extensive review of the ethical and moral issues of sport, Shields and Bredemeier (2008) offer various guidelines on what an educationoriented sports programme should be like. Their key recommendations include the need to guarantee the participants’ physical and psychological safety, as well as their empowerment, fostering an atmosphere of excellence that puts the fact of winning into perspective. Moreover, they consider it a priority to build the team and make it grow within a value-based community that promotes critical thinking that can be applied in everyday life.
It is essential that all the different agents involved in the sporting activity maintain behaviour consistent and aligned with the educational objectives. To achieve this, it is important to place trust in the players, reinforcing good conduct with the aim of preventing learned incompetence. To educate in values, we have to act with values. In other words, we have to be consistent with behaviours that can set an example, with a clear understanding that it is crucial that these actions are not occasional gestures, but rather a general tendency within the context of these behaviours.
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Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
The concept of competition warrants particular attention, because it is when people are competing that the values developed come into play. We must avoid expressing negative emotions and antisocial behaviours and, more than ever before, focus on promoting respect, fair play and ethical conduct.
Lastly, in line with the idea that continuity is essential in educational initiatives, it is important to monitor and continuously assess the programmes, in an attempt to answer the following questions: Is this the most suitable alternative? Are the objectives being achieved? What difficulties do we face and how can we overcome them? What needs to be modified in order to improve?
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Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport!
2Resiliency and Social inclusion
Resiliency and socio-educational accompaniment are interrelated factors that generate a dynamic that helps us tackle social exclusion (Ruiz, Calderón, Juárez, 2017). In this respect, it is important to devise educational initiatives that are resilient so that we can create an environment that facilitates the social inclusion of the people who participate.
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Sport! OP!
The concept of resiliency comes from the field of engineering, where it is used to describe a property of certain materials that, after being subjected to particular distortions, are able to return to their original state. From that starting point, a range of different fields, such as education and the social sphere, have adopted this construct of resiliency and adapted it for their own purposes (Nussbaum, 2011), considering it as a framework of reference focusing on the positive aspects and processes that define a person, group, material or system that allow it to endure a destabilising and disruptive event or situation that affects its integrity and stability, enabling it to withstand and overcome the event, recover and even come back stronger (Vaquero, Urrea and Mundet, 2014). In this respect, if we apply this concept to the case of organisations running socioeducational initiatives, such as the clubs participating in the Sport!Op! project, the applicability of the construct of resiliency does not refer to an individual characteristic of a person, but rather in the sense of making the organisation a potentially more resilient institution, adopting specific strategies concretes in relation to its own nature as a defender or ally of vulnerable groups, and the resources available to them for this purpose (Bartley et al. 2007; Cabanyes, 2010; Guerra, 2013; Masten & Obradovic, 2006; Cabanyes 2010).
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What does it mean to make an educational initiative resilient and, thereby, more inclusive?
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
Hence, we can identify the following two key factors that link resiliency with social inclusion:
Being exposed to an environment characterised by risk and/or adverse circumstances.
Understanding resiliency as a process in which the interactions between people take centre stage. These interactions are dynamic and changing, so resiliency as applied to the social context is not a static concept or individual characteristic, but rather a response to a proposal for action and interaction.
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Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
How can we adopt a resiliency-based perspective?
From this perspective, applying the concept of resiliency to the socio-educational sphere, it is useful to follow the model developed by Henderson and Milstein (2003), which advocates promoting resiliency capacity in an educational setting. The model comprises six steps to foster resiliency, represented in a circle in the form of a wheel, divided into two categories: the aspects that strive to mitigate risk factors; and the aspects that enable us to build resiliency. As such, it is a planning strategy that can be used by institutions, clubs or educational organisations to plan their actions and make them more resilient.
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Aspects to mitigate risk
factors:
Increasing social bonds; strengthening the relations between people, based on the idea that people with strong positive bonds engage far less in risky behaviours than people without such bonds.
Setting clear, consistent boundaries: drafting and implement consistent processes, emphasising the importance of explaining the existing expectations and the objectives we aim to achieve.
Learning and teaching life skills: resolving conflicts, having resistance and assertiveness strategies, communication skills, learning to make decisions and managing stress.
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1 2 3
OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
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Sport!
OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Factors to build resiliency: 4 5 6
Providing caring and support: giving unconditional kindness and support, generating a caring atmosphere.
Setting and communicating expectations of success: promoting motivation through high, yet realistic, expectations.
Providing opportunities for meaningful participation: giving people responsibility within the context, with the opportunity to resolve problems, make decisions, plan, listen and be listened to, set goals, help others, etc.
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20 iuBld Rise l i e n c y in t he Environment MitigateRiskFact ors i n t h e tnemnorivnE Provide Opportunities for Meanful Participation Increase Pro-Social Bonding Teach “Life Skills” Provide Caring and Support Set Clear. Consistent Boundaries Set and Communicate High Expectations The Resiliency Wheel Model (Source: Henderson and Milstein, 2003) Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
According to this model, a socio-educational organisation can act as a suitable context for developing resiliency, depending on how it focuses its activities. In this respect, it is important that the organisation guarantees a resiliency-based perspective based on the following requirements:
Promoting a socio-educational initiative in which the participants can recognise their potential, as well as accepting their limitations.
Creating initiatives and activities that enable people to identify themselves in some way, within a context of inclusion rather than exclusion.
Enabling and encouraging participants to take an active role, rather than the passive stance characteristic of vulnerable groups.
Proposing activities and initiatives applicable and transferable to the person’s context in order to prevent situations of isolation and exclusion, thereby reinforcing the community relations.
Taking a resiliency-based approach that strives to promote quality action, with initiatives based on providing care and support to enable learning in which the participants take an active role; setting (realistic) expectations that provide effective motivation; and, lastly, enhancing social bonds, creating an inclusive educational community that embraces difference.
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Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
It should be highlighted that, over the course of our work on the project and in view of the characteristics of the experiences, it has become clear that, in contrast to the original proposal of the Sport!Op! program in the beginning, this handbook advocates fostering a resilient sensibility in sporting institutions so that they can adopt such a perspective. This change of approach was considered appropriate in view of the project’s characteristics and scope: there is no initiative long enough nor with stable enough participants to be able to evaluate the changes in the individuals’ resiliency. However, it is possible to make a contribution to organisations to enable them to assume a resiliency-based perspective, in line with the Resiliency Wheel model presented above. In this regard, the professional teams (and the institution) are more stable and the potential impact that Sport!Op! can make in this respect is clearer.
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Methodology
These contributions were collected through the collaborative dynamic of the project itself, with a bottom-up approach. Right from the start, all the phases conducted have been designed to help improve the social conditions socials of the young people through their participation in sport, which is promoted through a resiliency-based approach. Therefore, at the very beginning, the project focused on the concept of resiliency and its dimensions. To ensure the efficacy of this approach, all the project partners were given theoretical and practical training. We focused on the following resiliency dimensions: bonds, boundaries, life skills, caring, expectations and participation.
These dimensions provided the structure that underpinned the process of collecting the rest of the information presented in this handbook. However, the key objective is to ensure that it is has a very clear degree of applicability in the daily lives of people who, through sport, contribute towards the social improvement of others. Therefore, it was crucial to combine the theoretical input with the inclusion of specific, everyday actions that facilitate the transferability of the insights gained to sports clubs and institutions throughout Europe.
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
With this in mind, in a second phase, we focused on the practical applicability of this resiliency, creating a template that each sports club could use to identify different strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the style of a Swot Analysis. This document was then shared with the methodological team in different working sessions in which we specified these inputs and, most importantly, illustrated them with specific, applied examples, as their aim is to gain an even better understanding of the contribution that sport makes to the lives of these young people. As well as these prior documents to gather input for the study, we also drafted a mind map to establish the links between the different aspects raised in order to determine their interaction within the context of practising sport.
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Sarajevo’s mind map
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Uncertainty
Homogenous group (constant)
First create a relatiochip between profesionals and children and after allow hem to work deeply problems (bad behaviors, etc)
Social workers live with children (SOS mums) and others only work with kids
Holistic approach (social worker with trainers)
STRENGHTS
Example: through training sessons, they complete, be cooperative, motivation, angry, satisfaction, ...
Structural training (how to spend time, discipline, ...)
Sport attitudes are resilient (self steem, self confident, behaviour intra group)
Covid effects: spend time with kids (fun)
EXAMPLE
Relevant role of trainers to promote their capabilities
Talented kids
OPPORTUNITIES
SARAJEVO
WEAKNESSES
Behavior of children
Strategies: hope more!
Enes underlines a good thing (allow them to work the internal group)
Example: kid provoking other (verbal and non verbal). Social worker (observer)
Tryes to talk with him/her
Strategies: rent a indoor space
Need a indoor space
Conditions of indoor space: not many requirements, only covered floor
Strategies: Need intellectual capacity from social worker to deal with these problems? mainly dialogue, take profit from its relationship (long time together). It is very important to attend training sessions (they have something to do, forget the rest)
Give more opportunities to train (participating in Athletic club)
Add another space (indoor)
DIFFICULTIES
6-16 years old (different physical abbilities, boys and girls)
Strategies: split team in order to join with similar capabilities (similar ages). Or maybe split group in two parts of time or more trainers
Boys and girls together?
It’s not a problem
EXAMPLE
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities
Lastly, the contributions have been organised and discussed by the methodological team of the University of Barcelona and then given back, in line with this deliberative and participative process, to all the partner clubs participating in the project, in the follow-up meetings. It was also considered useful to triangulate and conduct a more external validation of the contributions listed below, from the perspective of the resiliency experts Dr. Molina and Dr. Pastor.
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Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
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Results
Sport! OP!
Opportunities
The result of the process explained above is a resource for sports bodies to enable them to build inclusive, resilient educational projects through sports activities. This resource is presented as a set of explanatory tables that outline the proposals made by the participating institutions regarding the aspects that they consider important in order to develop resiliency through sports and physical activities.
Results
In total, we present three tables, one for each of the three phases of the project. The first table, “General design of the project”, shows the aspects related to the general features of the proposal, its orientation and provision of the resources required. The second, “Annual planning” includes the aspects related to the scheduling and annual planning of the actions involved in the project. Lastly, the “Design and application of the sessions” table shows all the contributions associated with the practical application of the project in the sessions and day-to-day activities.
With respect to the authorship of the proposals, the first column, “Partner proposals” is an overview of the contributions made by the different institutions involved in the project (“local European partners”). In these proposals, the idea put forward has not be modified in any way, with the exception of grouping similar comments together and editing the items used. The second column, “SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS” shows the comments and suggestions made by members of the methodological partner team, as drafted by team at the University of Barcelona.
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION DETERMINING THE TARGET POPULATION RELATIONS WITH INSTITUTIONS LINKED TO THE TARGET POPULATION Gradually increasing the target population (e.g., with children and young people from dysfunctional families) Defining a broad target population with the prospect of expanding it further Maintaining fluid contact with the families, particularly those that are vulnerable Facilitating access to the target population Working with partners who know how to have a positive impact on the target group If there are foster families, ensuring that fluid contact is maintained Running the activity near to the target population Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
A-Proposals
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AREA OF ACTIVITY SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION RELATIONS WITH INSTITUTIONS LINKED TO THE TARGET POPULATION Holistic approach (comprehensive and global) to the people Maintaining close relations with social services Promoting the use of social media, bearing in mind that not everybody has access to them Taking advantage of contact with the associated institutions to publicise the project and recruit participants Awareness of the activities, both specific and general Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Using facilities that guarantee access to the participants Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
for the general design phase of the project
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION RELATIONS WITH OTHER CLUBS AND INSTITUTIONS RELATIONS WITH COMMUNITY Involving local clubs and associations Finding alternatives to ensure the continuity of the people who are most gifted or motivated by sport Promoting collaboration with nearby schools Opening the activities up to the local population and encouraging their participation Facilitating and promoting volunteering Getting students from nearby schools involved Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION GENERAL NATURE OF THE PROJECT Focusing the project on satisfying the participants’ interests and needs and keeping them away from more dangerous leisure options Enhancing the participants’ self-confidence and increasing their sense of responsibility Offering a diverse range of sporting activities to adapt to different tastes and interests Ensuring the recreational nature of the proposal Ensuring the healthy nature of the proposal Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION SUPPORT MEASURES Planning support systems for verbal communication Extra support measures must be implemented for participants with a special and/or persistent problem: psychological support – strategies for overcoming previous traumas Identifying everyone’s personal circumstances to ensure a personalised approach Enhancing the value of verbal communication Planning general psychological support Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
A-Proposals
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION SUPPORT MEASURES DURATION, CONTINUITY EQUIPMENT Establishing mechanisms to facilitate the participation of female participants, especially when their families are opposed to it Guaranteeing adequate equipment to execute the project (plentiful, comfortable, adapted, safe, etc.) Ensuring the sustainability of the project Establishing mechanisms to facilitate the continuity of the families involved Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
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for the general
project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION EQUIPMENT STAFF SELECTION AND LOYALTY BUILDING Guaranteeing
accessibility
the facilities Presence of the proposal
the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Ensuring
Anticipating
Facilitating
Taking
Ensuring
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
design phase of the
the
of
in
the facilities have the resources required to execute the project (human, materials, financial, spatial, etc.)
the existence of financial difficulties
coordinated work between the team of professionals (coaches, social workers, psychologists, educationalists, etc.)
action to obtain revenues and grants
the existence of a coordinator and defining their role
A-Proposals
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION STAFF SELECTION AND LOYALTY BUILDING Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Defining the professional roles and the tasks/ functions of each person (e.g., one person to lead, another to observe and another to provide support) Striving to ensure the continuity and loyalty of the staff involved Facilitating specific training initiatives (beyond the field of sport) for the staff involved (E.g., conflict resolution, communication, social skills, resources available at a local level, etc.) SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
A-Proposals
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for the general design
of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION DISSEMINATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Ensuring there is a local spokesperson who reaches the target population Being aware that word-of-mouth is extremely effective Publicising the project on the most accessible social media for the target population Establishing individual contact with the participants SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
phase
A-Proposals
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AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION AND ADHERENCE
Linking
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for
vulnerable
for the general design phase of the project
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project
the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Ensuring a positive welcome to the activity, and making all aspects of the activity as a whole a family and pleasant environment Creating a fun, creative and pleasant setting that encourages enjoyment Identifying and tackling the potential difficulties that the families may have (especially those faced by the female participants) to prevent them from stopping taking part in the project Keeping in mind that girls may gave specific needs that, if not considered (privacy, etc.) may eventually hinder their participation
inclusion of
youth through sport
A-Proposals
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for the general design phase of the project AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION AND ADHERENCE Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Planning specific measures for attracting adolescent participants Striving to ensure the continuity and progression of the people who are most gifted and/or motivated by sport Keeping in mind, at a general level, the things that attract the target population: the role of the most popular sports Motivating the participating population to leave their comfort zone Bearing in mind that physical activity and sport may be areas with professional prospects for the participants SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals for the annual general planning phase
Defining a clear, operational, relevant objective(s) that is known/shared right from the start
Focusing on the overall nature of the initiative to promote personal development
Defining goals that pose a challenge, but which are realistic and achievable
SETTING OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON
Frequently reminding participants of the objectives so that there are always clear in their minds
Focusing the objectives on enjoyment rather than on performance
Setting objectives that guarantee inclusion
Setting objectives that are transferrable to the participants’ real lives
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
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RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG.
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
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for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION SETTING OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON GENERAL CRITERIA FOR THE DESIGN OF THE SESSIONS Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Striking a balance between recreation and achievement/performance Conducting individual interviews with the participants in order to adapt the plan Fostering the individualisation, autonomy and diversity of the responses Scheduling the sessions in the near future Ensuring that the activities are inclusive Avoiding repetition, monotony and boredom in the activities and sessions SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals
Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals for the annual general planning phase
AREA OF ACTIVITY
Without losing sight of the goal of inclusivity, taking measures to motivate the people with a high level of performance
Fostering discipline
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR THE DESIGN OF THE SESSIONS
Enabling and encouraging the participants to work on their emotions
Fostering acceptance of mistakes
Fostering creativity, giving children and young people the possibility to participate in sport differently, finding other ways of being effective (the activity should not involve any financial cost in terms of materials, which would be a barrier to participating in sport)
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
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RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
ORG.
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS
B-Proposals
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ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR THE DESIGN OF THE SESSIONS
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS
Opportunities
CRITERIA FOR THE COMPETITION APPROACH Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Adapting the methodology in the case of people who are not able to act autonomously Proposing activities to identify possibility of transferring aspects to the everyday life of the participants Taking advantage of competition to boost collective performance, which, in all cases, must be seen as a resources rather than an absolute end in itself Combining competition and recreation, with a greater emphasis on the latter, always striving for collective performance Fostering the feeling of belonging to the group
Sport! OP!
for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
44
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION CRITERIA FOR THE COMPETITION APPROACH Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Monitoring and anticipating difficulties resulting from the competitive nature of sport Helping to relativise the emotional effects of winning or losing Establishing an atmosphere of dialogue that facilitates consensus and compliance with the rules Monitoring and anticipating celebrations that may become disrespectful SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals
45
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION GENERAL OPERATIONAL RULES Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Encouraging the participants to take part in preparing the material and space Ensuring that all the participants know rules of the activity and sport Setting few rules and ensuring they are clear and manageable Encouraging the participants to take part in setting, reviewing and changing the rules SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals
B-Proposals
46
ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Giving
Encouraging
Fostering
Promoting
Anticipating
conflicts Focusing
Using
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for
vulnerable
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF
CONFLICT
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
the participants autonomy so that they manage disputes themselves
the participants to deal with disputes immediately and not to leave them to resolve later
dialogue, sometimes between the whole group
collective conflict management
the existence of cultural and religious
on the overall nature of the initiative to promote personal development
strategies to detect and resolve potential situations of bullying
inclusion of
youth through sport
B-Proposals
47
annual
AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
EVALUATION
Linking
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities
vulnerable
for the
general planning phase
PROGRAMME
MOTIVATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project
the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Incorporating the evaluation of the project from the point of view of the people who have not succeeded Using motivation channels, strategies and mechanisms that are relevant and appropriate for the participants Promoting a sense of trust and caring within the activity so that it is carried out within a friendly and motivating context Using the most diverse possible range of motivation channels, strategies and mechanisms to reach the highest possible number of children Clearly determining strength and weaknesses that can act as a starting point for measures for improvement
for inclusion of
youth through sport
48
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION MOTIVATION GROUP CREATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Having individual contact with the participants to motivate them Creating small groups to promote personalisation Generating diverse groups, especially in terms of gender, to promote inclusion and equality Keeping aware that diversity can also be an added problem or difficulty Planning for the possibility of making groups for the 6-10 and 11-15 age brackets Striving to ensure the capacity to offer enough places to meet demand SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals
Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals for the annual general planning phase
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS
Organising specific training activities for the professionals involved
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STAFF IN CHARGE
Ensuring that the team of staff have the capacity for communication, transference and positive leadership
Defining the role of each person involved well and ensuring that they all understand and accept their role
Ensuring that the team of staff have the capacity to detect and report situations of risk in the families (e.g., forced marriage)
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
49
EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING
Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals for the annual general planning phase
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS
Building staff loyalty and encouraging their continuity on the project
Ensuring that the person in charge of the activity (coach) can acknowledge all the people’s effort, hard work and performance
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STAFF IN CHARGE
Ensuring that all the staff share the methodology and objectives
Ensuring that the person in charge of the activity (coach) knows how to improve the participants’ social skills
Encouraging the staff to act as role models and ensuring they are aware how important this role is
Promoting a resilient attitude among the people in charge
Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project
Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
50
AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION
51
for the annual general planning phase AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION MATERIALS AND FACILITIES Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Guaranteeing that there are enough material resources and they are suitable for conducting the activity and ensuring the well-being of the participants SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
B-Proposals
52
for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION WELCOME PRESENTATION OF THE ACTIVITIES Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Ensuring personalised contact with the participants Striving to remember the name of all the participants Ensuring that everybody feel at ease right from the start (e.g., some girls may not feel comfortable) Monitoring attendance to minimise absenteeism Explaining the activities that are done Clarifying the purpose of the activities so that the participants see the point of them SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals
53 C-Proposals for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION PRIOR ASPECTS ACTIVITIES: TYPES, METHODOLOGY AND ORGANISATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Facilitating access to the facilities in terms of both the venue and the timetable Prioritising pair and group activities Providing manageable, “non-aggressive” material Keeping in mind that some activities and actions (helping, etc.) may be misinterpreted or pose a problem for some girls Fostering a cooperative approach to the activities Using specific techniques (e.g., self-coaching, visualisation, etc.) SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals for the design phase and application of the sessions
54
OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES: TYPES, METHODOLOGY AND ORGANISATION Presence
Linking
Striving
the
Allocating
Fostering
Designing
Planning
activities
SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for
vulnerable
sport
AREA
of the proposal in the design and organization of the project
the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
to get the group involved in setting
activities, even though the operational framework is defined within the project
the activities in a way that facilitates the participants’ success
the development of caring, committed relationships between the participants
and implementing fun activities
the
thoroughly
inclusion of
youth through
55
for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES: TYPES, METHODOLOGY AND ORGANISATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Allocating activities that facilitate adaptation and flexibility Promoting the repetition of routines for consolidating habits Designing sessions so that they are easy to understand and make good use of the time available (E.g., avoiding dead time that makes the participants disconnect) Prioritising collective activities over individual ones Prioritising enjoyment of the game over technical acquisition SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals
56
for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES: TYPES, METHODOLOGY AND ORGANISATION Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Promoting the inclusion, acceptance and appreciation of less gifted people Promoting mentoring, with the older participants taking responsibility for the younger ones Fostering body awareness activities such as breathing and relaxation Assigning activities that enable a better understanding of individual capacities Helping children/young people learn to make decisions by identifying challenges and problems, and finding solutions SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals
AND FAREWELL Presence Sport! OP! Opportunities
on what has gone well and badly at the end of training sessions or competitions
Reflecting
of the proposal in the design and organization of the project
the proposal with the dimensions of resilience
57
AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES: TYPES, METHODOLOGY AND ORGANISATION CLOSING
C-Proposals for the design phase and application of the sessions SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS
Linking
Providing strategies and resources so that the participants see how to achieve improvements in each person’s performance Establishing an atmosphere of trust and honesty in the initiatives to encourage the members of the team to help each other Fostering discussion and reflection, with a summary of the most important aspects of the session and their application to situations of everyday life
for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals
58
for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION COMPETITION DAYS ATTITUDE OF THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Anticipating transport difficulties for the families getting to the competition Transferring the good practices learned from the activity to the competition itself Striving to ensure that the person in charge is just another member of the group (e.g., that they participate in the activities) Enabling and encouraging the person in charge to have a positive attitude Facilitating the coordination of the staff involved, generating platforms for discussion between professionals (coaches, social workers, psychologists, educationalists, etc.) SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
C-Proposals
59
for the design phase and application of the sessions AREA OF ACTIVITY ORG. RESILIENCY DIMENSIONS BONDS BOUNDARIES LIFE SKILLS CARING EXPECTATIONS PARTICIPATION ATTITUDE OF THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE SPECIAL EVENTS Presence of the proposal in the design and organization of the project Linking the proposal with the dimensions of resilience Encouraging the recognition and appreciation of the work done by group and consolidating the feeling of belonging and empathy Highlighting and conveying the collective nature of victory or defeat Organising special events and sessions to publicise, explain and evaluate both the project and the proposed sporting activity Ensuring knowledge of the individual capacities of the children and young people and helping them to boost these capacities SPORT!OP! CONTRIBUTIONS Sport! OP! Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Bibliographic references
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Sport! OP!
Bibliographic references
Bartley, M.; Head, J & Stansfield, S. (2007). Is attachment style a source of resilience against health inequalities at work?. Social Science and Medicine, 64, 765-775.
Costa, S; Forés, A.; Burguet, M. (2014). Els tutors de la resiliència en l’educació social, Temps d’Educació, 46, 91-106.
Edwards, A. (2007). Working collaboratively to build resilience: a CHAT approach. Social policy and society, 6, 255-64.
European Commission (n.d.). Sport For community cohesion and social inclusion.
European Commission Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (2022). Towards more gender equality in sport : recommendations and action plan from the High Level Group on Gender Equality in sport
Guerra, J.L (2013). Construcción, validez y confiabilidad de la Escala de Resiliencia Docent Propósitos y Representaciones, Vol. 1 (1),59-86.
Henderson, N.; Milstein, M. (2003). La resiliencia en la escuela. Paidós, Barcelona.
Masten, A. & Obradovic, J. (2006). Competence and resilience in development. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094 (1), 13-27
Nussbaum, M. (2011). Creating Capabilities. The Human Development Approach. New York: The Belknap Press, Harvard University Press// (2012). Capabilités, Paris: Climats.
Ruiz, C.; Calderón, I. y Juárez, J. (2017). La resiliencia como forma de resistir a la exclusión social: un análisis comparado de casos. Pedagogía Social. Revista Interuniversitaria, 29, 129-141
Sánchez-Alcaraz, B.J., López, G., Valero, A. i Gómez A. (2016). Los programas de educación en valores a través de la educación física y el deporte. Actividad Física y Deporte: Ciencia i profesión, 25, 45-58.
Shields, D. L., & Bredemeier, B. L. (2008). Sport and the Development of Character. In L.P. Nucci & D. Narvaez. Handbook of Moral and Character Education (pp.500-519). New York: Routledge.
Vaquero, E.; Urrea, A.; Mundet, A. (2014). Promoting resilience through technology, art and a child rights-based approach. Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala, 2014, vol. 45, 144-159.
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Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
Sport! OP!
Opportunities for inclusion of vulnerable youth through sport
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