Social Science Sport Outreach Plan - Programming Activities Assignment
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SportOutreachforAt-RiskYouthinChicago.rtf2
" Sports Outreach for At-Risk Youth in Chicago"
Micheaux Hollingswoth
SMGT 504
Liberty University
August 25, 2024
Introduction : Sport is a catch that unites people in the context of an ever-growing global Human Diversity. This outreach plan targets youth who are at risk and are living in the urban cities of Chicago, Illinois. Such young people who are so vulnerable to the prevailing socio-economic conditions in any society are in desperate need of proper channeling in the right direction (Westerbeek & Karg, 2022). This group will be able to experience physical activity through sport, social inclusion, and self-development and should, therefore, be targeted by a wide-ranging and extensive sports engagement initiative.
Target Population: It is the target audience of the sports outreach plan that will be implemented to the youths at risk between the age of 12-18 years residing within Chicago’s urban setting. These youth are usually from low socio-economic backgrounds; some are even exposed to a lot of crime, and most have poor education and no positive male or female role models (Rabinovitz et al.,2020). Most of them are kids raised by single parents or have been brought up in homes where they witnessed the effects of substance use and gangsterism. They tend to lead to hopelessness and thus increase the chances of adopting risky behaviors.
Geographic Location: The target population of this outreach plan is the inner-city communities of the city of Chicago, Illinois. This area is crowded and populated, has poor recreational amenities, and a scarcity of appropriate programs for children out of school. The region is also characterized by socioeconomic inequalities where a big percentage of the population becomes relativity poor or even lives below the poverty line (Wheeler, 2021). However, the community is characterized, among other things, by the following factors: cultural diversity and a strong spirit of perceiving hardship. Regarding this area, the goal of the sports outreach plan is to bring meaningful activities to at-risk youths that would build up their confidence and skills in life.
Why This Group: This is especially so because the at-risk youths from the urban areas form part of the most vulnerable but are rarely considered in issues of community development. Working with this group through sport presents a good chance to intervene and meet their needs (Brady et al., 2020). Sport may be used as a medium of change for these young individuals and turn them into disciplined personalities with a sense of belonging. It may also be an opportunity for them to be diverted from the vices that they are likely to engage themselves in, such as joining gangsters or taking to substance abuse. Engaging in organized sports makes it possible for these youth to acquire attributes that are important in life, for instance, discipline, leadership skills, and determination. This population has been selected because vulnerable youths in cities are vulnerable to poor returns in poverty, crimes, and social and economic marginalization. The lack of organized, constructive activities tends to expose them to making wrong decisions in life, including using substances and joining gangs (Njeru, 2022). Sport presents an alternative model, one that, while it may not result in a physical change in the way they look, benefits the individual in giving structure to one's life and building self-esteem.
Benefits of Sport: Sports can hugely impact this group through the following ways: promoting good health, a healthy mind, and a healthy nation, and lastly, teaching core values (OÕNeill, 2021). It provides a route to higher achievement in school, associated with proper social relations, and individual development.
Biblical Support: Matthew 25:40 supports the idea of helping those vulnerable individuals, which is the key principle of this sport outreach (Matthews, 2023). Also, Paul’s message 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 points to the aspect of discipline that can be developed through sport.
Application of Scripture: Getting at-risk youth involved through sport is a form of serving, which is a Biblical form of love. This outreach offers an expression of love practically; builds up the youth in physical, emotional, and the hardest of all – the Spiritual aspect.
References
Brady, B., Chaskin, R. J., & McGregor, C. (2020). Promoting civic and political engagement among marginalized urban youth in three cities: Strategies and challenges. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105184
Matthews, A. D. (2023). Inclusive guidelines for youth sport stakeholders: A content analysis of US sport national governing body websites [Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://www.proquest.com/openview/a982160c4a95f668df6010ec27a8a16d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Njeru, M. (2022). The influence of urban criminal gangs on the socio-economic livelihoods of former female gang members: The case of Gaza criminal gang in Nairobi County, Kenya [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi]. University of Nairobi Digital Repository. http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/163473
O’Neill, D. F. (2021). Survival of the fit: How physical education ensures academic achievement and a healthy life. Teachers College Press. https://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QbQWEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Sport+can+hugely+impact+this+group+through+the+following+ways+promoting+good+health,+a+healthy+mind,+and+a+healthy+nation,+and+lastly+teaching+core+values&ots=DekSYkQmQg&sig=Wh6xirH0eCZtWwdxazSUyy3927Q&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Rabinovitz, S., Schneir, A., & Warf, C. (2020). Homeless adolescents: Identification, outreach, engagement, housing, and stabilization. In Clinical care for homeless, runaway and refugee youth (pp. 45-68). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40675-2_4
Westerbeek, H., & Karg, A. (2022). International sports business: Current issues, future directions. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429316043
Wheeler, J. (2021). “How much is not enough?”: Public library outreach to “disadvantaged” communities in the war on poverty. The Library Quarterly, 91(2), 190-208. https://doi.org/10.1086/713043
