Engaging with diverse communities : sport as a vehicle for social development

Abstract

Physical activity has the potential to powerfully contribute to individual and community hauora. Through annual trips to the Philippines in 2013-2016 by a team of coaching academics from Unitec and AUT University, we were able to implement several projects aimed at building relationships within communities and enhancing self-esteem and confidence for at-risk youth. The work was underpinned by a sport-for-development (SFD) philosophy (SDP, 2007) and a positive youth development (PYD) approach (Lerner et al., 2005) to use the holistic nature of physical activity and sport to create transformative change within the participants. This work in the Philippines has helped inform aspects of the new Level 5 National Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise that is currently being developed at Unitec. There is demand within New Zealand for both community and youth development learning and there is increasing employment being created in this area. This creates a potential for sport and recreation students to be educated in this line of work – to develop an understanding of sport as a vehicle for personal and social development, alongside developing skills to actually implement this work. The new Unitec diploma will include specific content relating to these holistic outcomes with a strong emphasis on problem and project based learning, linked closely with key industry organisations, in a highly applied manner. There is a particular focus on understanding and working with Māori and Pacific communities and utilising culturally responsive methods to achieve holistic outcomes.