‘ eHoops’ Achieving meaningful youth engagement in Northern Ireland

Patrick O’Neill, Deirdre Brennan and David Hassan

MPhil in Sport Related StudiesUniversity of Ulster, Jordanstown

[email protected]@gmail.com

‘eHoops’ Achieving meaningful youth engagement in Northern

Ireland

NEETS

“What has come to be called ‘recreational rioting’ is also a feature of many of these areas, especially those on an interface where young people, mostly male, engage in rioting for kicks.” (Smyth 1998; 78)

Assessing Sport for Development Programmes

• implicit assumption or explicit affirmation that sport has inherent developmental properties

Provision for sport

• sports are adapted and often augmented with parallel programmes to maximise developmental objectives. Sport plus

• sport used as a hook to attract participants to programmes which incorporate education & training,

• systematic development of sport rarely a strategic aim.

Plus sport

SDP in Northern Ireland

eHoops

SCL

PSNI

Community groups

University of Ulster

The structure of the programme is:

Victory Scholars

Community Workers

Community workers untrained and unqualified Work in a voluntary capacity SCL sees the development of community leaders as a crucial

aspect of the programme

Police Service of Northern Ireland

‘informal social contact’ on the bus trips a change in young people’s attitudes towards each other a willingness to engage with their peers an enthusiasm in getting involved in community projects

Initial Findings

violent crimes against the person having fallen by 13% burglaries reduced by 75% criminal damage by 29% anti social behaviour has seen a 14% decrease (78% for

sectarian ASB),

Employed38%

Remain in School35%

Left school but returned to further and higher educa-

tion14%

Unemployed13%

Participants = 71

Final Word

References

A Shared Future – policy document (2005) http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/asharedfuturepolicy2005.pdf Coakley, J. (1998) ‘Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies, 6 th edition, Boston, MA: McGraw Hill Coalter, F. (2007) A wider social role for sport: who's keeping the score?. London: Routledge Coalter, F. (2013) Sport for Development; What game are we playing?. London: Routledge Communication on Sport - Developing the European Dimension in Sport (2011)

http://ec.europa.eu/sport/communication/communication-on-sport_en.htm) Full Circle. (2013) Summary impact of sport changes life; eHoops programme Hansson, U. (2005) Troubled Youth? Young People, Violence and Disorder in Northern Ireland. Belfast:

Institute for Conflict Research. Harland, K. (2011) Violent Youth Culture in Northern Ireland: Young Men, Violence, and the Challenges of

Peace Building. Sage Publications. Hartmann, D. (2003). ‘Theorising sport as social intervention’: A view from the grassroots, Quest, 55; 118-1140 Lloyd, T. (2006) Young Men and Violence: Summary of Evaluation Report. Belfast: YouthAction Northern

Ireland Nichols, G. (2007) Sport and crime reduction: The role of sports in tackling youth crime. London: Routledge Police Service of Northern Ireland (2013) Crime statistics for Glengormley 2012 Smyth, M. (1998) Half the Battle: Understanding the effects of the Troubles on children and young people in

Northern Ireland. Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland: INCORE (University of Ulster and the United Nations University).

The Northern Ireland Strategy for Sport & Physical Recreation 2009 – 2019 - policy document (2009) http://www.dcalni.gov.uk/sport_matters.pdf

Youth Action Northern Ireland. (2009) YouthAction Northern Ireland Annual Report 2009. Belfast: YouthAction Northern Ireland.