Abstract:
National governments, the United Nations, and other organizations have deemed sport
and other means of physical activity such as recreation, games and play for development
a useful means for addressing a wide range of problems in communities and more
specifically, providing youth with an opportunity to experience the benefits of physical
activity. There is a need for research that furthers our understanding of how participants
experience these programs. Specifically, the purpose of this study, was to better
understand the lived experiences of the participants in a YMCA camp program that
integrated physical activity and play for the specific development of poor youth street
workers. A phenomenological approach infonned by a critical perspective (Creswell,
2003; Rossman & Rallis, 2003) was used. The study took place through the Asociaci6n
Cristiana de J6venes de Costa Rica (ACJ) in Central America. The focus was on a camp
program and the lived experiences of six purposefully chosen, youth street workers
between the ages of 13-17. Their experiences were explored through semi-structured
interviews. Other data that fonn the study include: field notes, observations, a reflexive
journal and document analysis. The findings that emerged from the data include main
themes of relationships, poverty, personal change and empowennent. For many youth,
the ACJ is a relatively safe place to play, to "detach," their minds, to "distract" and
"disorient" themselves from their dysfunctional families, violent neighbourhood, the
poverty they live in, and from the necessity of having to work in the street to supplement
the family income. Although many studies have shown that programs that include
physical activity, play and/or sport have a positive impact on youth with regard to
healthy development and improvements in well-being, there has been little work done to
address the voices and experiences of the youth that participate in these programs. Using
an interpretive-critical approach, this study focused on the participants' personal
backgrounds, their experiences within the program and their critical reflections on the
program. This study draws from a phenomenological philosophy and method to report
findings from participants in an ACJ program in Costa Rica. This research shows how
these youth were given the opportunity to use the program and the ACJ property as a
relatively safe place to play, to behave like the youth they are, to establish and maintain
their friendship networks, and develop empathy and conflict resolution skills. The
fmdings from this study reveal how by participating in the ACJ program they each
described a personal change, wherein they felt empowered to learn they could positivel y
control themselves and as a result positively affect their own futures. These fmdings
contribute knowledge surrounding the lived experiences of youth in developmental
programs that use physical activity.
