Virtual Sport-Based Positive Youth Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sport is a foundational context for social, emotional, physical, and psychological development The COVID-19 pandemic displaced many youth from their normative sport activities As a result, sport-based positive-youth development (PYD) programs, typically delivered in person, had to reimagine ways to reach and engage youth in sport and life skill development In fall 2020, The Los Angeles Football Club Youth Leadership Program (LAFC YLP) developed seven virtual sport-based PYD videos and one workshop for 120 socially vulnerable youth and their families All virtual activities were designed to teach life skills through sport and play Our study sought to explore the accessibility of the virtual sport-based PYD activities, the lived experiences of youth participants during lockdown, and learning outcomes of youth and families who participated in the program We developed a mixed methods study using an online survey and virtual platform to allow youth to share photos, draw pictures, and leave comments about their lived experiences Our findings indicated 53 youth and their families participated in the virtual sport-based PYD program and reported the activities were accessible, enjoyable, and challenging for the youth participants In addition, 26 youth shared photos, images, or posts about their lived experiences Our thematic analysis of the photos, images, and posts indicated the virtual sport-based PYD activities facilitated positive emotional responses, positive peer interaction, engagement with family, and utilization of environmental resources during the COVID-19 pandemic Importantly, our findings also suggest virtual sport-based PYD activities may facilitate life skill transfer;an important developmental mechanism for learning in lieu of the decreased opportunities for sport and social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )