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“Sports Outreach for At-Risk Youth in Chicago”

Micheaux Hollingswoth

SMGT 504

Liberty University

August 25, 2024

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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=PP

1&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+val

ues&ots=DekSYkQmQg&sig=Wh6xirH0eCZtWwdxazSUyy3927Q&redir_esc=y#v=one

page&q&f=false

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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