SIXTH INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS CONFERENCE

WORKSHOP 43: Sport, a way to integrate in the community

Wednesday, November 28, 2001
16:00 - 17:30


ORGANIZERS

Name: Mr. Eric Lagendijk
Affiliation/Institution: Van Dijk, Van Soomeren en Partners (DSP)
Mailing address: Van Diemenstraat 374, NL 1013 CR AMSTERDAM
Telephone: 31 (20) 625 75 37
Fax: 31 (20) 627 47 59
Email address: elagendijk@dsp-advies.nl

Name: Mr. Willem van Schelven
Affiliation/Institution: Nederlands Instituut Sport en Bewegen (NISB)
Mailing address: P.O Box 32, NL 6800 AA ARNHEM
Address: Papendallaan 50, NL 6816 VD ARNHEM
Telephone: 31 (26) 483 38 14
Fax: 31 (26) 483 38 90
Email address: willem.van.schelven@nisb.nl

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The goal of the workshop is to address the following two questions:
a) what factors can explain inclusion and exclusion in sports, and
b) how can local policies promote and reinforce integration through sports?
Answers to both questions must be set in the perspective of the development of sports policy and growing insight into the leisure behaviour of immigrant groups in the receiving societies.

a) It is important to analyse from the perspective of inclusion and exclusion which factors contribute to sports participation. For instance, sex role-differences, cultural patterns and varying orientations towards organising principals, such as voluntary work and membership of clubs. A research project of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports in four neighbourhoods shows to which degree sports participants represent the diversity of the local population. Explanations for differences between the ethnic backgrounds of participants and non-participants are connected to traditional community values of sports organisations, the cultural values of immigrants, the social-economic standards of these groups and also the way local government interfere in this field.

b) In the efforts to increase the level of sports participation, local governments often choose to support and facilitate immigrant groups to found ethnic-clubs. Research on sports stimulation programs and the integration of ethnic groups, pointed out that for some groups even sports participation in one's own set is a challenge. There seem to be a gap between the outcome of research on this subject and the strategic consequences in local policy. We also must realise that evaluation of local stimulation programs is hardly done, and local governments are primarily responsible and autonomous to make their own plans. However, the last years some cities make progress in the implementation of innovating projects in this field. Recently some of these projects have been studied. The object is to determine to what extent and how integration through sports can be derived. What are realistic goals of these projects? How can we measure any effects of sports participation on integration of ethnic groups?

International comparison
An exchange of views and experiences of scholars and policymakers from several countries may contribute to further innovation of strategic policy and cross-cultural comparisons of research.
In the first part of the workshop researchers present and discuss national results on determining factors of sports participation. To what extent are these factors relevant in the respective countries? Is there a common (global) set of determining factors of sports participation irrespective of country?
In the second part of the workshop, policymakers give their opinion about the effects of sports stimulation programs. Is sport a successful method to integrate into the local or national community? What strategic instruments do advance integration through sports? How do we measure the results of stimulation programs?

PRESENTERS
Ruud Stokvis, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (chair)
Jan Janssens, buro Diopter, The Netherlands
Hennie Breukers, City of Enschede, The Netherlands
Paul de Knop, VUB, Brussels, Belgium [paper I] [paper II]
Jeroen Scheerder, University Leuven, Belgum
Agnes Elling, KUB, The Netherlands