Background
Recently, there has been increased attention to the role of organized leisure activities in young people's upbringing. Participation in leisure activities a source of belonging, identity and mastery, and it gives young people skills and experiences that can be important later in life. Leisure activities have also been promoted as an arena to combat exclusion and to ensure that all children and young people feel included in their community. Against this background, research on children and young people's participation in leisure activities has also increased in scope. However, there has to a small extent been any systematic summary of this body of research, and there is a need to get a better overview of the existing studies, the topics they examine, what they find and what questions are still unanswered.
Questions
- What characterizes children and young people's participation in organized leisure activities, and especially in sports, culture and outdoor life?
- How does participation vary according to, among other things, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and other factors?
- What are the key barriers and measures for the inclusion of children and young people in leisure activities that are pointed out in the research?
- Which knowledge gaps are there in existing research and which topics are there a need for further research on?
Research design
The project is designed as a review and summary of the research literature on children's and young people's leisure time participation. The review will be limited to central research contributions in the period from 2000 to the present day, but with an emphasis on more recent research. Methodologically, the review will be based on literature searches in relevant databases and publications from central institutions with research in the area. It will primarily deal with research on children, young people and young adults up to the age of 25, and their participation in organized leisure activities in the areas of culture, sport and outdoor life. Within this delimitation, it will include both overall contributions on participation, and on economic, cultural and social barriers to participation as well as drivers for participation at individual, organizational and policy level. Based on the review, knowledge gaps in the research and important issues for further research will also be pointed out.
