“They play together, they laugh together’: Sport, play and fun in refugee sport projects

Berber Koopmans, Mark Doidge

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Whilst the role of sport for those working with refugees has become a
    recent area of academic analysis, these predominantly focus on the
    Global North (Spaaij et al. 2019). Drawing on participant observation
    and interviews with volunteers in Rwamwanja, this article critiques the
    role of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) projects that invariably
    use sport as a hook to engage participants. Focussing on games that
    promote play and encouraging fun are potentially beneficial for young
    inhabitants of refugee settlements. Unlike sport projects, which often
    have other aims or outcomes (such as education or health), play in and
    of itself is important. Play can open an imaginary world which can contribute
    to having fun and relaxation by helping young people in refugee
    settlements to stop worrying about the past or future and live wholly
    in the present. This reframes the focus of projects. Rather than focusing
    on specific outcomes, such as education or health, promoting fun
    through play can provide the foundations for these and other outcomes
    to develop.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)537-550
    Number of pages14
    JournalSport in Society
    Volume25
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 22 Dec 2021

    Keywords

    • Refugees
    • fun
    • global south
    • play
    • sport for development and peace

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