Youth Violence and Sport as One of The Strategies of Its Prevention

Violence has been around forever now. It’s everywhere. So what is violence? Violence is 'the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy.' Most will assume there is only one type of violence that people use, but there is actually quite a lot of different types of violence. One specific type of violence is gendered violence. According to the book “Fighting Violence Against Women: Laws, Norms and Challenges Ahead,” violence involving gender is a major issue globally that the United Nations has declared a violation of women’s rights and freedoms. This being said, however, men’s violence towards women continues on even in societies where women have formal and equal citizenship. However all this being said violence doesn’t always have to be gender-related, and can have many forms, such as youth violence. Violence takes place in everyday life and can’t always be avoided no matter how hard one tries. We have all come across violence at some point in our life and it has affected us all differently. Whether it was gender violence or racial violence, we all face some sort of violence in everyday life.

I am one of the lucky ones because violence hasn't really affected my life, but I've witnessed a lot of the examples of violence among youth. That's why I choose "youth violence" as the topic of my essay.

Youth Violence

Statistics Canada defines youth violence as any deliberate physical, sexual or psychological assault on another person (or persons) by one or more young people between the ages of 12 to 19 years. Youth violence is an ongoing social and health problem across communities everywhere. While the overall violent crime rate in Canada fell by 4% in 10 years, from 1997 to 2006, the rate of violent crime among young people has risen by 12% over the past 10 years and has increased by 30% since 1991.

Youth violence is a prevalent issue that appears to be witnessed regularly. Signs of violence among children and youth range from minor tantrums and subtle remarks to more severe physical and verbal assaults. Often, parents ignore violent outbursts believing that they are a natural and temporary phase in the child's life. However, aggressive behavior channeled negatively can influence many decisions that present a grim prospect.

Causes

The development of delinquency can be explained through a variety of factors in effect, including environmental issues such as poverty and social class, social risk factors associated with parental authority and peer pressure, individual risk factors linked with one’s mental and emotional state, and additional influences including a child’s neighbourhood and community.

Research shows that the more influences youth are exposed to, the greater the likelihood of a violent outcome. The role of peers influencing individual adolescent behaviour has been established as one of the strongest adolescent risk factor. Peers play a role in promoting behaviour and attitudes that are favourable toward violence. In some cases, young people are socialized in a gang culture that encourages attitudes towards crime. It is proposed that gang affiliation meets an individual youth’s needs for power, identification, self-esteem, socialization, and an overall sense of belonging. Exclusion and rejection may take place for a variety of reasons, and although it may not always be intended to cause psychological harm, the experience of exclusion may cause negative effects in terms of emotional and behavioural health, academic challenges, a decline in prosocial behaviour, and low self-esteem. Moreover, families appear to play multiple roles exerting an influence on children that may increase or decrease the risk of youth violence. Many of the best-established risk factors for youth violence are family- based, including dismissive parenting, inter parental violence, child abuse and neglect, inadequate discipline, and lack of monitoring by parents of children showing early signs of aggression. Factors associated with lower risk for violence among young people often suggest elements which embrace close bonds with supportive caregivers, effective parenting that is consistent and responsive to development, and families working in ways that are healthy, stable, well-managed and well-regulated for children. Ultimately, acts of violence among youth may be triggered through a lack of personal connections as well as social exclusion, for example, among peers and family.

Additionally, mental disorder is a risk factor that is significant for violence and may play a vital role in a violent teen’s life. Although mental and behavioural health issues do not directly cause young people to become violent, they increase the risk of violence for children as certain strains place them at greater risk of responding impulsively and aggressively in difficult social situations. In addition, research also suggests that young people seek comfort from those who welcome them and strengthen their sense of belonging. Thus, many young people have no choice but to turn to street gangs to fulfill their need for acceptance, belonging and self-esteem. Not only can youth with poorer mental wellbeing be drawn to gang-affiliation, for reasons such as loneliness and lack of support, but this affiliation can have a negative impact on mental health and often exacerbate current mental illnesses suffered by the youth.

Prevention

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, youth are often referred to community service or other agencies that address criminal behavior. However, violence among youth increases health costs, criminal justice services, and welfare while reducing the value of the community and housing nearby (World Health Organization, 2016). Furthermore, there is little evidence supporting that incarceration, community service, boot camps, or other sources of rehabilitation have helped reduce crimes amongst youth. According to the World Health Organization, risk factors within individuals that lead to violence include hyperactivity, attention deficiency, and involvement in crime and intoxicants (2016). These risk factors that are found in many youths can be limited with the involvement of sports. Sports have taught many people basic life skills including time management, handling pressure, responsibility, and commitment. These skills can directly influence youth to the level of morality, preventing violent outbreaks. Rather than spending money on agencies that address violence, investing the same amount of money on prevention methods is more valuable and effective.

Incorporating sports programs at municipal recreation centers can be used to help reduce youth violence by shaping adolescents to make responsible and sensible decisions. Recognizing and unconsciously mimicking violence is similar to inherited disorders; it is impossible to avoid the gene of a disorder, but with the correct protective measures, it is possible to reduce the negative effects. For example, an individual with a family history of heart disease would make lifestyle choices to slow down the progression of the disease, such as avoiding smoking, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy diet. Similarly, research shows sports play a significant role in shaping behavior and developing self-regulation, the protective measure that is needed against violence.

Sports programs can also help promote a healthier lifestyle, potentially instilling the desire to make healthy choices that could last a lifetime. Sports improve physical, emotional and mental health that may ultimately contribute to more ethical behavior. Extracurricular activities have been proven to specifically target social skills, build confidence, improve self-esteem, create a positive attitude, and reduce drug use and problem behaviors. Although the comparison between youth involved in sports programs versus those who are not cannot be made, due to observer subjectivity and the lack of control over control variables, there is a positive correlation between extra-curricular programs and higher academic motivation, involvement, and achievement.

Ultimately, involvement in sports provide positive experiences for young people, offering elements that are not present in the lives of underprivileged youth and can therefore generate beneficial effects, if not directly on the prevention of crime, then certainly on other components that contribute to delinquency. It can be stated that organized sports programs can contribute to reducing youth crime as it is effective in improving one’s mental health state, providing feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem. Furthermore, the participation in sport can be seen as a form of social integration, allowing young people to develop feelings of connectedness and empowerment while establishing healthy relationships with others. Finally, the life skills learned through sport ultimately help to promote personal development while playing a part in preventing and reducing crime overall.

Conclusion

Violence in communities ruins the relationships that are built between people. As young children and adolescents are vulnerable to situations around them, whether it be prosocial or antisocial behavior, the rates of youth violence continue to rise.

As the rate of youth crime increases, the number of young people taking part in sport is decreasing quickly. Between 1992 and 2005, the rate of participation in sport among 11- to 14-year-old boys fell from 74% to 62% while participation rates among 11- to 14-year-old girls fell from 54% to 48%. This pattern has the potential to be altered if even a small percentage of government funding spent on disciplinary solutions to manage youth crime, like imprisonment, was aimed to involve more young people in organized sport. Investing into sport for juvenile delinquents may drastically diminish incarceration costs, decrease levels of distress for both youth and adults, as well as advance levels of development among the youth at risk. Through community and government support, disadvantaged youth will be granted the opportunity to transform their lives for the better as a result of the benefits obtained through sports programs and sport participation.