The Complexity of Sport, Recreation, and Leisure Access for Equity-Owed Residents:
Factors of Influence
Creating equitable, inclusive and dignified access to Sport, Recreation, and Leisure (SRL) for equity-owed residents is a multifaceted challenge. To achieve meaningful success, the applied “solutions or strategies” - encompassing programs, policies, and services - must be tailored to address this complexity (1) . Traditional approaches like fee assistance programs (FAPs) are woefully inadequate to fully address the needs of equity-owed residents facing poverty or low incomes. Instead, a more innovative and collaborative approach is necessary to effectively redesign SRL provisions (i.e., programs, resources, services and policies) to tackle these complexities and ensure inclusive access to SRL opportunities. This entails exploring creative strategies that go beyond conventional methods, fostering collaboration among various stakeholders, and considering the holistic needs of these communities.
Equity-owed residents endure systemic inequalities in SRL participation that affect dignified access (i.e., cost, transportation, administrative procedures), experience (i.e., discrimination), and representation (i.e., the whiteness of SRL spaces). These overlapping and intersecting factors create barriers to entering and positively experiencing SRL (2) .
The image below visually represents the intricate nature of the complexity through data gathered from more than 100 equity-owed residents in New Brunswick (NB) (3) . It identifies several influential factors that profoundly impact equity-owed residents’ access and involvement in SRL spaces and programs within the region.
Considering the enabling and constraining factors at play across multiple influential categories, the arrow across the top visually represents a continuum of access to different SRL organizations, places, and programs.
On the far left, we’ve highlighted examples that are accessible and generally more positively experienced, represented in green. Conversely, on the far right, the image shows the most inaccessible and more negative instances marked in red.
This image is a visual representation of our project’s data collected through a creative leisure mapping tool activity, residents rated all the SRL programs, organizations, and places within their community with green and red dots. Green dots indicated easy accessibility and positively experienced, while red dots signified inaccessibility or difficulty in access and more negatively experienced. After completing this mapping activity, we engaged in discussions with residents concerning both the green and red dots. This dialogue aimed to gain deeper insights into the factors that either enabled or constrained their access and experiences in SRL opportunities. This approach facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with SRL in/exclusion and accessibility from the perspective of the community members themselves.
After we analyzed the data, we categorized the influential factors into distinct categories to create a sphere of influential factors. These influential factors are framed according to the social-ecological framework (SEF), which offers a comprehensive perspective on the multi-level factors that shape individual behaviours (4) . The SEF encompasses various levels of influential factors:
Intrapersonal (individual): education level, income, race, gender, beliefs, values, age, skills, etc.
Interpersonal (relationships/interactions with people): aspects related to social interactions, including relationships with family, friends, co-workers, peers, etc..
Organization and institutions: considerations linked to the policies, practices, programs, and resources offered by various SRL organizations and institutions.
Community networks and infrastructure (natural and built): availability and accessibility of community resources, facilities, parks, and recreational spaces, but also community-wide networks.
Policy: the impact of policies at local, regional, and national levels on shaping the accessibility and inclusivity of SRL opportunities.
Societal: the impact of broader societal values and systemic beliefs and norms.
The individual factor is missing from our model. While individual factors are important, we wanted the discussion to be about equity-owed residents’ experiences and interactions with the other influential factors— people, organizations, community infrastructure and policy—so that we did not make the discussion about their low-income status but rather their experiences interacting with broader SRL delivery ecosystem. Therefore, our factors of influence include interactions with people, organizations/infrastructure, community networks and infrastructure (built and natural environments in the community), provincial/federal policies, and societal factors that can positively or negatively impact their participation. The sphere is divided into two halves, symbolizing enabling and constraining factors related to access and experiences in SRL.
People
Equity-owed residents spoke at length about how the people in the SRL setting or program influenced their access. On the left is the positive impact of welcoming, inclusive, and supportive behaviours by staff, parents, residents, coaches, and others. When these people are accepting and engage in resource-sharing, the SRL setting becomes more accessible. Friendliness, social engagement, and mutual support contribute to a feeling of inclusion, making the SRL experience more open and accommodating. Conversely, the negative impact of judgment, stigma, and discrimination prevents access. When residents face these negative behaviours from others, the SRL setting becomes unwelcoming and unsafe. Even subtle actions like being closed off can convey a sense of exclusion to equity-owed residents, signalling that they don’t belong.
Organization/Institution
Access to SRL is significantly influenced by the how, what, when and where of programs and services. Access to SRL is cultivated when programs are structured with low commitment expectations from parents, no advance sign-ups, flexibility, and drop-in and “sampling” opportunities. The design of these programs plays a crucial role in cultivating access and participation. Structuring programs with low commitment expectations from parents, offering no advance sign-ups, and providing flexibility are key elements that create access and support participation. Moreover, including drop-in and “sampling” opportunities can remove barriers to entry.
Programmatic success in promoting access to SRL is also tied to the focus of the programming itself. When programs prioritize skill development and learning facilitated by quality instructors, participants are more likely to engage. The presence of diverse activities within the programs, allowing participants to choose what aligns with their interests, needs and circumstances, further enhances accessibility and engagement. Access to necessary materials and resources is another vital consideration. SRL program organizers can enhance accessibility by facilitating easy access to gear through exchanges, swaps, and equipment rentals. Initiatives such as organizing carpooling arrangements contribute to accessibility, ensuring that transportation challenges don’t hinder participation.
On the other hand, SRL programs that maintain a rigid and demanding schedule, accompanied by high expectations for parental involvement, limited participation opportunities, unpredictable operating hours, mandated booking slots, and obligatory tryouts, can render SRL inaccessible. The complexity of online registration procedures and intricate application forms can serve as significant barriers, hindering accessibility. The financial aspect also plays a pivotal role, as programs with high costs and complicated financial assistance processes that demand proof of income and online submission without adequate support can prompt feelings of shame among residents, ultimately deterring them from engaging with SRL.
The lack of convenient access to free or reasonably priced rentals, gear, supplies, and equipment further obstructs access to SRL opportunities; this is compounded by travel demands and the absence of car-pooling options, making SRL inaccessible. The lack of comprehensive information about SRL programs and services, including potential financial subsidies, language barriers, and inconsistent communication between residents and program providers, exacerbates the issue. This leads to restricted access to the information and resources necessary for engaging with SRL.
Community Infrastructure (Built & Natural)/Networks
The built environment plays an important role in supporting access to SRL. Residents noted that lighting and trail maintenance in outdoor SRL settings made them feel safe. Access to public transit, transit financial support, centrally located programs and services, mobile programming and walkable distances increased the likelihood of them accessing SRL. Lastly, when community organizations created communication and strategies collaboratively through social media channels, residents had access to robust services and support across several agencies, which supported their access to SRL. Conversely, poor or no public transit, large distances to SRL resources, and physically inaccessible (i.e., wheelchair, walker, pram) prevented access. Lack of signage and poor maintenance of outdoor SRL settings made residents feel unsafe and prevented access.
Policy
While residents spoke mostly about the other factors of influence, the discussion did centre on how childcare and housing subsidies created financial supports that allowed them to use what limited money they had for SRL.
Society
Historical and current macro-level ideology, values, norms, beliefs, laws, policies and practices that create and sustain differential access to power, privilege, opportunity and resources within and across systems that result in inequitable outcomes. Profound systemic issues like racism, ageism, ableism, marginalization, oppression, trauma and discrimination permeate various aspects of society. These issues manifest in various ways, spanning interactions between individuals, the practices of organizations, the norms upheld by institutions, and the frameworks of policies. The residents we spoke to did not feel valued because of the extensive ways they were oppressed, discriminated against, and judged by others. As a result, they did not feel entitled or safe to participate in several community-based SRL opportunities; this also stems from the pay-to-play or pay-to-access model, which cultivates societal values towards SRL as being a luxury where residents must “earn” access versus having the “right” to access. When SRL is considered a luxury earned through economic contribution to society, it can leave equity-owed residents who can’t afford to play or access SRL feeling shame, guilt, fear of judgement, and undeserving when SRL providers attempt to create access.
As we move through the project’s second year, working collaboratively with SRL providers and equity-owed residents to redesign and co-create strategies to support inclusive and dignified access and experiences in SRL, we will expand and incorporate new influential factors. This project acknowledges that the landscape of access to SRL is constantly evolving, reflecting the changing needs and insights of the community.
1 Shannon, C., Oncescu, J., & Hutchinson, S. (2016). The potential of leisure education to address the ‘wicked problems’ prioritized in A Framework for Recreation in Canada. Leisure/Loisir, 40(3), 253-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2016.1252937
2 Spaaji, R., Luguetti, C., McDonald, B., McLachlan, F. (2023). Enchancing social inclusion in sport: Dynamics of action research in super-diverse contexts. International Review of Scoiology of Sport, 58 (4), 625-64
3 https://www.reimaginingaccess.ca/
4 Henderson, K.A., Neff, L.J., Sharpe, P.A., Greaney, M.L., Royce, S.W., & Ainsworth, B. (2001). “It takes a village” to promote physical activity: The potential for public park and recreation departments. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 19(1), 23-41.
Please cite this report as: “Oncescu, J. 2023. The Intersection of the Social Determinants of Health and Sport and Recreation Delivery Systems & The Impact Equity-Owed Residents’ Participation. Re-Imagining Access to SRL”