Community Sports Projects and Effective Community Empowerment - Essay Example

Community Sports Projects and Effective Community Empowerment The research problem in this case study is to determine how community sports projects can be effectively used to empower the community. The purpose of the research was to provide and create an opportunity to examine the contributions made by the community sports, as well as, community empowerment. The research questions were aimed at getting information on ways the community empowerment can be effectively achieved through sports and how sports contribute to the community empowerment.

For the research methodology, a qualitative approach was used in a case study that was heavily influenced by critical ethnography. Additionally an action research approach was used in this research revealing the insights into the effective community empowerment that was attributed by sports projects that were introduced in the community by the Rochdale federation. The use of these two approaches created a great advantage on the study (Partington & Totten, 2012). This is because it allowed the researchers to collect insightful and rich data, as well as, empower the tenants from social housing estate about having their thoughts and opinions, as well as, experiences in relation to RCS acted upon in their decision.

The collection tools used in this research include participant observation and in-depth interviews in the community. These data collection methods allowed the triangulation of data, as well as, crosschecking of the existence of common phenomena and theory across all research methods. In terms of data, the researchers collected both primary and secondary data, which was used to create results, and findings that help conclude on the relevance of sports in Rochdale community. The participants in the research were the tenants and residents of the Rochdale Federation of the Tenants and Residents Association.

There were was no specific number of the participants as the researcher used participant observation and interviews to carry out the research. Therefore, there were no inclusion or exclusion criteria used in sampling, as the method used from sampling was random to ensure that there was no bias in the selection of the participants. The research findings established that that engaging community in sports empowered them through citizen participation (Partington & Totten, 2012). The research further established that the tenants endorsed the sports approach as they felt consulted and involved in the decision making process that allowed them to access support.

Despite bringing the community together and empowering the community, sports in the area was seen to deal with anti-social behaviour where through sports there was a great reduction of the anti-social behaviour for the tenants and associations. The sports played a vital role in improving the relationships between the younger and older generations in the community. The research established that when the community worked together through sports they became empowered. However, this should be a continuous process to ensure that the relationships are maintained and the advantages ripped from the research are beneficial.

Additionally, the research provided a great base for critical consciousness and reflections for not only the researcher, but also the communities. The study helped in community awareness in relation to the delivery of sports and helping the community make informed decisions when it came to sports. In this case, study there may be need for further research to establish whether there is sustainability of sports development. Reference Partington, J., & Totten, M. (2012). Community sports projects and effective community empowerment: a case study in Rochdale.

Managing Leisure, 17, 29-46. doi:10.1080/13606719.2011.638205