Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
Diversity and Community Studies
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
This thesis analyzes sport as a tool for belonging and integration with the youth refugee community of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Through a Track and Field program, researchers introduced different sport experiences to the refugee community. The program aimed to spark an interest in a different physical activity, which has been linked to positive mental and physical skills, while offering an opportunity for social interaction and development to the participants. Following the four-week Track and Field program, seven children participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Several themes emerged from the interviews, including happiness, learning, exercising, and community. The results from this study have several practical implications that support the need for sport programming as a way to help similar populations develop a sense of integration and belonging in a new community.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Stacey Forsythe, Ph.D.
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Development Studies | International and Area Studies | Sports Studies
Recommended Citation
Teodoro da Silva, Rafael, "The Impact of Track and Field to the Youth Refugee Community: A Case-Study Analyzing Sense of Belonging and Integration to a New Community" (2023). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 1012.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/1012
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Development Studies Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Sports Studies Commons