Masters Degrees (Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine) by browse.metadata.advisor "Cleophas, Francois J."

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    Development of social capital through the Songo.info cycling and academic support programme
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Neely, Carenna; Grobbelaar, Heinrich W.; Cleophas, Francois J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Sport Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Stellenbosch, South Africa, home to Stellenbosch University and the Kayamandi township is one of the most socially and economically diverse areas in the country. The Songo.info cycling and academic support programme is working towards narrowing this gap by providing sporting and educational opportunities for youth in Kayamandi. The current study explored the development of social capital through this programme by conducting semi-structured interviews with programme leaders and programme participants. Responses from the leaders and participants were analysed and discussed separately in two articles that form part of this study. For the first article, five programme leaders, two male and three female between the ages of 27 and 72 years (mean age: 40.6 years), were interviewed. All interviews were conducted at the programme clubhouse and lasted less than one hour each. Superordinate themes identified through thematic analysis include: 1) education (world experiences, tutors, school); 2) networks (social skills, personal relationships, professional relationships); and 3) health (social, affective, and physical domains). The second article, which focuses on perceptions held by participants of the programme, comprised of interviews with 10 participants, seven males and three females, between the ages of 15 and 24 years (mean age: 18.3 years). These interviews were conducted either in English or if requested in IsiXhosa, the mother tongue of most of the participants, with the help of a translator. Four superordinate themes were identified through thematic analysis: 1) educational support (tutoring, further education, resources); 2) networks (personal relationships, leadership); 3) attitude (decision making, behaviour, world experiences); and 4) exit plan (goals, community, life skills). These results allow for a better understanding of social capital development through the programme and the impact it is having on the programme leaders and participants. For those living in this marginalized community, the network of relationships formed at Songo.info, their network of social capital, has had a significant impact on their lives. This applies to both the programme leaders and participants. These results could potentially enhance future development of social capital within this programme and programmes like it.