The Role of Sport in Supporting Newcomer Youth Identity Negotiation

Abstract

Identity is a central component of the human experience. Religion, occupation, life style and leisure have been identified as examples of anchors which individuals have built their identities around (Riley, 2008). This concept of anchoring could prove especially difficult for youth whose families are forced to migrate for various reasons because “migration leads to significant life changes” (Chuang et. al, 2011, p. 149). For youth who are still exploring and learning about the world and themselves, this drastic change may challenge their concept of identity. Further, youth who migrate to foreign countries also face the double-bind of being both a newcomer and youth (Selimos & Daniel, 2017). Newcomer youth especially struggle with identity because their identities at home and away from home often juxtapose with each other (Compton-Lilly et al., 2017; Kiramba & Oloo, 2020; 2023; Phelps & Nadim, 2010). These juxtaposing identities force newcomer youth into a position wherein they constantly negotiate their identity. Swann (1987) explained that identity negotiation begins with an individual’s concepts of self changing from previous perceptions to updated ones, or as he put it, “a major reorganization in the way [individuals] view themselves” (p. 1044). With the many changes that occur in the lives of migrant youth, they undoubtedly reorganize the way in which they view themselves as result of the many changes to their environment.

Currently, academia examines the role of sport in benefiting the lives of newcomers, and specifically newcomer youth. Much of this literature focuses on the sense of inclusivity and belonging that sport brings to the lives of these newcomers (Doherty & Taylor, 2007; Kramers et al., 2021; Omidvar & Richmond, 2003; Selimos & Daniel, 2017). There is a dearth of literature that explores the benefit of sport to the identity negotiation of newcomer youth. This paper seeks to explore the way in which sport, specifically soccer, supports newcomer youth through the process of identity negotiation by being an anchor in their lives.

This paper came out of a corollary finding of my master’s thesis which looked to build understanding about newcomer youth leadership development through sport. While newcomer youth participants noted many changes to their lives as a result of migration, all of them mentioned soccer as a constant. Soccer served as the anchor by which they could authentically be themselves within their countries of origin, while in refuge and here in Canada.