Summary

This report, Leisure – An anchor when it storms, explores the role of organised and semi-organised leisure activities as a crucial resilience builder for young people during a crisis. The relationship between leisure, well-being, and resilience is examined with the COVID-19 pandemic as a case. Through an analysis of the impact of various policies and restrictions, as well as the response and adaptations in the leisure sector, the report investigates the effect of the crisis on the well-being and resilience of young people.

Key findings

The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on young people

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions had a significant negative impact on the well-being of young people in the Nordic region. The report identifies four key dimensions of well-being that were most affected by a decrease in access to leisure activities:

Mental well-being: Isolation, loneliness, and anxiety increased, with many young people losing access to the social spaces and informal support networks that leisure activities provide. (See, for instance: Klette-Bøhler, Bossy & Hervie, 2023)

Social well-being: Restrictions on gatherings and activities disrupted social relationships and reduced opportunities for peer interaction, which are vital for social and emotional development. (See for instance: Gotfredsen & Strömbäck, 2023; Bakken, Abildsnes & Aaboen- Sletten, 2024; Juuso, Lehtola & Leskinen, 2022).

Civic well-being: The cancellation of leisure activities, especially those involving youth participation and volunteering, led to a decline in civic engagement and a sense of alienation from society. (See, for instance: Norwegian Social Research, Youth Research Group NOVA, 2021)

Physical well-being: Young people experienced a decline in physical activity levels and an increase in sedentary behaviour, leading to a rise in lifestyle-related health problems. (See for instance: Olofsson & Kvist, 2022.) Screen time surged during the pandemic and has remained high ever since. (See, for instance: Chen et al., 2024; Trott et al., 2022).

The report highlights that the impact was not uniform. The most vulnerable young people, including those from low-income families, with disabilities, or pre-existing mental health issues, were disproportionately affected due to their limited access to alternative digital or paid leisure opportunities, and their greater need for inclusion and participation.

Crisis response in the leisure sector

Despite the challenges faced, the leisure sector demonstrated considerable adaptability and a willingness to provide young people with leisure opportunities. The report outlines several key crisis responses.

Digitalisation: Many organisations rapidly transitioned to offering digital services and activities to maintain contact with young people and sustain a sense of community. While this shift helped maintain contact and community, it also exposed a ‘digital divide’, as not all young people or youth workers had the necessary access to the necessary devices, internet connectivity, or digital skills to participate fully.

Relocation and adaptation: To comply with social distancing requirements, many activities were moved outdoors or relocated to larger venues. While this creative approach allowed some activities to continue, it was not a viable solution for all types of leisure. The lack of available large venues and outdoor leisure spaces also limited these adaptations.

Role adaptation: During the pandemic, youth workers and youth and leisure organisations assumed new and expanded responsibilities, becoming key actors in a broader public health response. They played a crucial role in supporting young people with reliable information, emotional support, and a sense of continuity and normality amid uncertainty. Umbrella organisations also stepped in to offer vital assistance, coordination, and capacity-building support to their member organisations, helping the sector navigate rapidly changing conditions.

Resilience factors

The report identifies resilience factors inherent in leisure as resources that support young people in coping with and adapting to challenging situations. These factors are positioned within the theoretical framework of Having, Doing, Loving, and Being. The framework was originally developed by Allardt (1995), then further elaborated by Helne & Hirvilammi (2015) and Laine & Kauppinen & Laine (2022). Informants contributing to this report highlight several core factors as particularly important for building resilience: togetherness and emotional support, low-threshold inclusion, access to safe leisure spaces, and supportive adults, as well as meaningful participation and personal development. Several of these resilience factors were weakened or lost in adaptations to pandemic restrictions, such as the shift to digitalisation of leisure.

In particular, the reduction in low-threshold inclusion and opportunities for togetherness contributed to a loss of well-being for young people. This has led to loneliness, a weakened sense of community, and a loss of social skills, such as the ability to navigate social environments, work in groups, and avoid and resolve conflicts. The core argument of this report is that the leisure arena is a vital part of youth understood both as a period of becoming – where identities, skills, and roles are shaped – and as a state of being, where young people experience and express agency, belonging, and meaning in the present. These dimensions of youth development are deeply rooted in everyday social encounters, which cannot easily be replaced by other forms of interaction.

Participation in leisure activities and the resilience factors they offer can serve as an anchor when it storms. In the event of future crises, it is therefore important to maintain activities within the leisure sector, particularly those that promote resilience through low-threshold inclusion, access to supportive adults, and a sense of togetherness.

Conclusion

Insights and pathways for strengthening leisure and resilience in times of crisis

Based on these insights, the report offers guidance on how to strengthen the resilience of the youth and leisure sector in the event of future crises. A few examples are outlined below:

Ensure the youth perspective in a crisis: This can be achieved by including young people in crisis response and analysing the consequences for youth groups adversely affected by the response. It can also be achieved by incorporating a holistic youth perspective through designated multisector youth working groups, and by providing resources for youth sector intermediaries, such as national youth councils and youth work umbrella organisations to act as a link between policymakers and the leisure sector.

Strengthen youth work as a public service: During the pandemic, youth workers and youth centres proved essential in providing support and information. The report recommends recognising and funding them as integral components of a modern public welfare and resilience system. This would include providing youth workers with the necessary legal framework, steering, and resources to enable them to provide support throughout a crisis. A youth coordinator at a municipal level could serve as a point of contact and a resource for other leisure providers in times of crisis.

Promote evidence-based development of youth work: The report advises establishing and maintaining Nordic-level centres of excellence for digital youth work and youth information, as well as gathering and using knowledge and experience of resilience factors among young people for the evidence-based development of the leisure sector.

The report concludes that the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in how the Nordic region supports its young people, serving as a wake-up call. It reaffirms the vital role of leisure activities in fostering well-being and resilience, not through the mere activities themselves, but through their provision of certain resilience factors. Treating leisure as a core component of the well-being of youth and investing in a flexible, well-resourced youth sector with a particular focus on supplying resilience factors, would better equip the young people in the Nordics to navigate future challenges.