Interview: Youth work in the sports hall
Her approach goes against the grain. Debby van der Horst noticed that the community sports activities organised by the municipality of Tilburg only reached boys. Since then, she has been focusing on activities for girls. 'If I take them outside or mix them with the boys, I lose them.'
'With the ‘everyone is welcome’ mentality, we might reach one girl in a group of 28 boys. My male colleagues would say, ‘The girls can come too if they want to.’' But Debby found that attitude too passive and wanted to understand better why the girls were dropping out.
‘It turned out to have a lot to do with everything. Girls in secondary school are aware of the changes in their bodies; they feel ashamed. Outside, they feel like they are being watched and are constantly distracted by the boys who are staring at them. Muslim girls only want to take off their hijabs when they are with other girls, in a enclosed space.’
Sports coach, social worker and educator all in one
Debby now teaches 65 girls every week, divided into four groups. An important element of her activities is that the girls set their own rules. 'Such as: are you allowed to bring your phone into the gym? I recently heard a great rule from my group: “You are who you are.” They know the word “respect”, they hear it everywhere. But what does it mean? We talked about that and the girls came up with this.' Debby continues: 'I want the girls to take ownership of their lessons.
Debby laughingly calls herself a sports coach, social worker and educator all rolled into one. “We discuss issues that can happen to anyone. How do you deal with them?” Youth work is always present in Debby's lessons, to monitor the girls' development and guide these kinds of conversations. The result is that the girls grow, develop self-confidence and social skills.
Creating role models
Debby beams with pride when she talks about girls who have started organising sports activities themselves. When asked what her dreams are, she answers wholeheartedly: 'To create as many female coaches, role models and groups as possible.'
She tells us about two young Moroccan women, aged 20 and 21, who organise indoor football for girls every Thursday under the name “Ballas Ladies Gym”. As soon as the door closes, the headscarves come off. The class is so popular – even among girls from surrounding villages – that there is a waiting list. ‘That’s so cool.’
Tips from Debby
“ First, get the girls to open up a bit and build their trust. Be patient. Create safe groups where having fun is a priority, so the girls keep coming back.
Let the girls make their own group rules or prepare a lesson themselves.
Also discuss the girls’ everyday problems, if it feels right.”
