Sense of community and trust with young people is shown in the work of a Physical activity motivator
Physical activity motivator Jenita Savinainen opens the front doors of the Hervanta padel hall. The padel class for young people is about to start in half an hour. The sports instructor from the Varala Sports Academy takes the basket of tennis balls to the padel court while checking the amount of people arriving to the class. It's been a busy day for Savinainen, and there are still many upcoming groups.
– During the day I had other works, and now I'm having sports groups for the rest of the day, says Jenita Savinainen.
Savinainen has been working as a regular Physical activity motivator for about three years in the Tampere. The job consists of running various sports groups outside school hours. The most popular sports are swimming, padel, boxing, dance and group exercise programmes.
– These classes are based on what the young people want to do. For example, I didn't know anything about padel over two years ago, but now it has become one of my favourite sports.
New friendships and a good atmosphere
The activities of the Physical activity motivator are part of the "Lupa liikkua lupa harrastaa" activities, which is part of the action plan of Tampere's early childhood education, pre-primary education and primary education. It aims to support the well-being of children and young people from daycare center to the end of primary education.
The activities are free of charge, and you can visit the "Lupa liikkua lupa harrastaa" website to view and sign up for a wide range of sports groups. In addition to the website, you can also contact a Physical activity motivator via social media or Youth Centres.
– A lot of questions and contacts come in through the web and social media. You can also get in touch through the Youth Centres.
Young people are very enthusiastic about the services and activity classes offered by the Physical activity motivator. The main reasons for the popularity of the sports groups are the sense of community and trust that young people feel, as they can talk to Savinainen about things outside of sport.
– Young people have got to know each other and have formed good friendships.
For example, one very popular activity class is the girls' swimming group at the Hervanta swimming pool, where girls of primary and secondary school age can swim in a safe environment without other people.
– We have a specific time when the whole swimming pool is reserved for our use. The most important thing is that the youngsters have fun in the water.
Savinainen stresses the importance of socialising in activity groups. Some young people can have a lot of insecurities about their body image, for example. Peer pressure and school bullying can also create fears in young people that bullying will continue after school in activity groups.
– There is zero tolerance for bullying. There is no bullying here, stresses Savinainen.
There could be more events
Savinainen can't think of any challenges in working with young people, and the work of a Physical activity motivator emphasises a sense of community and a positive atmosphere.
– A mother once told me that her child couldn't find a fun activity, but eventually the child liked me and found a sporting activity through me.
The trust between the young people and Savinainen is also reflected in the culture of open discussion. The young people tell Savinainen about their daily lives, and the conversation can go from the young people's plans for the future to the questions that are on their minds. In other words, the Physical activity motivator is more than just a professional who focuses on sport.
– One time youngsters asked me if I had been in the army and I said yes. The youngsters were very interested about doing military service, so I contacted the Finnish Defence Forces, and now we are going to the garrison for a whole weekend to get to know what it is like to be in the army.
Despite its popularity, many parents are not fully aware of the services provided by the Physical Activity Motivator, and Savinainen would like to see more events to promote physical activity, raising awareness of the physical activity services provided by the city. For example, many parents are surprised by the fact that Physical activity services are free of charge.
– The prices of sport classes can be very expensive, which is why parents are positively shocked when I tell them that my services are free of charge.
