The role of activity guides as cultural brokers: children with migrant background` s participation in sports

Abstract Participation in sports may foster health and social benefits, alongside belonging and trust, which is thought to promote social integration. “Sports for all,” meaning that sports should be inclusive, democratic, and accessible to all, is a shared vision among public authorities and voluntary sports organizations in Norway (Skille 2011); however, generally, children from minority backgrounds participate less in sports than the rest of the population. Various strategies have been implemented to enhance immigrant children’s engagement in sports, yet these efforts often lack a theoretical foundation (Block and Gibbs 2017). This article examines the Activity Guide Program, initiated by the Tromsø Sports Council (Tromsø Idrettsråd) in 2014, and its efforts to increase children’s participation in sports. Activity guides operate as cultural brokers between families and sports clubs. By analyzing their practice, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the roles of cultural brokers. We discuss whether the Activity Guide Program and the cultural broker model promote social integration based on assimilation or multiculturalism, and whether they inadvertently place responsibility on the minority population while minimizing that of sports clubs. The results provide insight into how immigrant children’s sports participation is increased through the Activity Guide Program, but also that the model is based on an individualistic approach to integration.