Springboard: An interactive education tool to prevent gender-based violence against girls in gymnastics

Abstract

Gymnastics is a highly gendered sporting environment with a history of documented violence in all its forms against the girl child who represents over 75% 10 million gymnasts in Europe. Girl gymnasts are at high risk of violence and denied basic child rights. There is compelling evidence of the psychological and physical effects of violence on girl gymnasts which include disordered self-image and body dissatisfaction, self-harming (Ryan, 1995), disordered eating, stunted growth and puberty, life-long debilitation and death. The main goals of the project are: To prevent gender-based violence (GBV) in all its forms against girls in gymnastics by creating, implementing, evaluating and sustaining an effective online education tool; to change social norms and behavior and empower girls in gymnastics to stand up and call out against GBV; to increase bystander intervention and reporting of GBV in gymnastics; to provide any European country with a scalable, effective and sustainable primary intervention tool.

INTRODUCTION

Gymnastics is a highly gendered sporting environment (Weber & Barker-Ruchti, 2012) with a history of documented violence in all its forms (Mountjoy et al., 2016) against the girl child who represents over 75% 10 million gymnasts in Europe. Girl gymnasts are at high risk of violence and denied basic child rights. There is compelling evidence of the psychological and physical effects of violence on girl gymnasts which include disordered self-image and body dissatisfaction (Neves et al., 2017), self-harming (Ryan, 1995), disordered eating (Stewart, Schiavon, & Bellotto, 2017), stunted growth and puberty, life-long debilitation and death. Tolerance, normalisation and silencing of violent coaching models have been attributed as causes of violence inflicted on girl gymnasts and there is a strong bystander effect amongst adults (Jacobs, Smits, & Knoppers, 2016; Smits, Jacobs, & Knoppers, 2017). The main goals of the project are: To prevent genderbased violence (GBV) in all its forms against girls in gymnastics by creating, implementing, evaluating and sustaining an effective online education tool; to change social norms and behaviour and empower girls in gymnastics to stand up and call out against GBV; to increase bystander intervention and reporting of GBV in gymnastics; to provide any European country with a scalable, effective and sustainable primary intervention tool.

METHODS

The methodology consists on the creation, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of Springboard, a website with interactive tools to achieve behavioural levers or solutions, for girls in gymnastics (target audience) and bystanders (target group). Education packages will be created and pre-tested. Springboard will also contain a self-audit tool in the form of an interactive digital quiz. Springboard will use a multitrack storytelling approach and will contain a resource of gymnasts' stories in the form of short films created and produced through a digital storytelling methodology. A mixed method pre-post testing design to evaluate Springboard intervention and measure behaviour outcomes will be adopted. Baseline and end line data will be collected in the form of an interactive survey corresponding to attitudes, social norms and behaviours. Qualitative data on attitudes, social norms and behaviours will also be collected via focus groups.

EXPECTED RESULTS

Increased knowledge of GBV and reduction of tolerant attitudes towards violence in gymnastics; increased knowledge that violent relationships and practices are wrong and reduction in the social norm that bystanders should not intervene; increased feelings of empowerment to challenge and report violence; increased awareness of reporting pathways and reporting.

Funding

Project submitted to the REC-AG Action Grants of the European Commission. Call for proposals for action grants under 2018 Rights, Equality and Citizenship Work Programme; Topic: REC-RDAP-GBV-AG-2018; Type of action: REC-AG

References

References

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Mountjoy, M., Brackenridge, C., Arrington, M., Blauwer, C., Carska-Sheppard, A., Fasting, K., ... Budgett, R. (2016). The IOC consensus statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport. Br J Sports Medicine, 50(17), 1019-1029.

Neves, C., Meireles, J., Berbert de Carvalho, P., Schubring, A., Barker-Ruchti, N., & Ferreira, M. E. (2017). Body dissatisfaction in women's artistic gymnastics: A longitudinal study of psychosocial indicators. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35(17), 1-7.

Ryan, J. (1995). Little girls in pretty boxes: The making and breaking of elite gymnasts and figure skaters. New York: Doubleday.

Smits, F., Jacobs, F., & Knoppers, A. (2017). Everything revolves around gymnastics: How elite athletes and their parents make sense of practices in women's gymnastics that challenges a positive pedagogical culture. Sport in Society, 20(1), 66-83.

Stewart, C., Schiavon, L. M., & Bellotto, M. L. (2017). Knowledge, nutrition and coaching pedagogy: a perspective from female Brazilian Olympic gymnasts. Sport, Education and Society, 22(4), 511-527. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2015.1046428

Weber, J., & Barker-Ruchti, N. (2012). Bending, floating, flirting, flying: A critical analysis of 1970s gymnastics photographs. Sociology of Sport, 29(1), 22-41.