The Effects of Sports-Recreational Activities on the Inclusion of Young Montenegrins in Society

Abstract

Introduction To have the possibility and capacity for full and productive participation in economic, social and cultural life, as well as to enjoy the standard of living, that is, the welfare that is considered normal in a developed community, is to be socially involved (Commission of the European Communities, 2000). In contrast, social exclusion is a shortened term for what can happen when community members suff er from a combination of related problems such as unemployment, incompetence, low income, inadequate living conditions, poor health conditions, high crime rates and deteriorated relationships in the family (Social Exclusion Unit, 2001). Davidson, Stayner, Nickou, Styron, and Chinman (2001) have established three dimensions of social inclusion that are related to friendship, the feeling of personal value and optimism, which leads us to the conclusion that a person can not be considered socially involved unless he is not capable to realize friendship experiences at a certain degree, to perform useful and meaningful activities in society and to hope for an even better future. However, about 11% of the adult population can be considered socially excluded (Jehoel-Gijsbers & Vrooman, 2007), which can be a huge problem for the entire community. If such a signifi cant part of the society is separated from the part of the population that normally lives and contributes to the community, the whole society will be harmed. Th erefore, society increasingly applies interventions of any kind aimed at increasing social inclusion. Th e inclusion of as many people as possible in any form of activity and co-operation is shown to be a key in the recovery from mental problems, the reduction of poor mental health and the increase in mental strength (Wilson & Seckter, 2015). Social inclusion, understood as a multi-dimensional concept, includes physical, psychological, social and professional aspects (Le Boutillier & Croucher, 2010). So, if physical activity, as we know, positively infl uences all these dimensions, and if we certainly know from previous research that it can positively infl uence mental health, and also help to recover both mentally and physically (Biddle & Asare, 2011; Mašanović, Popovic, Bjelica, Vukotic, Zoric, 2018, Masanovic, Popovic, Vukotic, 2019; Popovic, Bjelica, Masanovic, & Gardasevic, 2019), then we must use it. Abstract