“There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart”: Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Safe Spaces for Females in the Sport-for-Development Context
1.2. Women’s Surfing and Gender Equity in Sri Lanka
1.3. Study Aim
- What factors enable females to participate in surfing programs?
- Which elements constitute a safe space?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Settings and Surfing Programs
2.2. Study Design and Data Collection
- Semi-structured interviews with 18 female surfers from the lead author’s Master’s thesis in 2017;
- Two expert interviews with founders of GMW and Kids Surf Club Meddawatta from the lead author’s Master’s thesis in 2017;
- Participatory observations during 40 swimming and surfing sessions (at GMW, the ABGSC, and SeaSisters) between 2017 and 2020;
- Participant evaluations of the SeaSisters program from 2019;
- Informal conversations with female participants between 2017 and 2020 (at GMW, the ABGSC, and SeaSisters);
- Two follow-up interviews with SeaSisters participants in 2020;
- Review and analysis of online videos documenting Sri Lankan female surfing (an overview of the videos is provided in Appendix A)
2.3. Data Analysis
2.4. Researcher Position
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Context and Implications for Program Design
3.2. Preconditions and Enabling Factors
3.2.1. Seeing Surfing as an Option
3.2.2. Supportive Families
3.2.3. Supportive Communities
3.2.4. Group Factor
“Yeah, it will get better when like all the girls are bold and just go surfing and say, ‘We want to do this.’ It will start to change then. And then, people have no other choice than accepting it. […] the family will not talk about other girls because they have already one girl in their family who surfs.”Susanthika (21 years), interview in 2017.
3.2.5. Free Lessons
3.3. Key Elements of a Safe Space
3.3.1. All-Female Environment
3.3.2. Culturally Appropriate Surf Apparel
3.3.3. Safe and Playful Teaching Methodology
“Before, I was so afraid. When I started surfing, I learned things which made me so afraid, like standing on a board or paddling. This makes me more confident. This makes me less afraid of things.”Dayani (23 years), interview in 2017.
“Surfing makes me forget the tsunami. Now I want to have fun. Before, I was sad about the ocean. Now, I want more. I want to learn more. I want to surf more. Then I also forget my other things [worries] a little bit. Now, my energy is coming like, I want to learn. […] I want to catch my own wave.”Mona (31 years), interview in 2017.
3.4. Outcomes and Limitations
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Links to Videos Documenting Sri Lankan Female Surfing
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Barriers | Mediators |
---|---|
Do not see surfing as a possibility for them; cannot identify with Western surfer girls | Seeing surfing as an option through external interventions and local role models |
Need permission of families to participate in activities outside the home; they have concerns regarding safety and reputation; gendered constraints on time | Support of families through building trust and creating a space that is considered safe and culturally acceptable |
Resistance and harassment of local community members and visitors | Supportive communities; changing perceptions of appropriate roles for females |
Restricted mobility; expectation not to go surfing alone | Group factor |
Prioritization of survival needs; expensive surf lessons and equipment | Free lessons, provision of equipment |
Expectation not to mix with men after reaching puberty; women do not feel safe with unknown men | All-female environment (participants and instructors) |
Gender norms and expectations around clothing and beauty (modesty, fair skin) | Culturally appropriate surf apparel |
Ocean regarded as a dangerous place; women cannot swim; trauma from 2004 tsunami | High safety standards; playful approach; skill-building |
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Burtscher, M.; Britton, E. “There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart”: Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 3342. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063342
Burtscher M, Britton E. “There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart”: Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(6):3342. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063342
Chicago/Turabian StyleBurtscher, Martina, and Easkey Britton. 2022. "“There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart”: Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 6: 3342. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063342
APA StyleBurtscher, M., & Britton, E. (2022). “There Was Some Kind of Energy Coming into My Heart”: Creating Safe Spaces for Sri Lankan Women and Girls to Enjoy the Wellbeing Benefits of the Ocean. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3342. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063342