Almost every fifth parent now answers that they drop or cut back on leisure activities for their own children, and even more have stopped buying clothes and equipment that the children need on a daily basis, according to a report from the Salvation Army.
NORWAY: The Salvation Army’s poverty barometer continues to break grim records. When the Salvation Army together with Opinion started the Poverty Barometer in August 2023, 11 percent of parents answered that in the last six months they have dropped or limited their children’s leisure activities due to finances. Since then, the percentage has only increased in the barometer’s quarterly readings.
In the first quarter of 2024, the percentage is a whopping 18 per cent.
– Many parents are no longer able to protect their children during the animal age, and this affects the children’s upbringing and quality of life. We also see from the national Youth Data surveys that participation in organized leisure activities has been falling for several years, says Elin Herikstad, assistant social manager in the Salvation Army.
Declaration of free time
In August 2022, a renewed leisure declaration was signed and the goal is that all children should have the opportunity to participate in leisure activities regardless of financial circumstances.
– We are impatient to get more children involved in activities. Everyone will join, but we have a long way to go. There are very large differences in participation in leisure activities depending on where you live and what your family’s finances are. We believe that all municipalities should have a volunteering and/or leisure coordinator who will ensure that more children get involved in organized activities, says Herikstad.
Success with the Drammen project
The Salvation Army has precisely this in its own project “Inn i aktivitet”. It is aimed directly at children and families who are the furthest away from the arenas for organized leisure activities and has, among other things, been a success in the Salvation Army Drammen.
– Into activity in Drammen has gotten over 200 children and young people into organized activity in the past two years alone. We work purposefully to get children involved, who do not have the prerequisites to take part in leisure activities due to finances or other barriers. The key is to collaborate with the leisure arena, the municipality as well as guidance and close contact with the parents in order to find good lasting solutions, says general manager at the Salvation Army’s care center in Drammen, Lill-Torunn Løwe.
Earlier this spring, the Salvation Army reported that their Poverty Barometer has never before measured so many families with children who are unable to cover the necessary living costs and that the parents are thus unable to support the family.
The government will come up with an action plan before the summer for equal opportunities to participate in cultural, sports and outdoor activities for children and young people.
– We have contributed input to the action plan and have high expectations for it, says Herikstad.
Not able to afford necessary clothes
The Salvation Army has also had Opinion ask the parents if they have had to drop or cut back on buying clothes and equipment that the children need.
Here, the percentage has increased from 16 per cent in the third quarter of 2023 to 23 per cent in the past two quarters.
– There has been a lot of talk about an imagined turning point in people’s economy in 2024, but we would like to remind you that we continue to experience great poverty in our 300 different measures around the country. The food queues continue to grow in several places. In our nationally representative surveys, we have never before measured so many families with children with payment problems, so many children who are taken out of leisure activities or so many adults who do not sleep at night because of their financial situation, continues Herikstad.
In just under a year, the proportion of respondents who have experienced insomnia due to the economy has increased by 50 per cent, from 20 to 30 per cent of the population.
The Salvation Army and Opinion measure every quarter how changes in the economy have consequences for the population as such, parents and their children. This is to be able to find out more about the development of the need for help and care in society, and assess this against the help the Salvation Army provides. The surveys are carried out among a nationally representative sample of at least 1,000 people. The first quarterly survey was carried out in February 2024.
Report on early intervention
The Salvation Army recently launched the report “Giving the right help at the right time” to focus on and propose solutions that ensure better growing conditions for children, especially now that there are difficult economic times for many.
– Through our work, we see that many low-income families do not get the help and follow-up they need here and now. The report contains a number of proposals for solutions that will help families achieve independent and good lives. If the mother or father gets the right help, this also means important help for the children. We cannot sit and watch as more and more children are affected in this way, says Herikstad.
In the report, the Salvation Army proposes the following regarding leisure activities
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All municipalities must have a volunteering and/or leisure coordinator who will ensure that more children get involved in activities.
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Increased investment in local leisure activities at grassroots level. We need more low-threshold services for children and young people in municipalities, which invite community and participation that is inclusive.
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Increased focus on holiday offers and other activities that strengthen relationships in the whole family for low-income families, at the same time as meeting other families and building networks.
