Connecting young people to diving: Ideas for successful youth participation

At Duikvaker you will find everything that has to do with diving for 2 days. Underwater photography, diving courses, travel to beautiful diving destinations, beautiful diving materials and much more. In addition, presentations are given throughout the day on everything related to diving. Expo Houten is therefore actually the perfect place to involve young people in diving. Therefore, Duikvaker will also organize a youth program in the coming years.

The importance of young people in diving

Engaging youth in diving is important not only for individual diving clubs, but also for the diving community as a whole. Young people bring new energy, fresh ideas and potential future leadership. By actively involving young people in the sport of diving, we can grow the diving community and pass on the passion for diving to the next generations.

In this article, we share useful insights, tips and strategies to actively engage young people in scuba diving and inspire them to explore the underwater world.

How can we get young people interested in diving?

Research shows that only 56% of children aged 12 years and older are members of a sports club, while only 40% meet the recommended daily exercise guidelines [1]. In addition, young people spend an average of 10.4 hours per day sitting [1]. It is clear that there are challenges in involving young people in sports activities, including diving.

Promote motivation and engagement

If you want to get young people diving and then keep them in the sport, you need to boost their motivation and involvement. Interviews have shown that fun, social interaction and health benefits are important drivers for continued sports participation [1]. To achieve this, it is crucial to provide activities that young people find attractive and give them the opportunity to build social relationships within the diving community.

Create a youth-friendly environment

Creating a youth-friendly environment plays an important role in engaging youth in scuba diving. Here are some strategies associations can adopt:

1. Promote inclusiveness Ensure that scuba diving is accessible to young people of different backgrounds and abilities. Promote diversity and make all youth feel welcome within the diving community.
2. Parental Involvement Involve parents in their children's diving activities. Organize informational meetings for parents and encourage them to be actively involved.
3. Building self-confidence Offer training and programs that boost youth self-confidence. Make sure they are competent.
4. Fun and Adventure Organize fun diving activities and events that appeal to young people. Think of games that you can do under water, night diving or a weekend trip to Zeeland.
5. Information and awareness Educate about marine life, diving safety and the importance of conservation. Young people will feel more involved in scuba diving if they understand how they can have a positive impact on the underwater world.

Practical resources and collaborations

Dive clubs can use a variety of practical tools and partnerships to engage and retain youth.

1. Youth-friendly activities Develop a variety of youth-friendly diving activities, such as snorkeling tours, introductory dives and special youth diving courses. These activities can give young people the opportunity to explore the sport of diving and find out if it suits them.
2. Collaboration with schools and agencies Collaborate with schools and other youth-related agencies to promote scuba diving. For example, organize trial dives as part of the sports lessons or work with youth organizations to organize joint events.
3. Online presence Ensure a clear online presence of the diving club. Create an attractive and user-friendly website where young people can find information about diving activities, events and courses. Also use social media to reach and engage young people in the diving community.
4. Role models Use experienced divers as role models for young people. This can inspire young people and guide them on their diving adventure.

[1] https://www.allesoversport.nl/thema/beweegstimulering/overzichtsartikel-jongeren-binden-en-behouden-bij-sport/

[2] https://knsb.nl/interessant/hoe-bind-en-behoud-je-jongeren/

[3] https://www.allesoversport.nl/thema/beweegstimulering/invloed-van-buitenaf-jongeren-binden-en-behouden-bij-de-sport-tips/

[4] https://www.kenniscentrumsportenbewegen.nl/kennisbank/publicaties/?jongeren-binden-en-behouden-bij-de-sport&kb_id=17230

[5] https://www.careerwise.nl/young-professionals-en-werk/leidinggeven-aan-young-professionals/de-formule-voor-het-binden-boeien-van-jongeren/