The case of open leisure activities organized in Swedish local councils: The role of citizenship and entrepreneurship skills development

Abstract

In this article, we contribute to theory by integrating literature on citizenship and entrepreneurship, based on which we develop a framework for how personal development is achieved for young people in the context of open leisure activities. The empirical material in this study consists of survey data collected in Swedish open leisure centers. A questionnaire was distributed to 265 publicly funded leisure centers all over Sweden. The material was analyzed in an exploratory study involving factor analysis using hierarchical regression in four steps. When reviewing the results, it is clear that citizenship and entrepreneurship both contribute to personal development at open leisure centers in Sweden. To conclude, this exploratory study provides evidence that concepts from citizenship and entrepreneurship theory can help in understanding the personal development of young people in publicly run leisure settings.