QUETTA’S PLAY SPACE CRISIS: ASSESSING THE CONSEQUENCES OF INADEQUATE PLAYGROUNDS ON YOUTH SOCIAL WELLBEING

Abstract

Sports and health are concomitant to each other. However, sports do not improve the physical health only, but also keep positive impacts on the social life of youth. Sporting attitude enhances social sense and deter youth from many anti-social and illegal acts. Contextually, the unavailability or inadequate playgrounds and sports activities could easily lead youth towards many offenses and immoral ends. This quantitative study was carried out to explore the prominent factors causing shortage of playgrounds in the Quetta city and the effects that keep on the social life of youth. The data was collected from the youth residing in the different parts of the Quetta city. The findings outlined that there is acute shortage of playgrounds in the Quetta city. It was noted in the study that the dearth of sports grounds exists because of the indifference of government functionaries, lack of sprit of the youth to record agitation or demand for constructing playgrounds, the excessive inclination of youth towards the use of smartphones, the youth preference to hotels more than the games, and the areas occupied by the land mafias. Furthermore, the study indicated that the inadequate playgrounds divert youth towards crimes, drugs, narcotics, and promoting intolerance, causing distances among people, and boosting up familial and social conflicts.