YoPA Denmark focuses on enhancing outdoor physical activity (PA) among adolescents in underserved areas of Nørresundby, Aalborg. The initiative partnered with the Municipality of Aalborg to purposefully select two youth clubs located in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the city.
These two youth clubs offer age-specific programmes: an after-school club for children aged 10–14 years and a youth club for adolescents aged 14–18 years. At the start of YoPA Denmark, the clubs had 228 and 161 members, respectively, with approximately 45% girls. One of the clubs also provides a dedicated space for 25 adolescents with physical and/or mental disabilities, ensuring accessibility and full integration into all activities. Inclusion is a key focus, and the clubs aim to provide equal opportunities for all adolescents to participate.
The Municipality of Aalborg operates eight leisure centres offering structured leisure activities for adolescents. After-school clubs are open on weekday afternoons, with financial support provided based on household income. Youth clubs typically operate four to five evenings per week and are free to attend.
Both participating youth clubs have outdoor spaces with natural features located within 50 meters of the club buildings. While previously underused, these areas hold significant potential for promoting physical activity and social engagement among adolescents.
Phase 1’s main outcome was the development of a systems map identifying the drivers of outdoor physical activity among adolescents in the youth clubs.
Phase 2’s main outcome was the development of five co-created actions targeting the key factors identified in the systems map from Phase 1.
Description of Co-Created Actions
New Outdoor Space
This action focuses on co-creating and co-implementing a new outdoor space in response to the lack of attractive facilities for physical activity among adolescents in the youth club.
Through shared decision-making between the YoPA action team, the municipality, and SDU, adolescents actively contribute to the design and development of the space. This collaborative process empowers young people and ensures that the new environment reflects their needs and preferences.
The aim is to create safe and appealing settings that encourage outdoor physical activity while fostering a sense of ownership, increased use of the outdoor area, and greater participation in physical activity among youth.
Planning
This action integrates outdoor physical activity into the daily planning meetings of the youth club, led by the club leader and staff.
By consistently including outdoor PA in everyday routines, the club develops a stronger “physical activity identity,” ensuring that active opportunities are continuously organised and sustained.
This systematic approach embeds physical activity within the club’s culture and contributes to lasting systems change through organisational commitment.
Adult-Led Activities
This action focuses on deliberately programming adult-led activities in the newly established outdoor space to integrate it more fully into everyday youth club life.
The initiative responds to the need for structured opportunities that make outdoor physical activity an integral part of the club’s routines. Staff act as role models, organising inclusive sessions while inviting adolescents to contribute ideas and participate in evaluation.
Through this combination of modelling and collaboration, outdoor activity becomes institutionally anchored and perceived as a valued, safe, and enjoyable part of youth club culture, resulting in increased and sustained participation in physical activity.
Play With Your Expression
This action involves developing activities that encourage creativity and self-expression, such as a creative studio or “computer games in real life.”
Activities are organised and evaluated jointly by staff and adolescents, supporting both individual and group well-being.
By strengthening self-confidence and creating a safe space for imaginative play, this initiative helps adolescents feel more comfortable and motivated to participate in physical activities, thereby promoting engagement and inclusion.
Maintenance
This action focuses on maintaining the outdoor spaces during the Saturday youth club.
Older adolescents are employed for a few hours each week to carry out simple maintenance tasks, supervised by the club leader and staff. This helps ensure that the outdoor environment remains inviting and functional.
By keeping the space well maintained, the initiative supports long-term opportunities for outdoor physical activity and reinforces a culture where outdoor spaces are valued and actively used.
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Current actions
The co-created actions are currently being implemented in the participating youth clubs. The next step will be the grand opening of the new outdoor space, followed by the first evaluation of the implemented actions.
