Regimes of hope: livelihood, social mobility, and autonomy in Sport for Development programs in the Global South

Sport is widely recognized as a powerful tool for promoting 'social good,' with significant potential for advancing personal, community, and economic development. In this context, the impact of Sport for Development (SfD) programs on livelihood and social mobility has been examined. However, research remains limited on the autonomous steps youth take to enhance their livelihood chances. This study examines how participants in SfD programs within the Global South navigate the program's objectives to pursue their career pathways and opportunities in sport. Drawing on eleven months of ethnographic research in two sport-based organizations in São Paulo, Brazil, and semi-structured interviews with diverse actors, this paper uses Freire's pedagogy of autonomy and the notion of hope as theoretical lenses. The findings reveal that participants actively shape their futures through SfD projects, crafting autonomous pathways toward improved livelihoods and aspiring for professionalization within the sport sector. Although their opportunities are influenced by neoliberal ideals, the SfD initiatives foster hope and nurture a strong sense of identity among participants. In their pursuit of better livelihoods and social mobility, young people strive to break free from the likelihood of failure within the 'regimes of hope' in the Brazilian football system. Findings show how the pedagogy of autonomy can be a promising theoretical avenue to conceptualize SfD in terms of its participants' search for independent livelihood and social mobility. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for SfD actors to view the SfD curriculum as an ongoing dialogic construction, collaboratively shaped with participants, to better reflect their lived experiences and aspirations.