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chapter
7
Public Recreation
Overview of Chapter
• The chapter covers 3 different types of
public recreation:
– Public parks and recreation
– School-based recreation and community schools
– Special recreation
• The common thread is that all 3 types grew
from the philosophy that public recreation
is essential for the well-being of young
people and communities.
Historical Overview
of Canadian Public Recreation
• Independent initiatives were aimed at
solving problems (real or perceived) or
creating opportunities for local residents.
• The roots of today’s integrated recreation,
park, and leisure services system can be
found in the following:
– Parks provided civic beauty and healthy
environments.
– Playgrounds provided play areas for children.
– Physical-activity programs helped make young
people fit for work or for war.
Playgrounds Came First,
Then Recreation
• The philanthropic, volunteer-based Young
Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and
Young Women's Christian Association
(YWCA) were established in Canadian cities
in 1851.
• The National Council of Women of Canada
started supporting playgrounds in 1901.
Development of
Recreation and Leisure in Canada
• Began with volunteers in local councils of
women and playground associations and
progressed to become a responsibility of
municipal government.
• The responsibility of a playgrounds
commission or a recreation commission
created a more secure, ongoing commitment
from the municipal government when a civic
department of recreation was created.
Federal and Provincial Governments
• Government involvement can be attributed to the
following:
– Charlotte Whitten, Canadian Council on Child Welfare
– Ian Eisenhardt, B.C. Provincial Recreation movement
– A.S. Lamb, Canadian Physical Education Association
• Governments searched for antidotes to
unemployment during the Depression.
– Created Pro-Reek to deal with “unemployed youth . . . exposed
to the demoralizing influences of enforced idleness" (Schrodt,
1979).
– Created National Employment Commission to address
employment and leisure needs.
(continued)
Federal and Provincial Governments
(continued)
• Government also enacted or managed the
following:
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Youth Training Act of 1939
National Physical Fitness Program (1943–1954)
Fitness and Amateur Sport Act (1961–2003)
Physical Activity and Sport Act (2003)
Historical Overview
of U.S. Public Recreation
• Beulah Kennard opened Pittsburgh’s first
playground in the Forbes School Yard in 1896.
• Jane Addams, Luther H. Gulick, Joseph Lee, and
others founded the Playground Association of
America in 1906.
• The Playground and Recreation Association of
America (PRAA) and War Camp Community Service
provided recreation for new recruits in towns near
training camps during World War I.
• The Community Services Act of 1975 provided
summer recreation for low-income families.
Public Recreation Delivery Systems
• Public recreation depends on government
involvement and responsibilities.
• Both the Canadian and American delivery
systems can be discussed by looking at
different levels of government.
• The delivery systems are different based on
the philosophies of each government.
Canadian Delivery Systems:
Federal and Provincial or Territorial
• Physical Activity and Sport Act of 2003 assigned
federal responsibility for recreation to the
jurisdiction of two departments:
– Physical activity is allocated to the Minister of Health.
– Sport responsibility is allocated to the Minister of Canadian
Heritage
• The federal government views recreation as
physical activity to enhance health and
international sport to solidify Canada’s identity.
• The provinces and territories view recreation in
various ways (McFarland, 1970).
5 Roles Governments Take
in Delivering Public Services
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Direct provider
Enabler and coordinator
Supporter and patron
Arm’s length provider
Legislator and regulator
(Burton & Glover, 1999)
The amount of direct involvement by
government agencies decreases as you move
down the list.
American Delivery Systems
and Municipal Recreation
Leisure Services
At the local level—municipal, county and
special district—recreation and leisure
receive their power from the state.
State Recreation Leisure Services
• Types of state recreation and leisure services
include the following:
– State parks
– Forests
– Fish and wildlife agencies
– State hospitals
– Correctional institutions
• The authority for these agencies—U.S.
Constitution, Article X—grants all powers to the
states that are not reserved for the federal
government.
Federal Recreation
and Leisure Services
• Authorizes the offering of recreation services for
the health and welfare of certain groups of people
for which it has responsibility.
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Inmates of federal prisons
Military personnel and family
Patients served at VA hospitals
USDA Forest Service
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Bureau of Indian Affairs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
National Endowment for the Arts
Partnerships:
Connections to the Community
• Provide mutually beneficial arrangements.
• Who ultimately benefits? Recipients of the
services.
• Partnerships are essential in the following:
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Generating ideas
Discussing approaches
Planning strategies
Delivering services
• Partnerships can range from informal discussions
to formal legal agreements (Markham, 1991b)
Public Recreation Professionals
Professionals in public recreation use a
variety of skills, including the following:
• Program planning and development
• Fiscal services and budgeting
• Communication
• Information technology
• Marketing
Public Recreation Management
• Managers fall into 3 categories:
1. Top or executive managers
2. Middle managers
3. Front-line or supervisory managers
• Managers perform 3 basic skills:
1. Technical: specialized knowledge in operations,
expertise, techniques, and procedures
2. Human: understanding, motivating, and working with
employees
3. Conceptual: organizational development of philosophy,
goals, mission, and objectives
• Most important, managers perform strategic planning,
which encompasses community involvement and
coordination with city departments and other agencies.
Canadian and United States
Professional Organizations
• Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
(CPRA) provides services through 13
provincial or territorial organizations. Each
is autonomous and offers services in
keeping with its local requirements.
• In the United States, the National Recreation
and Park Association (NRPA) serves as the
major advocate for the advancement of an
ever changing profession.
Chameleon Profession:
Ever Changing Societal Issues
and Needs
Geoffrey Godbey (1997) summarized the following
current themes:
• Most workers today do not work a standard work day.
• 40% of North Americans reported always feeling rushed.
• North Americans average approximately 40 hours of free time
per week.
• Two-thirds of public has lived the last 15 to 20 years of their life
without participating in the labor force.
• People 50 years old and older have gained the most free time
since 1965.
• Television is still a dominant force; however, more people are
seeking outdoor recreational activities.
Predictors of Change
in Canada and the United States
• Median age in Canada at an all time high: 37.6
years.
• Fastest population gain in Canada is among oldest
age: 80 and over grew by 41.2% between 1996 and
2001.
• One-quarter of Canada’s working population is in
the 45 to 64 age group.
• Immigration is increasing in U.S. urban areas.
• U.S. citizens are pursuing higher levels of formal
education and pursuing diverse roles for women.
• Although people are obsessed with health, U.S.
citizens are more obese than ever.
• Outsourcing in United States may be the norm.
Changing Profession
• Possible decline in most forms of sport
participation; greater interest in the environment
• Quality of the experience and sense of place are
important
• Flexible departments of recreation
• Innovative work efforts
• More diversity of leisure expression because our
population is more diverse
• Customization of leisure programs necessary to
retain community consumers; treating people
appropriately, not equally
School-Based Recreation
and Community Schools
Reflect on the quote:
“There is no conflict between teaching the fundamental
processes or attaining the highest intellectual
achievement and teaching the arts of leisure. The latter
may contribute to intellectual achievement. Some of our
best learning takes place in relaxed leisure hours when
we turn to books, nature lore, scientific experiment or
discussions because we choose to do so. Inspiration to
use in leisure the basic skills and knowledge that must
be learned anyway is often the teachers’ greatest
contribution” (Carlson, Deppe, & MacLean,1963).
Condensed History
of Community Education
• In 1935, Frank Manley, a city recreation leader from
Flint, Michigan, developed the lighted schoolhouse
model.
• He proposed using schools during nonschooling
hours to engage young people in constructive
activities, thus reducing the incidence of
delinquency that was growing in his town.
• There was greater potential for this idea than
simply the constructive use of free and leisure time.
Responding to Needs
Philosophy of community education and the
community school brought a collaborative
approach to problem solving and
community-driven program identification.
• Asked community for their thoughts, ideas, and
suggestions.
• Enlisted the help of the community members in
creating activities that met the needs expressed.
• Created a new approach to governance, replacing the
more autocratic system of top-down leadership
common at the time.
Community Schools:
Leadership to Cooperation
to Collaboration
1.
2.
3.
4.
Programs and activities are flexible and inclusive.
Promoted community residents as instructors.
Fostered cooperation and broadened connections.
Expanded recreation and leisure service
opportunities by collaboration.
5. Program development meant people became
involved rather than just attending and
participating in an event.
6. Community members of all ages, cultures, faiths,
and genders were involved.
Current Conditions
of Community Education
Development
• 1998, the 21st Century Community Learning
Center (21st CCLC)
• Immigration Goals 2000
• Education 2000
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
These all highlight activities that enhance
academic achievement, literacy, and the unique
needs of urban and rural communities.
6 Components
of Community Education
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Community involvement
Facility use
Adult programming
Youth programming
Classroom enrichment through community
resources
6. Coordination and cooperation and delivery
of community services
History of Special Recreation
• “Deinstitutionalization” began when President
Kennedy signed the Mental Health Act of 1962.
• 12 communities outside Chicago formed the first
SRA, Northern Suburban Special Recreation
Association (NSSRA), in 1969.
• Summer day camps for children with cognitive or
mental disabilities were the first programs offered
for people with disabilities.
• The United States Education for All Children Act of
1975 declared that all states must require local
school districts to provide special education
services for children with disabilities.
Community Benefits
of Special Recreation Associations
Communities increase efficiency and
economies by sharing facilities and staff and
pooling resources to create a central group that
serves all the communities.
• All participating communities share facilities.
• Low incidence of disability in the general population
does not preclude participation.
• By pooling employees, a special recreation
association can have staff with diverse training
specialties, e.g., sign language, lifting, moving, and
support.
Special Recreation
Continuum of Services
Services from the least restrictive to most
restrictive settings are as follows:
1. Independent inclusion: Patronymics, senior
programs
2. Supported inclusion: Special Olympics, unified
sports, parks and recreation inclusion programs,
school inclusion
3. Parallel inclusion: separate schools, Special
Olympics, SRAs, leisure education
4. Segregated programs: residential settings,
hospitals, workshops, prisons
Inclusion Services
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (also
known as the “Civil Rights Act for the Disabled”)
required governmental agencies to make their
services available to people with special needs by
doing the following:
• Removing architectural barriers
• Providing aids to help include the person in
recreation
• Providing communication devices
• Providing accessible public transportation
• Prohibiting employment discrimination
Specialized Recreation Programs
• Special Olympics
• Patronymics
• Special recreation camping and adventure
programming, such as National Sports
Center for the Disabled, Wilderness Inquiry,
and Outward Bound
• VSA Arts
• National Theater for the Deaf
Future
of Special Recreation Associations
The special recreation association movement will
continue to grow as the number of people who
need assistance increases because of the
following:
• Medical developments continuing to expand the life
expectancies of the seriously ill
• Aging of the baby boomer generation
The following remain unserved or under-served:
• Homeless
• People with cancer, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis
• People undergoing dialysis
Discussion
Discuss the following
The challenge and the role of public
recreation is to serve all of us, but
does this really happen? Who is “us”?
• Who (if anyone) gets left out???
– Is it realistic to believe that the public
recreation system can serve everyone? Is
recreation really a “public good”?
Discussion
Subject: Gray Park
You have just been hired to be the director of Gray park
and recreation agency. Your job is to review and update
the five-year plan for the department. You will ultimately
have to answer the questions in this activity in specific
detail. However, today you are pondering just your basic
first assumptions of the answers.
• In groups of 3 discuss the following questions:
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Who is the “public” in “public recreation”?
To whom do we listen?
From whom do we solicit input?
What role can interest groups play?