Chapter 1 Recreation and Leisure

HE113 INTRODUCTION TO
LEISURE & RECREATION

Chapter 1 Recreation and Leisure
D D Mclean, M R Hurd and N B Rogers (2008), Kraus Recreation and
Leisure in Modern Society, 8
th
Edn, Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Learning Outcomes
Discuss the varied views and perceptions of what leisure and
recreation are, and what purpose each serves.
Identify primary motives for participation in recreation and
leisure activity.
Identify and discuss the dominant social factors that are
currently influencing the recreation and leisure-service
professions.
Articulate the current challenges facing the recreation and
leisure-service field, including the need for a more highly
defined professional identity.

VARIED VIEWS OF RECREATION &
LEISURE
Recreation
- The network of public agencies that provide such facilities as parks,
playgrounds, aquatic centers, sports fields & community
centers in thousands of cities, towns, countries & park
districts today
- For a growing generation of young people, recreation & leisure have
taken on new meanings of adventure, risk, excitement &
fulfillment as they seek to meld technology & recreation. Not
include any physical activity but focus on internet games, downloading /
sharing music, instant messaging & new ventures we have yet to see or
understand
- Environmentalists may be concerned about the impact of outdoor
forms of traditional & emerging play on our natural surroundings
(forests, mountains, rivers & lakes)

LEISURE
Diversity in participation
- Recreation not only as participation in sports & games or in social
activities & to ignore other forms of play
- Recreation actually includes broad range of leisure pursuits
including travel & tourism, cultural entertainment or participation
in the arts, hobbies, membership in social clubs or interest groups,
nature-related activities (camping or hunting & fishing, attendance
at parties or other special events, & fitness activities
- May be highly tough & physically demanding or may be intellectual
activity
- May be represent of interest, involvement & experience
LEISURE
Motivations for recreational participation
1. As a form of relaxation & release from work pressures or other
tensions
2. May be passive spectators of entertainment provided by
television, movies or other forms of electronic amusement
3. Based on the need to express creativity, hidden talents, or
pursue excellence in varied forms of personal expression
4. Active & competitive recreation may offer a channel for releasing
hostility & aggression or for struggling against others or
the environment in adventurous, high risk pursuits
5. Others enjoy recreation that is highly social & provides the
opportunity for making new friends or cooperating with others
in group settings
LEISURE
Motivations for recreational participation
6. Leisure activities that involve community service or permit them to
provide leadership in fraternal or religious organizations
7. Others take part in activities that promote health & physical
fitness as a primary goal
8. Growing number of participants enjoy participation in the expanding
world of computer based entertainment & communication
including CD-ROMs, internet games, video games & personal digital
assistants with games, the internet, etc.
9. Others involved in forms of culture such as music, drama, dance,
literature & fine arts
10. New environments through travel & tourism or seeking self
discovery or personality enrichment through continuing
education or religious activity represent other important leisure drives
SOCIAL FACTORS PROMOTING THE
RECREATION & PARK MOVEMENT
1. Increase in Discretionary Time
2. National Affluence
3. Commodification of Leisure
4. Population Trends
5. Where People Live: Urbanization & Suburbanization
6. Influence of Technology
7. Recreations Contribution to Health & Fitness
8. Environmental Concerns
9. The changing family
10. Maturation of organized leisure-service field

1. Increase in Discretionary Time
- An increase in workweek hours for many individuals
- The increase in work hours appears to have been
selective with certain groups in the population
(professionals or business managers) working longer
hours but with other individuals continuing to have
relatively short workweeks
- The increase in holidays, vacations, early retirement &
the needs of special population groups (disabilities or
underemployed) it is apparent that leisure continues to
present a huge opportunities
2. National Affluence
- Twentieth century, household income continued to rise
steadily in both nations (United States & Canada) with
the total amount spend on varied forms of recreation
increasing from decade to decade
- Growing class of millionaires is able to enjoy a host of
expensive forms of recreation

3. Commodification of Leisure
- Giant conglomerates such as Time Warner, Disney &
Viacom have been taken over control of huge
corporations that run music, television & movie
businesses
- These conglomerates also own sports stadium &
professional teams, cruise ships & theme parks, other
leisure operations
- New facilities offering varied forms of recreation
- E.g. Huge public fitness centers include aquatic areas,
aerobics, dance rooms & facilities for family play & host
of other activities are being built often with charges
for membership that cost several hundred dollars a year
4. Population Trends
- Dramatic diversifications in racial & ethical terms has
taken place particularly in the United States
- Growing of immigrants from Asia, Latin America, some
third world regions often markedly higher birthrates
- Popular culture, sports & other leisure related areas
reflects these population changes

- Playgrounds for children, sport fields for youths &
adults, networks of parks throughout country, civic
minded individuals joined together to establish
symphony orchestras, opera companies, art & natural
history museums & libraries
- Recreation & park development as a key factor in
promoting the revival of many larger cities as wealthy
citizens moved into developed residential areas
- Waterfront or factory areas transformed into attractive
sites for shopping, sightseeing, cultural activities &
entertainment
- Recreation as critical to making cities more livable,
attracting tourist & retaining middle class & wealthy
residents
- Public recreation & park departments constructed new
water play parks, tennis complexes, creative arts
centers, marinas & other recreational facilities

- Outdoor recreation for examples, makes use of
increasingly complex & expensive devices in activities
(skydiving, hang gliding, scuba diving, boating, hunting,
fishing, rollerblading, skiing & snowboarding)
- Computer dating provides a new form of social contact for
single adults & video games offer interactive competition
or exposure to new varieties of play settings & virtual
realities
- Important part of travel & tourism with airlines, cruise
ships, resorts & major parks maintaining Web pages that
provide information & facilitate reservations & vacation
choices

- Every aspect of professional recreation, park & leisure
service management, computer software has become
crucial in program planning, scheduling, public
relations, fiscal & personnel management &
maintaining agency information systems
- Home based recreation has become increasingly
dependent on varied forms of electronic entertainment
with television, interactive video games, CD-ROMs,
cassette players & similar devices.
- Home based technological forms of entertainment &
communication being an important factor

- 1970s & 1980s trend was the growth of public interest
in exercise & physical fitness programs
- Realizing that modern life is frequently inactive,
sedentary, beset by tensions, & subject to a host of
unhealthy habits (overeating, smoking & drinking)
popular concern developed about improving ones
health, vitality & appearance through diet & exercise
- Participation in activities as walking, aerobics,
swimming, running & jogging, racquet sports & similar
energetic pursuits has more than physiological effects
- Also has physiological value for those who exercise
regularly look & feel better

- Experts have concluded that fitness is not a passing
phase; the publics desire to be healthy & physically
attractive is supported by continuing publicity, social
values, personal pride & solid business sense
- Research showed that most successful fitness programs
to be those provided an ingredient of recreational
interest & satisfaction
- E.g. Employee fitness program in Canada, Wankel
found that although all enrollees had physical fitness
as a strong initial motivation, those who continued to
be involved had other objectives for joining the
program (objectives of a non health related nature) as
competition, curiosity, developing recreational skills &
going out with friends


Through the 1990s, there were reports that the rate
of adult participation in regular fitness activities was
declining. Although evidence showed that regular
vigorous activity helped to prevent cardiovascular
disease, cancer & a number of other serious illnesses,
the percentage of adults taking part in active exercise
regimens was sharply lower than at the height of the
fitness boom. Similarly, there was strong evidence
that children & youth in the United States were
increasingly obese & in poor physical condition.

- Certain recreational sports (youth soccer, volleyball &
ice hockey) have grown in popularity
- Sports participation in organized high school athletic
programs is at an all time high for girls & boys
- Growing number of state school systems have reduced
or eliminated physical education requirements which
means that organized recreation programs represent an
even more important means of promoting physical
fitness for children & youth
- In Canada, Searle & Brayley write:

Recognition of the need to protect our natural
resources & to provide opportunities for Canadians to
experience their leisure in natural environments &
places of historical significance led to the creation of
Banff National Park in 1885 by the Canadian
Government. This led to the creation of the national
parks system, the largest in the world. It has also led to
the systematic protection of historic sites. Similar
initiatives by provincial park services make an
important contribution to the social fabric of the nation
& increasingly to the health of its environment.
- Outdoor recreation activities (camping, biking,
backpacking, boating, hunting, fishing, skiing &
mountain climbing depend heavily on parks, forests &
water areas operated chiefly by public recreation & park
agencies.
- The concern of many people regarding the health of the
nations outdoor resources stems from more than the
need for outdoor recreation spaces


- LaPage & Ranney point out that one of the most
powerful sources of Americas essential cultural fiber &
spirit is the land itself:

The roots of this new nation & its people become the
forests & rivers, deserts & mountains & the challenges
and inspirations they presented, not the ruins of
ancient civilizations most other cultures look to for
ancestral continuity. Thus, America developed a
different attitude & identity.

- The environmental has received strong support from
many recreation advocates & organizations
- Recognized activities as fishing & hunting are just part of
a bigger scene that requires clean & safe air and water &
wise use of the land
- Following two decades, there was a wave of federal &
state legislative action & funding support in the US that
was designed to acquire open space, to protect imperiled
forests, wetlands, & scenic areas to help endangered
species flourish & to reclaim the nations wild rivers &
trails
- 1980- national administration in the US sought to reduce
park & open space funding, eliminate conservation
programs & environmental regulations & to renewed
economic exploitation


- 1990- The effort to open up protected wilderness areas to
increased oil drilling, cattle grazing, lumbering & other
commercial uses gained strong political support
- Organizations have been in the forefront of the
continuing battle to protect the nations natural resources
- Earth day 2000- it was clear that North America air was
cleaner & its water purer than for many past decades
- There was more protected open space in national parks,
wildlife, refuges & wilderness areas


- Whitman writes:

Survey indicate that only 14% to 36% of Americans
believe that the environment has improved a great deal
since 1970. According to 1999 Roperpoll, 56% wory that
the next 10 years will be the last decade when humans
will have a chance to save the earth from an
environmental catastrophe.

- The deterioration in several forms:
Fragmentation of family life
Increase in the number of children born out of wedlock
Divorces & separations
Single parent households
Expanding problem of alcohol & drug abuse among young
Increase in random & senseless violence - often on an individual basis but
also linked to gang generated conflict in cities large & small
Presence of homeless people in increasing number on the streets, in
parks & under highways & viaducts
Acceptance of communities in gambling as a solution to the economic
problems of states & cities
Growing tolerance of prostitution & other commercially linked forms of
sexual entertainment
Patterns of civility & human decency that should prevail in everyday life
have been widely abandoned


- What to do these trends have to do with recreation & leisure?
Many of the popular but morally questionable pursuits just
described represent a search for pleasure, novelty & excitement
Tend to displace more traditional & constructive forms of play
Represent a major challenge to recreation managers, leaders &
program planners in public & nonprofit community leisure service
agencies who must compete with them for the attention of
participants & must struggle against their demoralizing effects on
community life

- The creators & distributors of popular motion pictures & television
shows, video games, books, magazines & even toys - are being
blamed for having created a climate that tolerates immorality,
crime, sexual & physical abuse of children & random violence

- 1992- Attacks were reveled at the producers of television shows for
undermining the nations traditional codes of sexual behavior & parental
responsibility
- After 1992- Major political figures have blamed the cultural elite-
particularly executives & creative leaders in the communications &
entertainment media for deliberately promoting sensational themes or
publicizing events, personalities, shocking crimes & distorted
relationships which has resulted in a decline of family values & civic
morality
- Late 1990- growing number of public & nonprofit leisure service
organizations have initiated innovative, comprehensive programs
designed to serve at risk youth
- Leisure service agencies along with religious organizations, the schools &
parents groups will need to more intensive & focused efforts to promote
family stability in American life & to overcome the effects of poverty,
intergroup conflicts & negative impact of destructive forms of play
10 Maturation of the Organized Leisure-Service Field
-10 Categories of Recreation & Leisure service:
1) Government agencies
- Federal, state & provincial agencies & local departments of
recreation & parks that provide leisure services as primary
function, other agencies (social service, education, special
populations & armed forces) offer or assist recreation programs as
a secondary responsibility
2) Voluntary organizations
- Nongovernmental, nonprofit agencies, sectarian & nonsectarian,
serving the public at large/selected elements of it with multiservice
programs (E.g. YMCA, Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts)
- 10 Categories of Recreation & Leisure service:
3) Private membership organizations
- As golf, tennis, yacht, athletic & country clubs, service clubs &
fraternal bodies that provide recreational & social activities for
their own members, assist community recreation needs as well
(swimming pools, sports / fitness complexes or clubs attached to
leisure villages, apartment or condominium units or retirement
communities
4) Commercial recreation enterprises
- Great variety of privately owned for profit businesses (ski centers,
bowling alleys, nightclubs, movie houses or theaters, health spas/
fitness centers, dancing schools, amusement / theme parks & other
enterprises that provide leisure services
5) Employee recreation programs (formerly called
industrial recreation)
- Who work for given companies / other employers by providing
recreation as part of a total personnel benefits package linked to
other services concerned with employee health & fitness
6) Armed forces recreation
- Form of government sponsored activity-tends to operate an
extensive network of recreation facilities & programs worldwide
7) Campus recreation
- Sports clubs, social activities, trip & travel programs, performing
arts groups, entertainment, lounges, film series & other forms of
recreation on college & university campuses
8) Therapeutic recreation services
- Meet the needs of persons with physical or mental disabilities,
individuals with poor health, dependent aging persons, socially
deviant persons in correctional facilities or other treatment settings &
similar special groups
9) Sports participation & spectatorship
- Professional sports, collegiate sports, public parks & recreation,
private sport enterprises, youth sports, sports for individuals with
disabilities & more
10) Travel, tourism & hospitality management
- Involves all of the travel & tourism industry (airlines, cruise ships,
destination resorts, conference & resort centers, amusement parks,
festival & the like
NEED FOR PROFESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Need for qualified professional leadership
People always assume that the task of organizing &
conducting recreation programs is simple one & anyone
can do it without specialized training because they see
that many youths & adults in our society do provide
recreational leadership without training
Community needs, wants & capabilities while balancing
demands & resources requires a trained recreation &
park professional
Professional management involves tasks as planning &
building recreation facilities from golf courses,
swimming complex, supervising leadership &
maintenance personnel, campaigns & assessing public
needs & demands

NEED FOR PROFESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP
Therapeutic program - Need intensive knowledge of
illness & effects, medical terminology, anatomy,
kinesiology & psychopathology
Recreation professionals should familiar with the skills
needed for direct leadership & supervision,
understanding & controlling group dynamics, assessing
patients or clients, ability to carry out basic evaluation or
research, write literate report
Recreation professionals must fully aware of the meaning
of recreation & leisure in human society & history of this
field

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Gained public recognition as a flourishing career field
Millions of men & women become employed in various
specialized sectors of leisure service with hundreds
thousands holding professional level jobs as recreation
leaders, supervisors, planners, managers & resource
specialists
Requiring unique competencies & skills and higher level
of status for those working in the field
Efforts of national, state & provincial societies higher
standards for practice were developed & the first steps of
certification & accreditation were set in motion

INFLUENCE OF PROFESSIONAL
SPECIALIZATION
Specialists began to form their own professional
societies in armed forces recreation, therapeutic,
therapeutic recreation, campus recreation & employee
services
Developed specialized missions & operational strategies
suited to their unique service areas
Joining together in partnerships that share human,
fiscal & other agency resources to achieve the goal
Must meet high standards of specialized training, be
affiliated with appropriate professional societies &
understand public leisure needs & social challenges that
face this field
CHALLENGES FACING THE LEISURE-
SERVICE FIELD
1. How can the organized recreation movement contribute to public
understanding of leisures role in daily life & to upgrading the level
of the publics choices of leisure pursuits?
2. What role can public, voluntary, therapeutic & other community
based agencies play in helping to improve family life & to reduce
crime, violence, abuse & other serious societal problems?
3. How can recreation contribute to promoting positive intercultural
understanding & relationships & to enriching the lives of persons
with disabilities?
4. How can the organized recreation movement play a meaningful
role in a society that has increasingly become dominated by
commercial interests conglomerates in the mass media of
communication & entertainment that place dollar profits at a
higher priority than important human values?

CHALLENGES FACING THE LEISURE-
SERVICE FIELD
5. How can recreation, park & sport organizations help build
communities that create a quality of life that positively affects all
community members?
6. In an era marked by striking economic prosperity, how can
recreation & leisure service professionals develop programs
designed to serve the less fortunate in society?
7. Practitioners in park agencies that sponsor outdoor recreation
services or manage extensive natural resources, what policies will
serve important ecological needs in the years ahead?

DISCUSSION
1. Identify and discuss at least three important social factors that
have contributed to the growth of recreation & leisure concerns
over the past several decades.
2. What are the special meanings and values of recreation and
leisure for different population groups in modern society based
on socioeconomic, age, gender or ability/disability factors?
3. Why should leisure service professionals be expected to have
an understanding of the history, psychology & sociology of
recreation & leisure?
4. What do you regard as some of the most critical challenges
facing recreation leisure service agencies and practitioners in
the years that lie ahead? Justify your response.

Chapter 1 Recreation and Leisure

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Chapter 1 Recreation and Leisure

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HE113 INTRODUCTION TO

LEISURE & RECREATION

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