chapter
1
Power, Promise, Potential,
and Possibilities
of Parks, Recreation, &
Leisure
Depth and Breadth of
the Parks and Recreation Field
Activities and pursuits are everywhere,
touching the lives of everyone
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24 hours a day
7 days a week
52 weeks a year
Inclusive of all people
In all points of the globe
An ever growing economic force
Aspect of life that is central to human existence
Benefits Derived
• Adequate clean air and water to sustain life
• Opportunities to live purposeful and pleasurable
lives
• Memories of happy times with friends and family
• Options and opportunities for health and well-being
over the life span
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure:
Everywhere, Everyone, All the Time
• Leisure takes place in cities and towns,
small villages, the countryside, and megaurban centers.
• Leisure experiences occur both inside
buildings and outdoors or sometimes both.
• Leisure can be found in all the places and
spaces in which people gather to play,
enjoy, and relax.
It’s for Everyone
• Leisure touches the lives of everyone:
all ages, life stages, cultures, social
classes, and genders.
• Recall personal experiences or
observations of others and identify the
people participating. What is your
memory of those involved?
Examples of ALL the Time
• Ski areas open at first light.
• Health clubs open at 4:30 a.m.
• Heavily industrialized communities offer adult
leagues and activities to accommodate the
traditional 3 shifts of factory work.
• City of Las Vegas offers unusual times for
programs and activities because many residents
work shifts in the casinos, which operate 24/7.
• YMCAs and community centers offer sleepovers
for children while providing respite for parents.
• Midnight basketball puts recreation on the 24hour timetable.
Parks and Recreation:
It Makes Up Most of Our Time
Consider this . . .
• Approximately 8 hours of every day is spent
sleeping.
• Work, school, and related activities such as chores
and errands or homework might consume 8 hours
per day.
Taking into account individual variations,
leisure time could amount to more than onethird of a person’s life.
Values and Benefits
of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure
General category—3 types of benefits
• Improved condition
• Prevention of a worse condition
• Realization of a psychological
experience
(Bev Driver, 1998)
Benefits Described
• Improved condition. In the case that a human,
natural, or economic factor is not functioning at
full capacity or is functioning in a deleterious
manner, the benefit of recreation is to
ameliorate this condition.
• Prevention of a worse condition. Not every
instance of poor performance or threatening
conditions can be improved. The value of parks
and recreation is to stem further erosion or
deterioration of a human, natural, or economic
condition.
(continued)
Benefits Described (continued)
• Realization of a psychological experience.
Leisure pursuits that people select for the
intrinsic values afforded through the
experience. Benefits such as stress reduction,
sense of control, and spirituality are examples.
Segmentation of Benefits
Benefits segmented into 4 categories:
1. Individual. Opportunities for living, learning, and
leading full and productive lives as well as avenues
for people to experience purpose, pleasure, health,
and well-being
2. Social. Opportunities to live and interact
with friends, families, work or school groups,
neighbors, communities, and the world
(continued)
Segmentation of Benefits (continued)
3. Environmental. Sustaining human life and
protecting the ecosystem through the preservation
and protection of open space.
4. Economic. Enhancing the viability of people and
places by serving as an investment in the future,
rather than a mere expenditure in the present
Group Discussion :
Subject: “Unobligated Time”
• People sleep between 6 and 8 hours every day and
work or go to school for another 8 hours a day during
the week. Although the number of hours consumed
by sleep as well as the exact requirements of daily
living vary from person to person, one thing is
certain: Human beings spend well over one-third of
their lives experiencing unobligated time.
– Consider the following:
• How much unobligated time do people have? (Hint: Think in terms of
have-tos and want-tos; be objective.)
• What do people normally do with the remaining time?
• How can you reprioritize to have more time available for leisure?
Why Parks and Recreation
As a Professional Career Choice?
A variety of career opportunities are
associated with an essential aspect of
human behavior and are a major component
of the economy. They create opportunities
for the following:
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Personal growth
Empowerment
Sense of purpose
Resourcefulness on the part of the professionals in
that field!
Qualities and Characteristics
of the Parks, Recreation,
and Leisure Profession
Variety of settings
Avoidance of burnout
Less formal settings
Creativity in approaches
Continual changes
Early career responsibilities
Resourcefulness
Can We Make a Difference . . .
• In the life of one person or even a group of
people
• By contributing to the vitality and viability of
a community
• By protecting nature and preserving cultural
and historic sites
Playground Discussion:
Subject: “Can we make a difference?”
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On a piece of paper answer the following
questions:
– What are the possible differences parks and
recreation make in people’s lives?
– Does the parks and recreation profession have
unique qualities that other professions do not offer,
if so what are they?
Unique Qualities
of Parks and Recreation
• People are empowered to voluntarily
choose how they will use their own unobligated time.
• Fun is fundamental to attracting people to
activities and options that are intrinsically
valuable to individuals, friends, families,
neighborhoods, communities, and society.
Playground Discussion:
Subject: ‘What if’
– What if it were was an aspect of life so central to human
existence that people spent more time engaged in this
critical life pursuit than working or attending school
combined?
– What if there were a category of the economy that
accounted for substantial expenditures and appeared to be
an ever-growing economic force?
– What industry would that be? What is its focus?
– What might be the variety of career opportunities associated
with this field?
Any Questions?
Be sure to
•Look over the course website:
www.mtsu.edu/~hjgray/3010
•Read the course syllabus (also on
the website)
•Read chapters 1 & 2