the value of leisure education and training in rural areas: a south african perspective

1. THE VALUE OF LEISURE EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN RURAL AREAS:A South African Perspective CP HENRY & PFV OBERHOLSTER NORTH WEST DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES,ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORT South Africa

2. INTRODUCTION The concept of citizenship in South Africa has been understand mainly in political terms – “the right to vote” and to be consulted. But as poor people, particularly, have discovered the ability to vote is not enough on its own. Citizenship must also include the right to actively contribute and to participate in making decisions that affect investment and work. One of the policy principles of the South African government is to develop the human resource capacity of all South Africans (GCIS, 1999). Rural villages throughout South Africa have the potential to play a key role in boosting rural economies through their participation in leisure programmes (Steynberg et al., 2000). As unemployment is a huge problem in the country, it needs serious attention, and can be addressed through training, education and skills development. According to Van der Merwe (2000), one dimension that are essential for rapid productivity growth, is skills development. The largest share of rural jobs and employment growth comes from the service sector which employs over half of all rural workers (Harrison, 1997). Services related to recreation, retirement and natural amenities have emerged as important new sources of rural employment and growth. It is thus the aim of this study to discuss the value of leisure education in communities, with special reference to food gardening projects in rural communities in the Northwest Province in South Africa.

3. PUTTING LEISURE IN PERSPETIVE One of the most important questions about leisure is how a persons are drawn into it socially? When, where, and how do a person acquire the knowledge and skills needed in leisure participation? Is childhood recreation associated with adult leisure behaviour and how do the socialization agents shape it? These questions are posed by researchers worldwide, and still remains areas of intensive research in the process of seeking clear and uniform answers. However, research has found a number of principles, guidelines and theories in this regard that can be uses in designing leisure programmes. Another area of uncertainty is that everyone has a personal definition of leisure. To some leisure means participation in an activity, while to others it brings to mind and idea of not doing anything, or “getting away from it all”. A person can define leisure solely in terms of success in competitive encounters, while another perceives leisure as its best when acquiring new skills. Whatever the definition, it is a product of of personal experiences and situational/ social influences. Whether or not an individual defines leisure behaviour as having an appropriate amount of novelty and familiarity, depends on his perceived competence (Iso-Ahola. 1980). Most rural communities in South Africa has little or no leisure experiences, and as such has only vague definitions of leisure because their personal experience are very little or non-existent at all.

4. COMPONENTS OF A LEISURE PROGRAMME As rural people needs to be introduced to a variety of leisure ativities, it is important to design custom-made programmes to address the special needs of the communities. Leisure programmes thus needs to facilitate holistic development in terms of skills, values and knowledge. As leisure is seen as an opportunity to alleviate poverty and contribute to the improvement of quality of life in these communities, a different approach to leisure programmes are required. The following components of a general leisure programme were identified, but the degree of importance of components will vary according to different programmes. SKILLS include aspects of coordination, balance, locomotion, handling objects, handling the body and body awareness. KNOWLEDGE include aspects of health, safety, express communication, movement patterns and skills, concepts, rules and strategies and mechanical principles. VALUES include aspects of self-esteem, positive attitude, cultural awareness, interaction and social skills, environment, independent behaviour and moral behaviour (NSC, 2000).

5. ANALYSIS OF A FOOD-GARDENING LEISURE PROGRAMME In order to determine the value of leisure education, the food-gardening programme were analysed according to the elements of a leisure programmes with a holistic approach. Firstly, the skills of the programme were analysed. Skills include aspects of coordination, balance, locomotion, handling objects, handling the body and body awareness. Skills acquired through participation in the food-gardening programme: Handling of gardening objects. Hand-eye coordination in preparing the soil. Harvesting skills. Identify and develop talent and potential of particpants. Develop leadership skills. Development basic management skills (organising).

6. ANALYSIS OF A FOOD-GARDENING LEISURE PROGRAMME Secondly, the elements of knowledge were analysed. Knowledge include aspects of health, safety, express communication, movement patterns and skills, concepts, rules and strategies and mechanical principles. Knowledge acquired through participation in the food-gardening programme: General knowledge about farming. Implementation of different phases of the project (preparing soil, sowing, watering, harvesting). Knowledge about healthy ways to eat. Group work, working with other people. Different strategies (seasonal planting). Mechanical knowledge in the sense of repairing and maintaining gardening tools.

7. ANALYSIS OF A FOOD-GARDENING LEISURE PROGRAMME Thirdly, the aspects of values were analaysed. Values include aspects of self-esteem, positive attitude, cultural awareness, interaction and social skills, environment, independent behaviour and moral behaviour. Values acquired through participation in the food-gardening programme: Shared responsibility gave participants self-confidence. Harvesting motivate participants for the next season and creates a positive attitude towards life and leisure in general Cultural awareness were created by planting food that are customary to their diets. Planning and implementing of the project forces participants to work together and thus creating social skills and unite people. The impact of the project on the environment were also indicated, and a sensitivity towards the environment were created. As food was the result of the project, poverty alleviation boost the moral of the entire community.

8. ADVANTAGES OF A COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMME From the above analysis, it is clear that a large part of the community benefit from these programmes. This indicate that leisure education can contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of rural communities in a number of ways. The food gardening programme created the following advantages: The community feel included, and they will take responsibility to ensure sustainability. Reduced vandalism and crime. Specific needs of the community was met. Jobs were created. A sense of belonging was created in the community. Environmental awareness was created.

9. CONCLUSION From the above it is evident that leisure education contribute to the improvement of quality of life of communities. It is however important to ensure the sustianability of these programmes. Sustainability needs to evolve through effective planning with clear guidelines on the breadth and depth of development. This goal can be achieved by educating and training people involved and by the actions of governments (Eccles and Costa, 1996). The food-gardening programme focused on self-sustainability – which implicate that participants in these programmes had to take responsibility for educating the rest of the community. It is clear that if leisure is beneficial to the citizens of a community – it benefits society in general.

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