Leisure in Contemporary Society

1. Leisure in Contemporary Society Chapter 1 HPR 322

2. Chapter 1 Objectives • Develop an understanding of the role of leisure in contemporary society • Understand basic concepts associated with leisure, recreation, and play • Provide information useful in developing a philosophy of leisure programming • Understand the relationship between leisure services and the benefits sought by customers • Develop an awareness of the leisure experience as a service

3. Introduction • Leisure is a powerful force • Woven into the fabric of our culture • Enriches, enhances and nourishes our lives • Provides multiple benefits for individuals, groups, communities and cultures (Ex.) • Leisure service programming is the creation of opportunities for leisure experiences with consequent benefits

4. Leisure Service Programming….. • Provides a means for individuals to seek novelty, variety, pleasure, challenge, renewal, and growth in their lives through participation in leisure experiences • Challenges for us as leisure service providers –cultural diversity, gender and ethnic differences, generational value orientations, varying family structures, income stratification, technological advances • Consumers demand quality and value – We must meet their needs

5. Basic Terms • Recreation – organized activity intended for social ends • Positive for society • Leisure – time OR state of mind OR attitude • Highly subjective • Play – even more subjective • Planned or not; strux or not; risky or not • Universal

6. Recreation • Restores or recreates – refreshes • Some say it renews you for work • Typically an activity with physical, mental, social, or emotional involvement • Wide range – sports, games, crafts, performing arts, arts, music, travel, hobbies, social activities, etc • Voluntary, internal motivation, dependent on attitude, potential for desirable outcomes

7. Leisure • Freedom to pursue individual interests • Definitions include • Free time, Activity, State of Mind, Symbol of Social Class, Leisure as action, Antiutilitarian, Holistic • Conditions of the Leisure Experience • Perceived freedom, Intrinsic Motivation, Perceived Competence, Positive Affect • Leisure may be from “casual” to “exotic” and may include Social, Physical, or Natural Environments

8. Play • Positive form of human behavior • Non-instrumental in purpose, spirit of pleasure and creative expression, aimless to highly structured, adults play, instinctive drive but culturally learned in all cultures, voluntary, pleasurable, linked to social functions such as law, religion, warfare, art

9. Leisure Service Programming • Appeal to universal need for ‘play’ • Use of free/unobligated time • Positive for society • Improve individuals’ mental/physical health • Engage individuals in positive activities • Satisfy desires in socially acceptable ways • Need for ‘risk,’ need for competition; need for challenge; need for social contacts

10. Developing a Program Philosophy • What do we value and what do we believe in? The foundation of any organization is its philosophy • Helps you find meaning and focus, finds meaning, establishes direction, defines relationship with stakeholders, basic set of belief and values

11. Organization of Leisure Services • Government based recreation • Examples? • Private non-profit • Examples? • Commercial for profit • Examples?

12. Defining Leisure Service • A service, not a commodity (thing) • Competes for $ and time with other services as well as commodities • True for governmental, non-profit and for-profit providers • Necessity (or not) • Customer driven

13. Potential Benefits of Leisure Experience • Personal Development • Social Bonding • Physical Development • Stimulation • Fantasy and Escape • Nostalgia and Reflection • Independence and Freedom • Reduction of Sensory overload • Risk Opportunities

14. Potential Benefits contd • Sense of Achievement • Exploration • Values Clarification/Problem Solving • Mental Health • Aesthetic Appreciation

15. Leisure Experience as a Service (Service Industry) • Service focuses on transactions between people • Dialogue, empathy, creation of a mood, motivation, personal interaction • Characteristics of leisure service • Transactions between people • Services are not tangible • The Customer must be present • The service cannot be created in advance • Leisure services are labor intensive

16. Elements of Leisure Service • Leisure Service Programmer (“Leader”) • Professional in a profession • Possess knowledge; training; ethics; customer service orientation • Personal recreation/leisure philosophy consistent with organization’s philosophy • General and self-knowledge related to leadership style (covered in depth in HPR 323) • Plays one or multiple roles – administrator; activity leader; instructor; coach; public relations, etc.

17. Elements of Leisure Service cont’d • Customers (“Participants”) • Clients; consumers; members; participants; guests; users; visitors • Leisure (and other) decision-making patterns impacted by involvement, differentiation; time pressure • Needs related to age; SES; education; cultural characteristics; family status; perceived skills or limitations

18. Customer-Driven Programs promote Quality • Establish programming priorities • Discover client needs • Develop product accordingly • Identify key program providers • Identify key encounters with clients • Train for flexibility; but when in doubt set standards • Ask for help

19. More considerations • Inclusion • ADA; IDEA, etc. • “Reasonable” accommodation • Adaptive equipment • Interpreters • Program adaptations • Partial participation • Support staff • In-service training for staff

20. More considerations • Inclusion cont’d • “Reasonable” accommodation does not mean: • Waiving age or other registration requirements • Waiving or applying rules or codes of conduct differently • Allowing people in programs who cannot communicate or follow basic directions • Including people in group programs who cannot tolerate a group setting

21. More considerations • Inclusion cont’d • Challenges to programmers • Emotional/behavioral disabilities • Individuals with multiple disabilities • Multiple individuals with varying disabilities • Disabilities that are not consistent among individuals (e.g., persons with autism or MS) • Effect of medications

22. More considerations cont’d • Multiculturalism, Diversity • Values may vary • Importance or role of leisure/recreation may vary • Behavior in leisure/recreation settings may vary

23. A Program Proposal • Ideally will reflect a demonstrated ‘need’ but you have to start somewhere • Larger areas tend to have more range of programming • “Personality” or characteristics of a region may be reflected (rock climbing in Utah or Idaho; winemaking in New York or California; what is popular in Mississippi?)

24. An Example • Public city pool in north Mississippi • Neighborhood reflects lower to middle classes • Population includes older adults and non-working mothers • Only programming offered at pool consists of children’s swimming lessons

25. Other Factors • Few exercise/fitness programs offered by city • Current water exercise class in indoor university pool • Not as convenient as city pool • May charge more • Noon hour may not be as convenient as a.m. or p.m.

26. My Proposal • I propose to begin a summer adult water exercise program to be held at the city pool in Sometown, Mississippi. The program will begin during the week following Memorial Day and continue until the week before Labor Day. This program will provide a low impact fitness activity appropriate for persons who live in the area near the city pool including some older adults, individuals with physical disabilities, and individuals whose Body Mass Indices (BMI) place them in overweight or obese categories. • Attendance is open to any interested adult who registers and pays a program fee of $40. Individuals who have purchased a pool membership can attend the water exercise classes for no additional charge.

27. My Proposal cont’d • The water exercise classes will meet weekdays between 6:00 and 6:45 a.m. and 7:30 and 8:15 p.m. Instructors will be Red Cross certified lifeguards. • The program benefits the community by working to improve the health and quality of life of residents in an area underserved by recreation programming of this type.

28. My Proposal cont’d again • This program benefits the park and recreation department by using an existing facility with existing staff to provide programming that will collect additional user fees. • This program benefits the users by contributing to potential improvements in their mental and physical health and by providing additional opportunities for positive socialization (insert ref)

29. A simple activity • Find your group members • Each group will be provided with a location • For each location, come up with possible recreation programs • Arts (performing, visual, music) • Sports or active games • Something else (social; hobby; educational) • What makes this a good activity for this location?