Lesson 2 Recreation and Leisure Foundations

 I didn't add any tools, so I decided to put the reading of what Leisure is, and other information about it. It will get more exciting and better in the coming weeks.

 Information that will be discuss

Training 1: Leisure And  Recreation Defined 

Training 2: Levels of Recreation

Training 3:  Benefits of Leisure and Recreation 

 Training 4: Historical Perspectives of Recreation 

Training 5:  Person with Disabilities and Their Leisure Experience

 Training 6: ADA (American Disabilities Act

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 1. Leisure And Recreation Defined

Leisure: Three Common Meanings

Leisure is viewed differently by everyone and has different definitions or meanings for every culture. Your definition of leisure will have much to do with the family or societal culture you grew up in, your age, health, or other situations in life.
The following are three common meanings that try to capture a more general definition of leisure:

1. Leisure as Time: Free time from obligations; time to do with what an individual wants.
2. Leisure as a Recreational Activity: Freely chosen activity with positive outcomes; sports, games, art, hobbies, music, etc.
3. Leisure as an Attitude (State of Mind): Feeling of satisfaction, positiveness, happiness. How we feel during an activity. Some individuals might find leisure in their work, i.e. professional basketball players, inventors, outdoor recreation instructors, writers, etc.

Leisure is Not Idleness

We’ve often heard the old adage, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Many individuals misinterpret that to mean that leisure in general is idleness. Brigham Young has been quoted in saying: “Life is best enjoyed when time periods are evenly divided between labour, sleep and recreation. All men, women and children should labour; all must sleep; and if mental and physical balance is to be maintained, all people should spend one-third of their time in recreation which is rebuilding, voluntary activity—never idleness. ‘Eight hours work, eight hours sleep, and eight hours recreation’ was Brigham Young’s motto.” (A Rock Solid Foundation For Marriage)
This philosophy indicates the importance of creating a healthy balance of leisure in our lives. Leisure is a positive and productive use of our time when we use it wisely to refresh and renew our mind, body and spirit.

Qualities of Leisure

As a person engages in leisure, they might find certain intrinsic benefits are achieved which drive them to enjoy and voluntarily participate in a particular activity. One might find:

• Freedom: freedom to make choices for oneself; no coercion.
• Choice: An array of opportunities to choose from.
• Internal Rewards: Leisure done for how it will make an individual feel inside; not for external purposes.
• Sense of Control: A sense that one can positively control the outcome of an experience.
• Optimal Arousal: Experiences help one feel alive and aware.
• Novelty: Leisure experiences should be different from one’s normal routine.
• Challenge: People need to feel that their leisure experiences require effort (physical, social, intellectual, or emotional)

Recreation and Play Defined

• Recreation: Activities developed primarily for fun and enjoyment viewed by society as positive.
• Play: Spontaneous, carefree, imaginative, and creative. Motivated by the joy of living.

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2. Levels of Recreation

• Level 1: Entertainment/Amusement; “Killing Time,” emotionally distant (Example: Music as background.)
• Level 2: Emotional Participation; emotionally connected (Example: Listening to favorite CD.)
• Level 3: Active Participation ex. Playing the guitar music from a favorite band
• Level 4: Creative Participation (Example: Creating your own music.)

Here is a chart demonstrating the different levels of recreation and values of leisure time. It is no accident that the creator of this chart chose to organize it in a pyramid. Toward the lower end of the pyramid, you will find many activities that can meet these particular values whereas, toward the top you’ll find values harder to achieve and fewer people achieving them. As shown in the examples above, one might have certain activities of choice that obtain higher levels of recreation for them. However, one type of activity might achieve different levels of recreation for a person depending on the situation.
For example, I love football. If I’m watching a game but it’s not my favorite team or any team of significance maybe I’m in the realm of simple entertainment or amusement. But if my favorite team is playing and maybe it’s a play-off game, then I’m probably obtaining more emotional participation. Last Thanksgiving I played in the popular family “Turkey Bowl” game. I was definitely in the realm of Active Participation. For the past 20 years I have coached our high school football team and have developed a championship playbook that has guided our teams to several state titles. This Creative Participation has brought great satisfaction to me over the years. We might also apply the same rationale to other activities people love: music, art, mechanics, writing, etc.

Taboo Recreation

On the negative end of the pyramid, some people engage in activities that cause harm or have a negative impact or outcome to individuals or society, yet feel that these activities are recreational. A good example would be addictions such as drugs, excessive gaming, social media abuse, or other activities done to an extreme where they cause harm to themselves, their relationships or individuals around them. These activities might have an immediate feeling of satisfaction and mimic positive values of recreation, but ultimately have a negative impact on the overall value of recreation in their life. These activities can be categorized as Taboo Recreation or “Purple recreation” as some call it.
Elder Bednar taught us, “… all of us can find enjoyment in a wide range of wholesome, entertaining, and engaging activities. But we diminish the importance of our bodies and jeopardize our physical well-being by going to unusual and dangerous extremes searching for an ever-greater and more exhilarating adrenaline “rush.” We may rationalize that surely nothing is wrong with such seemingly innocent exploits and adventures. However, putting at risk the very instrument God has given us to receive the learning experiences of mortality—merely to pursue a thrill or some supposed fun, to bolster ego, or to gain acceptance—truly minimizes the importance of our physical bodies.” (Things as They Really Are, Ensign June 2010)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks has given us some great advice to help us choose the “best” activities to engage in. See Good, Better, Best, Ensign November 2007

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3. Benefits of Leisure and Recreation

Five Benefits 

• Psychological benefits: Self-confidence, personal growth, sense of control over one’s life, positive mood and emotion, reduced tension and depression, sense of freedom, creative expression, increased spirituality, and sense of wellness.
• Environmental benefits: Maintenance of physical facilities, development of an environmental ethic, preservation of natural sites, and environmental protection.
• Physiological benefits: Management of various diseases (arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes, etc.), Respiratory benefits, increased muscle strength and endurance, increased life expectancy, and reduced stress.
• Social and cultural benefits: Ethnic identity, family bonding, cultural and historical awareness, and enhanced world view.
• Economic benefits: Reduced health costs, higher employee productivity, less work absenteeism, and reduced youth recidivism (delinquency).
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4.Historical Perspectives of Recreation

1. Why Recreation Organizations came to be. They came about in the late 1800’s to address the tremendous social, psychological, and general welfare needs that grew out of the Industrial Revolution.
• Boston Sand Gardens; First playground
• Central Park in New York
• Settlement Houses; Jane Adams Hull house
2. The movement changed from providing “places” for leisure, to providing “programs” for leisure.
3. Public recreation moved away from a social welfare model to providing services for all as its benefits became widely recognized
4. Effects of WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Iraq war; many vets come home with disabling injuries.
5. Americans with disabilities Act (ADA) passed July 26, 1990; mandates equal provision and opportunities for persons with disabilities.

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5. Persons With Disabilities & Their Leisure Experience

1. Research indicates that persons with disabilities are not as frequently involved in recreation activities. Reasons why might include:
• Lack of exposure
• Lack of opportunities
• Negative attitudes from society or service providers
• Inaccessible facilities
2. Number of persons with disabilities in the US; about 50 million

Right to leisure

1. The pursuit of leisure is a condition necessary for human dignity and well-being.
2. Leisure is a part of a healthy lifestyle and productive life.
3. Every individual is entitled to the opportunity to express unique interests and pursue, develop and improve talents and abilities.
4. People are entitled to opportunities and services in the most inclusive setting.
5. The right to choose from the full array of recreational opportunities offered in diverse settings and environments and requiring different levels of competency should be provided.

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6. ADA (American Disabilities Act)

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ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to address and eliminate the major forms of discrimination faced daily by people with disabilities, and represents the most important civil rights legislation passed since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In order to receive the protections of the ADA, a person must satisfy at least one of three conditions:

1. Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as hearing, seeing, walking, breathing, or speaking;
2. Have a record of a substantially limiting impairment to a major life activity; or
3. Be misperceived as having a substantially limiting impairment, which in reality is not substantial.

Persons with Disabilities are to be Ensured the Following Rights

Right to the Most Integrated Setting

The recreation consumer with a disability has the right to participate in the most integrated setting. This is defined in the U.S. Department of Justice guidelines as the setting in which interaction between people with and without disabilities is provided to the maximum extent feasible.

Right to Participate

A person with a disability has the right to register for and participate in recreation or leisure activities. In effect, every single Parks and Recreation Program offered for people with disabilities is available to people without disabilities. So long as he or she meets “essential eligibility” requirements required of all registrants, such as registering before the program is full and paying the same registration fee that others pay, participation should be welcomed. There may be other essential eligibility requirements, such as being able to serve, hit a backhand, and hit a forehand, for someone wishing to participate in an intermediate tennis tournament. These vary from activity to activity.

Right to Reasonable Accommodations

A person with a disability has the right to reasonable accommodations, provided by the activity organizer or sponsor, to meet essential eligibility requirements, if necessary to facilitate or enable participation in the activity of his or her choice. Accommodations include changes in rules and policies; extra staff for the coaching or management of the activity; a sign language interpreter or other aids for recreation consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing; braille or large print documents for recreation consumers who are blind or have impaired vision; and other efforts to facilitate participation.

Right to Adaptive Equipment

Another type of reasonable accommodation is the use of adaptive equipment. There are many examples of the successful use of adaptive equipment in current sport and recreation programs. Devices to enable better grasping are readily available on fishing rods, golf clubs, and other equipment. Padding or protective equipment is adapted or available for almost every sport, and is often the same safety equipment used by athletes in that sport, or in other sports.

Right to an Assessment or Evaluation

A recreation consumer shall not be discriminated against because of a perception of risk or a strict application of safety policies and rules. Recreation and sport providers must assess risk and the individual participant’s ability and experience in the sport or activity. The assessment must include a consideration of how reasonable accommodations such as rule changes or adaptive equipment would eliminate or minimize the risk and enable participation in the activity.

Disparate Impact

People with disabilities shall not be discriminated against by an unfair application of administrative rules or policies. Many rules and policies exist for good reasons. However, when the rule is implemented, it cannot have a greater impact on people with disabilities than on people without disabilities.

Fees

No sport or recreation provider shall charge a higher fee, or a surcharge, for the cost of accommodations or the cost of providing recreation in the most integrated setting. In public park and recreation programs, a fee for inclusive involvement that requires an accommodation is no different than a fee charged to other participants who do not have a disability.