is the process of giving new life to something, while leisure is the productive, creative, or contemplative use of free time.
recreation
include sports, both team and individual, and include reading, fishing, playing music, gardening, playing computer games, and watching television shows or movies.
recreational activities
Some view recreation as a network of public agencies providing parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, sports fields, and community centers.
* Others see recreation as a means of achieving family togetherness, pursuing interesting hobbies, sports, or social activities.
* Others see recreation as found in a senior center, a sheltered workshop for mentally challenged individuals, or a treatment center for physical rehabilitation.
Varied Views of Recreation and Leisure
Recreation includes a broad range of leisure activities including travel, cultural entertainment, participation in the arts, hobbies, membership in social clubs, or interest groups, and participation in activities like hunting and fishing.
Recreational Participation
Recreation is often a form of relaxation and release from work pressures, expressing creativity, exposing hidden talents, or pursuing excellence in various forms of personal expression.
* Active recreation offers a channel for releasing hostility and aggression, and a way of struggling against the environment in adventurous and high-risk pursuits.
* Recreational activities involve community service, leadership in religious or religious organizations, and promotion of health and physical fitness.
Motivations for Recreational Participation
The growth of free or discretionary time in the 20th century, improved social security benefits, pension plans, and medical advances have led to the availment of 15 or more years of full-time leisure after retirement.
Increase in discretionary time:
:Outdoor recreation uses complex and expensive devices, 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 and “virtual realities.”
Influence of technology
The growth of public interest in exercise and physical fitness programs.
Public interest in health and fitness:
Profit-seeking businesses are developing various forms of recreation, including public fitness centers.
Commodification of leisure
Increased awareness of the recreation needs of persons with physical, mental, or social disabilities.
Therapeutic recreation service
A strong drive by women to play a more equal role in recreational opportunities.
New leisure roles for women:
- Provide primary and secondary recreation services.
- Includes social service, education, special populations, and armed forces.
Government Recreation Agencies
- Nongovernmental, nonprofit agencies serving the public with multiservice programs.
- Popular examples include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA, and YM-YWHA.
Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations
- Provide recreational and social activities for members and community recreation needs.
- Includes recreation sponsors connected to residence.
Private Member Organizations
- Privately owned businesses operating for profit.
- Includes ski centers, bowling alleys, nightclubs, movie houses, theaters, health spas or fitness centers, dancing schools, and theme parks.
Commercial Recreation Enterprises
- Serves employees by providing recreation as part of their benefits package.
Employee Recreation Programs
- Unique in its setting and purpose.
- Each major branch of the armed forces operates an extensive network of recreation facilities and programs.
Armed Forces Recreation
- Includes intramural athletics or sports clubs, social activities, travel programs, performing arts groups, entertainment, lounges, film series, and other forms of recreation on college and university campuses.
Campus Recreation
- Includes programs designed to meet the needs of persons with physical or mental disabilities, individuals with poor health, dependent aging persons, social deviant persons in correctional facilities, and similar special groups.
Treatment Recreation Services
Two Major Recreation Service Components?
- Sports and tourism represent major areas of recreational programming.
- Specialized theme parks with water-based play and entertainment.
- Part of larger theme park operations like Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Jurassic Park River Adventure, Bilge Rat Barges, and Poseidon’s Fury.
- New water parks are opened with the latest technology each year.
water parks
Indoor fun centers in populated areas, offering a variety of activities.
* Children’s play centers, gymnastics, family party centers, video game arcades, and restaurants with game areas.
* Packaged birthday parties and attractive family play activities.
Fun Centers:
- Participation in sports or attending sports events as a spectator.
- Major college and professional tournaments, championships, boxing matches, golf, tennis events, and sports like softball, soccer, rugby, volleyball, and roller skating.
Sports Tourism:
- There is a growing need for qualified professional leadership in the recreation field.
- Professionals should possess skills for direct leadership and supervision, group dynamics, and client assessment.
Need for Professional Leadership:
