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Leisure In the '80s:
by Dr. Ted Flickinger The 1979 National Congress for Recreation and Parks provided an unparalleled opportunity for professionals and concerned citizens alike to come together to examine the latest developments and issues confronting the park, recreation and leisure services profession. The Congress participants looked ahead to the decade of the '80s and concluded that we will experience significant changes — changes which will challenge us and which will mandate solutions. There are three major issues on which we must focus our interests and our resources. They are: 1) the combined forces of inflation and budget cuts, including federal grant money limitations; 2) the energy crunch; and 3) the quality of life. The education programs offered at the Congress probed the following in depth: Inflation and budget cuts — How can we effectively provide services for less money? Where and what are alternate financial resources? When the cost and shortage of gasoline keeps citizens at home, how will we meet increasing needs for closer-to-home recreation? Other sessions addressed: Will there be changes in programming and maintenance patterns? What will be the effect on park and recreation agencies when federal grants are limited? How will we rehabilitate our parks? How will we fund capital expansion? What is the impact of these changes on citizens? These and other questions must be answered if we are to be true to our philosophical charge of providing recreation opportunities for all people. These questions challenge our professionalism and hone our management capabilities. Many sessions of the 1979 Congress were tape-recorded and are now available for purchase in cassette form. Some of the subjects addressed at the Congress which are available to order on tape cassettes include, but are riot limited, to those listed in the accompanying box. Delegates to the Congress had an opportunity to discuss a variety of grants-in-aid, technical assistance, training and other programs with representatives of more than 20 federal agencies with park and recreation responsibilities. Invited agencies included the Army Corps of Engineers, Administration on Aging, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, Office of Community Education, National Endowment for the Arts, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and many others. As we look ahead to the 1980's, the challenges which every person interested in advancing parks and recreation will face, include: Federal/State legislation; tax monies and alternative sources of funding leisure/conservation services; citizen involvement; energy; changing clientele (increasing number of elderly and a generally older society, declining fertility and birth rates, decreasing family size, etc.); changing living patterns; shifting labor force composition; crimes, and many other problems/issues/challenges. Fortunately, the National Recreation & Park Association is organized to provide assistance in meeting these challenges and keeping tuned to trends across the nation as well as around the world. Additional information is available by writing to the National Recreation and Park Association Regional Office, 600 East Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, or by calling (312) 297-6260.
NRPA CONGRESS TAPE CASSETTES Symposium on Leisure Research Culture Shock in Urban Parks Educational Systems in the 80's — Coping With New Challenges and Continuing Issues Trends in Private Recreational Developments — Condominiums, Resorts, Home Owners' Assns. National Issues Program Funding New Recreation Products Create New Public Demands
Pricing Public Leisure Services:
Fees and Charges Maintenance and Operations Standards for Parks Controlling Overuse of Land and Water Facilities Energy Deficiency: Impact on Parks and Recreation Park Law Enforcement Political Realities of the 80's Volunteering as an Alternative to Leisure in Old Age Design and Adaptation of Play Environments for Handicapped Children New Approaches — Designing for Easier Park Maintenance National Park Service: An Update 1978 Nationwide Outdoor Rec. Plan Legal Liability-Its Effects on Public Parks and Rec. Systems National Issues Program: The Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act Procedures for Evaluating Personnel National Trends and Issues Computer Applications in Leisure Services National Registration Update Maintenance Management for Adminstrators and Supervisors Volunteers: Recruiting, Retaining and Rewarding them Illinois Parks and Recreation • 22 January/February, 1980 |
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