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Training staff and volunteers is an important aspect of successful program implementation. This paper follows Part A of an evaluation of the Special Olympics Canada (SOC) Coaching Young Athletes Training course. Consistent with Kirkpatrick's four-level model of training evaluation, Part A evaluated program leaders' reactions to (level 1) and immediate learning from (level 2) the training. This Part B paper covers "on the job" behavior (level 3). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth program leaders (n = 11) from eight provinces. Overall, participants felt that more training related to working with children with autism and promoting positive athlete behavior was needed. The findings also lead us to suggest that program leaders need to develop a more fulsome understanding of how to foster skill mastery, including how to practice the same skill in many and varied ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural communities often have fewer resources and supports to cultivate recreation participation, making participation in recreation less accessible for citizens with low incomes. Such barriers highlight the important role rural recreation practitioners have in terms of developing and delivering access provisions for these citizens. The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) explore the access provisions recreation practitioners design and deliver to rural citizens with low incomes, and 2) discuss the implications of the access provisions in relation to the rural context and citizens with low incomes' participation in recreation. This paper focuses on research conducted in 2019-2020 in Atlantic Canada. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 municipal recreation practitioners. Through the social ecological framework, the results revealed three access provisions designed for and delivered to rural citizens with low incomes: 1) one-on-one support for programmatic processes; 2) flexibility with financial policies and programs; and 3) building reach, relevancy, and capacity: the role of community partnerships. Based on these findings, this study addresses the benefits of these provisions in terms of supporting access to recreation for citizens with low incomes residing in rural communities. Considering the rural landscape, we recommend access provisions in rural communities encompass more personal, flexible, and community approaches to support access to recreation for citizens of limited financial means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the second in a two-part series reporting results from the 2018 Curriculum Study. The 2018 study is the fifth installment of a decades-long research project that captures descriptive snapshots-in-time of TR curricula. The intent of this curriculum study was to capture an in-depth, descriptive snapshot of TR educational programs in the U.S. and Canada as of 2018. The study results described TR curricula in five areas: (a) accreditation, (b) curriculum/internship, (c) university and unit, (d) faculty, and (e) student characteristics. This paper, Part B, reports on: (a) accreditation and (b) curriculum/ internship characteristics portions of the research. A 64-item online survey was sent to 91 TR program directors with 67 usable surveys returned (73.6% return rate). Half of the responding TR educational programs were accredited by either COAPRT or CARTE. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC™) standards continued to be the most important driver of curricular changes. Curriculum changes included adding more TR specific courses, more assignments with courses, more TR credit hours, and more internship requirements and assignments, in addition to assessing specific student outcomes. Recommendations are made for future curricular studies and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first in a two-part series documenting an in-depth, descriptive snapshot of TR educational programs in the US and Canada, as of 2018. The 2018 study is the fifth installment of a decades-long research project that captures descriptive snapshots-in-time of TR curricula. The intent of this study was to capture descriptive data on TR curricula in the United States and Canada as of 2018. The study results describe TR curricula in five areas: (a) accreditation, (b) curriculum/internship, (c) university and unit, (d) faculty, and (e) student characteristics. This paper, Part A, reports on: (a) university and unit, (b) faculty, and (c) student characteristics portions of the research. A 64-item online survey was sent to 91 TR program directors with 67 usable surveys (73.6% return rate). Respondents reported that the TR programs are located in mid-sized to large schools with university enrollments of 3,000 and above. Results showed that TR programs are housed in a variety of colleges, but most frequently in colleges with Health in their title. TR faculty tend to hold adjunct positions with master's-only degrees. Wide ranges are evident in the number of students enrolled per TR program. Recommendations are made for future curricular studies and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport and education organizations have established models to ensure that coaches and teachers understand the physical, social, emotional and mental development of children. Such pathways of intentionally designed models fail to exist in the recreation sector where many physical activity (PA) programs are mainly developed based on convenience and instructor availability rather than on established credentials and current pedagogy practices. Addressing this gap, this paper explores the creation of an intentionally designed model of programming for children's structured recreation, which is defined as sport or PA-based programs that are planned and led by an instructor. This proposed model is contextualized within the province of Alberta, but may be applicable across the nation. The authors further define "intentionally designed" as the development of purposeful programming with specific objectives that align with outside sources. One such source comes from the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, who has created a Canadian Recreation Framework, an initiative to ultimately develop the well-being of all Canadians. The proposed, structured recreation model also incorporates several guiding principles including physical literacy and sport philosophy. Physical Literacy (PL) focuses on the lived body as the embodied dimension of our human experience, and how it can be enriched through various experiences that enable us to reach our full potential (Whitehead, 2007). It is about viewing the body holistically rather than separate from the entire being. By planning diverse PA in four environments, including land, water, air, and ice, the model also aligns with the sports sector and its philosophy of developing both fundamental movement skills and fundamental sport skills. Moreover, with allocated playing time, intentionally designed structured lesson plans, and one consistent leader in each activity, the model aims to increase the participants' motor proficiency and levels of PA while building their confidence and competence across distinct exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides the most comprehensive mapping to date of the current state of nonprofit management and philanthropic studies (NMPS) education programs in Canada. One of the more significant findings of this study is both the number and types of Canadian NMPS programs offered in the historically French-speaking province of Quebec, versus the predominantly English-speaking parts of the rest of Canada. We hypothesize that differences in the structure of civil society between English- and French-speaking parts of the country may have led to a differentiation in both the number and types of NMPS programs offered in the two regions. Canada is an apparent hybrid of the “welfare partnership” model found in many “continental European” countries, such as France, and the Anglo-Saxon model predominantly found in the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other members of the British Commonwealth. Given this hybridity, we compare the course offerings of French and English-speaking Canadian NMPS programs with those of other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OCED) employing Esping-Anderson’s regime types as a comparative framework. This comparison reveals no strong correlations between these regime types and the nature of their NMPS curricular offerings. We follow this analysis with a more comprehensive comparison of American and Canadian NMPS education and offer a brief historical overview of the latter. We found significant differences in the NMPS education between these two countries, both qualitative and quantitative. Most significantly, a much larger proportion of Canadian post-secondary education institutions have programs that include at least some NMPS curricula, whereas there is a much larger proportion of programs in American institutions with NMPS as their primary focus. We then conclude by suggesting two potential paths of development lie ahead for Canadian NMPS programs: one follows the current status quo, dispersing programs among many programs and actors, the other sees the establishment of more centres specializing in NMPS education in a few select institutions, and also possible consolidation in programs for which it is a more peripheral concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In November 1998, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. Sheila Copps, appointed a Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks. The impetus for the process arose from amendments to the National Parks Act in 1988 which specified that the maintenance and preservation of ecological integrity was the primary consideration in the management of national parks. A new version of the National Parks Act, the Canada National Parks Act, passed by Parliament in November 2000, strengthens this mandate. The objectives of the Panel were to identify issues, examine Parks Canada's approach for maintaining ecological integrity, and provide recommendations for improvement. Ecological integrity is defined as follows: "an ecosystem has integrity when it is deemed characteristic for its natural region, including the composition and abundance of native species and biological communities, rates of change and supporting processes." In plain language, ecosystems have integrity when they have their native components (plants, animals and other organisms) and processes (such as growth and reproduction) intact. The Panel members travelled to a series of representative national parks to speak with park staff , other government officials, representatives of First Nations, non-governmental organizations, representatives of industry (e.g., tourism, forestry, mining, petroleum), and other interested Canadians, in order to see first-hand the problems and stresses that threaten Canada's national parks and to develop a sense of how to address these problems and stresses. The Panel's two-volume report was submitted to the Minister in February 2000 and made public by the Minister in March 2000. One section of the report emphasized that use and enjoyment of national parks have been among the historical goals for Canada's national parks and will continue to be major elements of the Canadian character and heritage. In order to protect ecological integrity, however, human use in national parks must be based on the principle of responsible experience: use without abuse. Human use must also pass the dual tests of allowability and appropriateness. That is, some uses should be prohibited in all national parks and some activities and/or levels of activity should not be permitted in particular parks, park areas or seasons. This paper examines the context of human use in national parks and an approach to implementing a process for determining allowability and appropriateness and calls for an end to the product marketing of Canada's national parks on the grounds of maintaining ecological integrity. It also recommends the de-marketing of some parks through curbing certain types and levels of use and informing visitors and others of the negative impacts of such use on the ecological integrity of the parks. The paper ends with a postscript noting some of the initial outcomes resulting from the Panel's recommendations, including an example of a national park's draft marketing plan being rejected by park management as not being consistent with the Panel's recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (LCHS) has been open since the early 1950s. Early in the history of LCHS, nicknamed the Barons, a decision was made to compete in the Alberta Schools' Athletic Association (ASAA) instead of the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA). The city of Lloydminster is unique because it sits directly on the border of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The student enrollment at LCHS fluctuates between 800 and 1,000 students each year. The reason for the fluctuation stems from three primary reasons. Many young families move into Lloydminster that have kids of different ages, which affects the school enrollments at various schools. The dependability of the oil and gas sector has seen great rises and dramatic setbacks in recent years. This has seen Lloydminster drop and swell in population numbers based on employment opportunities. Last, a third middle school to house students was opened in 2014. College Park School opened up as a kindergarten to Grade 9 school and has over 600 students in attendance. LCHS draws students from three schools in the public school division, but also has students who come from rural Saskatchewan and Alberta for the advanced placement programs in math and English, trades programming with technology advancements to prepare the students for the workforce, and over 140 course offerings. The writer of this paper hopes to show that a move to the SHSAA is necessary for the success of student athletes now and in the future. This essay highlights football, volleyball, and basketball as the primary sports of discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As skateboarding increases in popularity as a sport, municipalities in North America have responded by constructing skate parks in their communities. While research has focused on issues such as skateboarding injuries, liability and risk management, and skate park designs, little is known about the effect of skate parks on the skateboarding experiences of youth who use them. The two objectives of this paper were to explore in what ways the leisure and skateboarding experiences of youth in a small community in Atlantic Canada were affected after an indoor skate park was opened and to determine the youths' perceptions of and experiences with the space that had been constructed for them. Using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, data were collected from eight skateboarders who were regular users of the facility in the first three months after it was opened, the three summer skate park supervisors, and the community's youth leisure services coordinator. The findings suggested that the skateboarding youth experienced their leisure in general as enhanced after the skate park opened. They spent more time out of the house, engaged in more physically active leisure, and enjoyed more social leisure with peers. This particular skate park offered opportunities to "hang out" and engage in other activities in addition to skateboarding. The youth were able to integrate skateboarding with other unstructured leisure. The youths' specific skateboarding experiences were also enhanced. They described experiencing more freedom and challenge in their activity and improvement in their skateboarding skills. Finally, the skate park became a symbol that the activity of skateboarding and youth who skateboard were valued within their community. The youth were also very appreciative of the facility. While a small segment of the community used this facility (i.e., youth ages 8 to 18), this skate park had features of a positive youth setting (Eccles & Gootman, 2002) and appeared to contribute to the positive development of the youth in the study. Locating a skate park facility where, or near where other activities are available can provide youth with the opportunity to engage in a variety of unstructured recreation activities and to interact with other youth who may not be interested in skateboarding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For over a decade, the scientific community and park professionals have recognized that climate change will have critical implications for park conservation policy and management (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1993; Welch, 2005). The implications of global climate change for nature-based park tourism has only recently begun to be assessed. Nature-based tourism and related outdoor recreation are strongly influenced by climate. Climate can affect the physical resources that define the foundation of many tourism and recreation activities as well as the length and quality of tourism and recreation seasons. Any changes in the length and quality of tourism and recreation operating seasons brought about by changes in the climate would have considerable implications for visitation and related aspects of park management. Canada's national parks are a major resource for nature-based tourism, with approximately 16 million person visits in 2003. Visitation to Canada's national parks is highly seasonal and greatly affected by the country's regional climates. This paper examined the potential impact of climate change on the annual number of visitors and the seasonal pattern of visitation in Canada's national parks. Multivariate regression analysis using four climate variables and monthly visitation data for 1996 to 2003 was used to develop a monthly climate-visitation model for 15 high visitation parks. Each park-specific model was then run with two climate change scenarios to assess potential changes in park visitation under a range of climatic conditions projected for the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. Results indicate that Canada's national parks could experience an increase in visitors under climate change due to a lengthened and improved warm-weather tourism season. In the 2020s, overall visitation levels were projected to increase 6% to 8%, with a number of parks projected to experience larger increases (+12% to 30%). The largest increases in visitation occur during the spring and fall months. Visitation was projected to increase between 9% and 29% system-wide in the 2050s and between 10% and 41% in the 2080s. Perhaps more importantly, the affects of climate change will be combined with other factors influencing park visitation in the future..... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational Therapy/Therapeutic Recreation (RT) academic programs provide opportunities for students to further develop competencies through the NCTRCeligible internship prior to graduation. The NCTRCeligible internship experience is the third focus of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association's Academic Action Task Force study to understand the landscape of RT academic program fieldwork experiences in the United States and Canada. Out of a total of 95 RT academic programs, 54 programs responded to an online questionnaire about the fieldwork opportunities provided to students. This brief report discusses the results of the NCTRC-eligible internship experiences in three areas: Pre-Internship Preparation, Program Eligibility Factors, and the NCTRCeligible Internship Experience. Results indicated that most programs provide some level of support in finding, applying to, and securing internship sites; require students to have the majority of the coursework completed, a minimum program GPA of 2.0, completion of a 12-credit internship; and, evaluate learning outcomes through mid- and final evaluation reports. Areas of variability remain, such as site supervisor requirements and course requirements. Recommendations are made for further inquiry related to NCTRC-eligible internship fieldwork education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This evaluation of the Special Olympics Canada (SOC) Coaching Young Athletes training examined program leaders' satisfaction with the SOC training and their self-efficacy toward the key training concepts. Oneday workshops were conducted in eight provinces with 125 program leaders. There were significant increases in participants' confidence to talk about program concepts and to plan, monitor, and implement programs for young athletes. Participants appreciated the mix of theory and practice, interactivity and opportunities to move during the training, but wanted more time with disability specific concepts and problem solving. Overall, more than 80% of participants were confident they could lead a youth program following the training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals engaged in protected area (PPA) management are increasingly interested in the relationships between PPAs and nearby communities. Research suggests that these communities, or gateway communities, share a variety of socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural ties with PPAs. However, these relationships can vary substantially based on contextual factors, including geographic location and national development. Additionally, the absence of a comprehensive literature synthesis on this topic hinders the ability to make meaningful recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to: (a) review the existing primary, peer-reviewed research on the environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural relationships between gateway communities and PPAs in the United States and Canada; (b) identify thematic patterns within the reported research; and (c) discuss the resulting implications for scholars and practitioners. Th s scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR protocol and yielded 37 peerreviewed research articles that examined at least one relationship between PPAs and gateway communities in the United States and Canada. The majority of studies (n = 21, 57%) were performed in and around national parks, and approximately half employed qualitative methods (n = 18, 49%). Thematic analysis of research topics resulted in 14 themes in five categories, including public participation and collaboration, resident perceptions, community dynamics, policy impacts, and the impacts of PPA establishment. Relationships examined were organized into socioeconomic, environmental, and sociocultural categories. While a few articles examined relationships that fit neatly into one category, most examined relationships in more than one category (n = 30, 81%). Collectively, these studies highlight a range of relationships between PPAs and gateway communities. Th s synthesis illustrates that even within the same geographic region, relationships may differ. Therefore, the same policies and management actions may not yield the same results in every PPA-gateway community context. Th s review also reveals patterns, such as the positive effect of public participation and collaborative management on PPA-gateway community relationhttps ships and barriers associated with traditional and science-based public engagement strategies. Additionally, this review highlights the potential for theory-based and interdisciplinary research to expand the body of knowledge on this critical topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in prison are among the most marginalized of populations, and the general perception of women who have come into contact with the criminal justice system as either mad or bad is fairly persistent. Therapeutic interventions that are in place for this population are designed with rehabilitation and re-integration in mind. In large part, the rationale for this is that these women will one day return to the community, and the goal is to ensure that their behaviour is 'normalized' so they can return as law-abiding citizens. This exploration critically examines a leisure intervention known as Stride that is brought into a federal prison for women in Canada. Using data from qualitative interviews, the paper employs the women's voices to consider whether the leisure and recreation they experience through the Stride intervention is functioning to normalize behaviour and ultimately make good girls out of women who are deemed bad by society. The authors, employing critical criminology and creative analytical practice, conclude that leisure and recreation opportunities do not seek to change or normalize behaviour of the women. Instead, the activities provide a setting for recreation participation that fosters friendships among incarcerated women and women in the community. Implications for practice point to the relevance of informal opportunities for recreation participation and friendship development, which can provide critical support to women in their reintegration efforts once released from prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to the current conservation and preservation mandates, national parks in Canada were established in part to develop tourism and resource extraction industries. Indigenous peoples were often forcibly relocated to reserves, their landuse practices made illegal, and their rights ignored. Jasper National Park (JNP), the largest park in the Canadian Rockies (11,228 km2), attracts millions of annual visitors. While numerous Indigenous nations have traditional territory within the current borders of the park, JNP was established without consultation with, or consideration for, those nations. This lack of consideration endures today with the deficiency of the representations of Indigenous peoples in interpretive signage and programming in JNP and the lack of integration in decision making processes. While visiting JNP, visitors are exposed to some of the cultural histories of Indigenous peoples. These Indigenous histories are overwhelmingly presented from Eurocentric perspectives. This perpetuates negative stereotypes of Indigenous peoples that are problematic in several respects. Our research was guided by Indigenous methodologies. Members of the Jasper Indigenous Forum (JIF) and the JNP management team participated in semistructured interviews that provide insight into how park management works with Indigenous peoples in an attempt to incorporate their cultural histories in respectful and impactful ways. The JIF, composed of 26 Indigenous communities, was not established until 2006. JNP management currently have no legal duty to act on the JIF's recommendations or concerns, as the JIF remains an unofficial advisory committee. Many Indigenous peoples in the region have lost their connections to some of their cultural histories due to the forced removals from the park and subsequent waves of targeted cultural repression instituted by the Canadian government. While there is a desire to increase Indigenous representation in JNP, funding and institutional constraints within Parks Canada are major barriers. Few tangible suggestions or related projects have been undertaken to remedy inadequate representations. JNP management displays a lack of appreciation for, and understandings of, the negative impacts misrepresentations can have on Indigenous communities. This research suggests that increasing cultural awareness and acting on JIF recommendahttpstions will not only benefit JNP management, but also park visitors, and Indigenous communities alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the professional responsibilities and job satisfaction of 258 members of the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA). It extended an earlier survey done with recreational practitioners affiliated with the Fédération québécoise du loisir en institution (FQLI). The factor analysis of duties and satisfaction shows results that match with the original study. For duties, four factors center on administration, therapy, professional development and face-to-face leadership (FTFL); for the satisfaction scale, the analysis confirms the intrinsic and extrinsic components of the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. A canonical analysis shows similar results, but with some variations, between the two studies. In the case of the first canonical factor, members in a hospital setting are more involved in recreational therapy and in FTFL, hold a therapist title and have a lower salary. In the second canonical factor, members in a hospital setting, without a therapist title, do more administrative tasks but fewer of their duties relate to FTFL and professional development; and they also have a lower salary. In conclusion, we contrast our findings with those of the original study and discuss reasons for similarities or differences in the research results. Among implications is the recognition of a wide variation in what Canadian therapeutic recreation (TR) practitioners do, where they work, and how they identify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKages, a nonprofit organization, aims to bridge the gap between older and younger generations by building intergenerational programs for youth and older adults. The objective of this project was to explore the influence of the LINKages intergenerational program on: a) older adults’ affect and levels of engagement, and b) youth volunteers’ experiences of engagement and perceptions of older adults. An exploratory case study design was used to address the study objectives. Sixty-five residents from four residential care homes and 87 youth volunteers in the LINKages program participated. Data were collected over 7 months. Statistically significant improvements in students’ perceptions of older adults and their experiences of engagement were found following their participation in the LINKages program. Participation also resulted in positive benefits for residents based on their observed levels of engagement and positive affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although benefits of leisure and benefits of technology use overlap, how older adults use and perceive of technology use during their leisure time is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore e-leisure among older adults. This international exploratory study included 37 rural and urban-dwelling participants from Canada and the United Kingdom. Focus groups were facilitated to better understand participants' perceptions of technology in later life. Data were analyzed using open and focused coding. Participants reported accessing leisure through technology, such as keeping in touch, engaging in games and hobbies, and supplementing offline leisure. Participants reported several drawbacks, including difficulty getting assistance from other people, challenges using and updating software, concerns related to privacy and security, and lack of confidence and interest. While technology appears to facilitate engagement in leisure for older adults, educational opportunities may be required to overcome the drawbacks of technology use. Implications for therapeutic recreation are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical and Health Education Canada has developed and implemented a formative, criterion-referenced, and practitioner-based national (Canadian) online educational assessment and support resource called Passport for Life (PFL). It was developed to support the awareness and advancement of physical literacy among PE students and teachers. PFL consists of three assessments for each of the four components (active participation, fitness, movement, and living skills). The aim of this study was to uncover initial validation evidence for its current uses using four of the five broad guidelines (content, response processes, internal structure, relations with other variables) for establishing satisfactory score validity as established by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. We conducted a pilot test with 860 students in Grades 4 and 5 in 2013-2014. We analyzed these data, along with data collected across 2 years for Grades 3 to 6 (n = 1,036 in 2013-2014 and 1,254 in 2014-2015) and Grades 7 to 9 (n = 1,793 in 2013-2014 and 1,151 in 2014-2015). A portion (15 to 25%) of these students completed some of the assessments a second time in each of these years. Validation evidence included the development of PFL by a number of domain experts, the nature and format of the components and scales relative to existing literature and evidence, the administrative procedures to guide teachers to implement the assessments, the alignment of items with each component construct and scale, teacher feedback, and positive and significant relations and temporal (predictive) consistency over the 2 years within and across scales and components. These results provide general support for the PFL and its intended use and highlight several cautions and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children demonstrate persistent difficulties in learning and using skills that contribute to their academic performance in core curricular areas. Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and specific learning disorders (SLDs) appear to demonstrate similar impairments in the traits thought to underlie and contribute to the performance of a variety of movement skills, which may impact their performance in physical education and the classroom. This study aimed to describe the movement profiles of primary school children who were identified as demonstrating characteristics associated with a diagnosis of DCD or SLDs. Similar impairments were found for both groups of children on tasks of manual dexterity and balance, but not aiming and catching. It is important that educators recognize and understand the broad range of difficulties these children may experience to better meet their educational needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study on how countries identify and recruit athletes and prepare them for the Paralympics, focusing on Canada. Topics discussed include the country performing better in Winter Paralympic Games than in summer sports, and Canada being a lead nation in disability sport and Paralympics since its inception.

The article discusses a study on the data across 2 long-term series of curriculums studies to identify curriculum trends in undergraduate and graduate education in the U.S. and Canada. The study's contribution is the use of trend analysis as a method to examine therapeutic recreation (TR) curriculum data from 2 series conducted over a 45 to 50 year period. It notes that the number of TR courses and average number of TR courses have increased due to a need for additional course content.

Yoga is a promising mind-body intervention for improving health and wellbeing in a number of clinical populations. At this time, there is no evidence on the benefits of yoga for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Twelve participants with SCI were recruited into a mixed-methods program evaluation of an eight-week modified yoga program. At baseline and exit, participants were evaluated on pain, fatigue, psychological factors, and mindfulness with self-report questionnaires and semistructured interviews. Five participants completed the baseline and exit assessments. Significant changes were not found on any of the outcome scores. Qualitative analysis revealed main themes regarding expectations, benefits along emotional, mental, and physical domains, program satisfaction and recommendations. Participants reported highly enjoying the yoga intervention and the qualitative data indicated a number of therapeutic benefits (i.e., decreased stress, pain relief). Yoga appears to be a promising therapeutic recreation intervention post-SCI and a larger clinical trial is recommended to conclusively investigate both its objectively and subjectively measured benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involvement in therapeutic recreation (TR) after experiencing a stroke is an important component of the rehabilitation process. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of community-based recreation in stroke recovery for 14 stroke survivors who had engaged in TR within a community-based stroke rehabilitation program in Canada. These individuals were co-researchers in a participatory action research project using a Photovoice methodology. Based on photographs and individual interviews that were analyzed using the constant comparative method, this study demonstrated that recreation facilitated experiences of hope, collective social support, and community engagement for these stroke survivors as they re-integrated into their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2004 visitor season, a covert observational study was conducted at St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Ontario, Canada to assess the effects of signs on mitigating social trail use on two of the park islands. Social trails are those not originally setup by park managers, but which arise due to off-trail use by visitors for a variety of purposes such as access to places of interest and shortcutting. In particularly sensitive or small island-based recreational areas, social trails can present significant disturbances to species at risk, and increase fragmentation of natural areas. The study examined the effectiveness of message text, and location in reducing the amount of social trail use by visitors. An attribution message was more effective than a plea message at eliciting desired behaviours. Furthermore, when signs were posted at social trailheads, use of the social trail was reduced significantly compared to no messages, or messages located at points of entry to the islands. Sign effectiveness is attributed to a message design which incorporated awareness, and internal locus of causality and control. National park managers could profitably implement attribution messages at appropriate locations to reduce social trail use specifically, and other forms of depreciative behaviour more generally. Plea messages, although eliciting significant reductions in social trail use, were not as effective. With levels of environmental concern in populations remaining positive over long periods, the use of messages that focus on personal responsibility and potentially encourage pro-environmental behaviour is proffered as an effective and economically efficient management approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years there have been various calls for reformulating sustainable development in a more local and relational manner. Based on Aldo Leopold's description of his experience in "Thinking Like a Mountain" as well as concepts in recreation and psychology, a framework was developed that examined potential relationships among sense of place, perspective-taking, empathy, and pro-environmental intentions. In order to determine if these relationships were consistent with study expectations, 258 visitors to a Canadian national park completed an on-site questionnaire. As expected, sense of place did significantly affect both empathy and perspective-taking, and perspective-taking did significantly affect empathy. Furthermore, although neither sense of place nor empathy affected the self-focused depreciative intention (e.g., not littering), sense of place did significantly affect the place-related intention (e.g., not visiting a favorite place for environmental reasons) indirectly through empathy, and both empathy and sense of place significantly affect the other-focused depreciative intention (e.g., picking up other peoples' litter), the poaching reduction intention (e.g., paying higher entrance fees), and the volunteering intention (e.g., working on park projects). Study findings, management implications, and future research recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive Summary: Between 1945 and 1975, the emergence of the welfare state in the United States and Canada led to the large-scale, direct delivery of several social goods and services, including parks and recreation, by the public sector (Pierson, 1991). By the mid-1970s, however, severe fiscal imbalance, deficit funding, and accumulated debt led citizens to call for greater fiscal responsibility and accountability on the part of the state. Consequently, public support diminished for existing levels of investment in social programs. In response, municipalities are now pursuing a wide array of methods to deliver public services, including parks and recreation. In particular, partnerships are very common and have spurned a litany of research dedicated to strategic alliances involving the public sector. Surprisingly, however, few studies within leisure research touch upon same-sector alliances (e,g,, public-public). Moreover, few scholars, if any, have chosen to investigate partnership arrangements involving two or more municipalities to deliver park and recreation services jointly. This research, therefore, explores an intermunicipal partnership invoking eight municipal parks and recreation agencies in Alberta, Canada, In short, the partnership involved a count}' contributing money to seven urban municipalities in exchange for allowing its residents to access urban center recreation facilities. An extensive review of related literature is provided, followed by a case study, A qualitative, single case design was employed using multiple sources of evidence that included semi-structured, in-depth interviews and document analyses. Insights from the partnership are compiled into a series of guidelines arranged around three stages in the intermunicipal partnership process: partner search, agreement preparation, and agreement maintenance. The author argues that certain conditions can either inhibit or enhance progress through each stage. Practitioners, therefore, are encouraged to consider the following suggestions to assist them with the formation and maintenance of an effective intermunicipal partnership to deliver public park and recreation services: First, in selecting an appropriate partner, decision makers must recognize (1) that intermunicipal partnerships involving the provision of leisure amenities cannot function effectively unless each partner is located within close proximity to each other; (2) municipal agencies interested in forming intermunicipal partnerships must be familiar with the resources that their neighbors possess before selecting an appropriate partner; and (3) intermunicipal partnerships are more effective if the partners have similar or shared values. Second, in preparing a compatible agreement, (1) partners must outline the specific process for reviewing the terms of the agreements; (2) the agreement must state how lack of clarity and the inevitable incompleteness of the contracts will be dealt with; and (3) clear decision-making authority and the delegation of responsibilities must be assigned. Finally, in maintaining a satisfactory arrangement, ( 1 ) politicians and municipal residents must indicate their willingness to share existing, limited resources with other municipal agencies; (2) effective monitoring techniques must be applied to ensure efficient and effective service delivery; (3) participating agencies must recognize that their partner(s) remain a distinct entity with distinct ideals; and (4) trust building is necessary for a strong alliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive Summary: Like many public agencies, the Canadian Park Service faced dramatic cuts in operating budgets. Midway through the 1990s, the agency faced the loss of up to one third of its operating resources over a three-year period. One response to these reductions was the contemplation of specific fee initiatives that were consistent with changing government policy. Before such initiatives were instituted, however, the Western region of the park service undertook an ambitious data-collection strategy' to discover its clients' preferences and priorities for fees. The insights gathered from this strategy, and the agency's thoughtful response to these insights, are reported here. Though collected in the context of Canadian national parks, these insights are useful to any public agency contemplating fee changes. The agency first surveyed the general population and park users for their ideas and opinions. Their responses offer several insights regarding public perceptions of fees. Though the general public generally agreed with the principle that users pay for specialized facilities, such as hiking trails or guided walks, the heaviest users were most in favor of a nominal fee charged to all users with no additional charge for specialized facilities. This finding suggests that the same pricing scheme may receive the support of some, while being rejected by others. There was general agreement, however, that fees were made more palatable when used to offset operating costs. A series of focus groups with repeat users and special interest groups was then arranged. Group members suggested that any attempt to raise fees should be predicated by efforts to rationalize costs. They also requested that promotional efforts be devoted to explaining anticipated pricing initiatives and to assisting potential users in getting the best value for their fees. Those who operate for profit operations (ie. tour operators) indicated that these promotions should be undertaken months before any changes to fees are instituted. Choice and convenience were of considerable interest to these users. They suggested that a variety of time-based passes be made available. Such passes, they suggested, should be available by the day, the week, the season, and annually. Differential fee programs also received support from the focus groups, suggesting that more popular activities might be priced at higher levels to decrease crowding (and increase revenue). Less popular sites, seasons, or activities could be priced at lower levels both to increase interest and to offer less expensive options to price-sensitive users. They indicated both a desire for and a willingness to pay extra for measures that would enhance convenience, i.e., a reliable reservation system. This case study also outlines the agency's efforts to respond to these suggestions. It was decided that all pricing initiatives would benefit from several allied measures designed to help users understand and adjust to those initiatives. In this case, measures were applied according to four guiding principles. First, it was recognized that response to fees may vary across user groups, so price options were considered an important aspect of any initiative. Second, it was decided that related communication should precede actual price increases. Depending upon the nature and extent of the fee initiative, such communication might offer justification for a fee increase, outline the positive consequences of payment, or aid users in making fee related choices. Third, staff resource levels and responsibilities were enlarged to ensure that user concerns could be solved by front-line staff. Finally, programs and procedures were to be made as "user friendly" as possible, as higher fee levels were introduced.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive Summary: Though leisure programming represents an important component of public leisure service delivery, we are still unsure how leisure agencies actually develop and refine their programs. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a marketing orientation is now widely adopted by public leisure programmers. This research was conducted to address several questions. First, how is programming undertaken? More specifically, are we marketing? Second, if we are marketing, how is it reflected in our programming efforts? Sixty-six municipal recreation agencies located in a Canadian province responded to a mailed questionnaire. The data provided considerable evidence as to how these agencies program and suggest that the agencies have not comprehensively integrated marketing techniques into programming efforts. Agencies were divided into three groups based upon their use of market segmentation, a theoretical cornerstone of marketing-oriented organizations. Over 30% of all agencies did no market segmentation, instead directing all programs and services to "everyone." Less than 5% segmented for all programs. Few agencies placed clients first with respect to marketing mixed decisions. For example, program development and change decisions were largely internally driven as opposed to client driven. The sampled agencies were prolific at developing new programs. Most agencies in the sample charged user fees for at least some of their programs. The data provided some evidence of marketing orientation among agencies as price levels were influenced by a client's ability to pay. However, meeting agency costs was generally considered first when setting price levels. The majority of agencies felt that they were doing a good job communicating their intended messages. A full range of communication objectives was evident with educational and persuasive messages dominating. The data also suggest that printed messages, especially seasonal program brochures, were the dominant mode of delivering promotional communication. Agencies that did not segment at all tended to spend more of their budgets on promotion than did the other two groups. Agencies relied much more heavily on internal considerations when locating and scheduling programs as opposed to client convenience. Contrary' to conventional wisdom, these municipal recreation agencies seem not to have taken a marketing perspective in recent programming efforts. While some agencies in this study demonstrated a sophisticated marketing perspective, others are less sophisticated and many, it would appear, do not market services for a variety of practical and philosophical reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]