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LEADERSHIP

IN RECREATION

Fourth Edition

Ruth V. Russell


©2012 Sagamore Publishing LLCAll rights reserved.

Publishers: Joseph J. Bannon and Peter L. BannonDirector of Sales and Marketing: M. Douglas SandersDirector of Development and Production: Susan M. DavisDirector of Technology: Christopher ThompsonEditorial: Amy S. Dagit

ISBN print edition: 978-57167- 679-5ISBN ebook: 978-1-57167- 680-1LCCN: 2012933127

Sagamore Publishing LLC1807 N. Federal Dr.Urbana, IL 61801www.sagamorepub.com


For Ted Deppe and Bert Brantley, who taught me a great deal about leadership.


CONTENTS

Preface .............................................................................................................................. viiAbout the Author ................................................................................................................ ix

Part One: A Foundation

Chapter 1: The Necessity of Recreation Leadership .......................................................3Chapter 2: The Framework of Recreation Leadership .................................................15

Part Two: General Leader Proficiencies

Chapter 3: Definitions and Principles of Leadership ...................................................31

Chapter 4: Ethical Leadership .........................................................................................47

Chapter 5: Decision Making and Problem Solving ......................................................57

Chapter 6: Group Management ......................................................................................71

Chapter 7: Communication ............................................................................................87

Chapter 8: Leading Change and Innovation ...............................................................103

Chapter 9: Collaboration ...............................................................................................117

Chapter 10: Leading with Technology .........................................................................131

Chapter 11: Managing the Leader ................................................................................141

Part Three: Specific Recreation Leader Proficiencies Chapter 12: Teaching Recreation Skills ......................................................................159

Chapter 13: Motivating for Activity Participation ....................................................173

Chapter 14: Facilitating Recreation Behavior ............................................................185

Chapter 15: Managing Problematic Participant Behavior .......................................199

Chapter 16: Leading Safely ...........................................................................................213

Chapter 17: Leading According to Age Groups ........................................................223

Chapter 18: Inclusive Leadership ................................................................................235

v


Appendices: Recreation Leader’s Activity Handbook

Game Leading ................................................................................................................. 246

Song Leading ................................................................................................................... 250

Leading Dramatics ......................................................................................................... 253

Crafts Leading ................................................................................................................. 256

Leading Dance ................................................................................................................ 259

Coordinating Tournaments .......................................................................................... 262

Coaching Sports ............................................................................................................. 268

Leading Aquatics ............................................................................................................ 272

Leading Group Fitness ................................................................................................... 275

Leading Through Nature ............................................................................................... 278

Leading Risk Activities .................................................................................................. 281

Leading Trips .................................................................................................................. 285

Planning and Conducting Parties ................................................................................ 288

Index ................................................................................................................................. 293

vi


PREFACE

vii

For over a century people have been guiding others in the wise use of free time. Since the pioneering actions of men and women such as Joseph Lee, Jane Addams, Leb-ert Weir, Steven Mather, and Juliette Low, a great deal of volunteered and salaried time, expertise, and energy has been committed to the provision of recreation leadership.

Purpose of this TextTo guide with wisdom, to execute with knowledge, to endow with appreciation,

and to help with sensitivity—these are the goals of those who lead in recreation, parks, sport, and tourism services. These goals require study, training, and practice if they are to be accomplished well, and Leadership in Recreation, in this fourth edition, is a valu-able tool and resource toward this.

The roles, types, and tasks of leaders in the leisure services have changed over the years. The recreation leader is now a counselor, technician, teacher, decision maker, fu-turist, resource protector, risk manager, skilled helper, and humanitarian. Today’s recre-ation leader must be a master at holistically converting the needs and interests of people into meaningful and fulfilling leisure expressions that enhance their quality of life.

Leadership in Recreation is presented primarily as a text for undergraduate students preparing for careers in the management of recreation settings. Its coverage includes the concepts and skills required to conduct recreational activities and to supervise volunteer and paid staff who serve in recreation agencies and organizations. It can be used for a course on recreation leadership, recreation supervision, or recreation activity methods, and because of its comprehensiveness, the book is also useful as a resource for practicing recreation professionals. Examples are drawn widely from outdoor recre-ation, therapeutic recreation, sport and fitness, adventure settings, municipal services, and hospitality and tourism.

Features of the Fourth EditionCompletely updated and expanded, this new edition continues the key strengths of:

1. Balanced perspective. In addition to a strong conceptual foundation of the the-ory and research about leadership, this text also provides the practical informa-tion necessary to develop skills in leading people. This balance of theory and application makes Leadership in Recreation appropriate for a variety of courses and levels. For example, the book’s appendix contains a complete Recreation Leader’s Activity Handbook that features steps for leading in activities ranging from games, crafts, and songs, to fitness, high-risk activities, and trips.

2. Distinctive and comprehensive coverage. Chapter topics are diverse, wide-ranging, and contemporary. In addition to a complete updating of all referenc-es, this fourth edition of Leadership in Recreation includes brand new chapters


viii

on ethical leadership, collaboration, and leading safely. New sections within other chapters incorporate the employment outlook, training and qualifica-tions, leader brands, followership, visioning, handling organizational politics, managing with the media, and working with consultants and advisory boards.

3. Systematic approach. Material is presented within a logical framework. Part 1 establishes an introductory and philosophical foundation for the study of rec-reation leadership, including its history, future, types, settings, and functions. Part 2 concentrates on the general knowledge and skills useful to be a success-ful leader, including leadership principles, decision making, problem solving, group management, communication, leading change and innovation, leading with technology, and how to take good care of leaders themselves. Finally, Part 3 hones in on the specific competencies of recreation leaders, which include teaching recreation skills, motivating for activity participation, facilitating rec-reation behavior, managing problematic participant behavior, leading accord-ing to age groups, and inclusive leadership.

4. Readable writing style. As always, this text has been written with the under-graduate as its focus. The prose is lively and fresh. Chapters are short to give instructors maximum flexibility when constructing reading assignments.

Pedagogy and SupplementsThis fourth edition goes beyond previous editions in the range of examples and

applications it presents. Numerous explanatory figures and graphics reinforce points made in each chapter, key words are emphasized, and up-to-date photos provide realis-tic emphasis. Each chapter also provides • anoverview,

• webexplorationactivities,

• leadershipcasestudies,and

• self-assessmentandpersonalreflectionexercises.

Every chapter concludes with

• areadingcomprehensioncheck,

• stepsforbuildingaleadershipportfolio,and

• areferencelist.

Leadership in Recreation comes with an instructor’s manual available from the pub-lisher.

Ruth V. RussellDecember 2011


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ix

Dr. Ruth V. Russell is Professor Emeritus of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University, in Bloomington. Her most respected accomplishments include teaching leisure theory, recreation program planning, and leadership—as well as research studies in tourism—on six continents. She has authored five college-level textbook titles, most of which are in fourth and fifth editions. She has also published a cookbook for the galley. Though retired after 35 years at West Virginia University and Indiana University, Ruth is now herself a student of recreation by way of RVing around the U.S.


PART ONE

A Foundation

Congratulations! You have been entrusted with the development and welfare of oth-ers—you are a recreation leader. The satisfaction that comes from inspiring others to achieve a meaningful and enriching life is the reward of a successful leader.

But, unlike you may have heard, successful leaders are not naturally gifted with leader-ship abilities and talents. Good leaders do not spring onto the scene fully formed. In fact, it often takes brilliant leaders many years of learning and practice. So, congratulations again! With your study of this book, you are beginning your lifelong journey. Your efforts will be well rewarded.

The goal of this first part of the book is orientation to the necessity and nature of recre-ation leadership. Chapter 1 highlights the need for recreation leaders from the perspective of history, current society, and predictions about the future. Chapter 2 establishes a frame-work for recreation leadership by comparing its wide variety of settings, types, and func-tions. Further, specific information is provided in Chapter 2 about training, qualifications, and the outlook for a career as a recreation leader.


What to Expect…

To establish an introductory foundation of commitment and perspective, in this chapter you will learn the broad and changing context of recreation leadership as it emerges from:

• History• Contemporarycircumstance• Futurepredictions

Our way of life is changing rapidly. Over the past several decades, examples of social and cultural change are numerous: doubling of the world’s population; greater celebration of ethnic, gender, and ability diversity; a new basis of wealth through information and technical know-how; and both expanding and threatened options for conserving the environment. Today we have the luxury of dreaming about what is possible and brilliant.

Yet, there is no doubt that as you approach your future as a leader in recreation, park, therapeutic, sport, and tourism settings the challenge will be to manage contradictory forces of interdependence and special interest, stiffer competition for funding, increased demands of an aging baby boomer population, a shrinking workforce, the tyrannies of technology, and rapid and unforeseen change. As a member of the recreation profession you will be front and center in the action—sharing perhaps more of the burden (Goodale, 1991).

To begin our introduction to leadership for recreation, this chapter provides an overview of the historical and social circumstances that make our professional efforts necessary. We also surmise about our good works needed in the future.

1

THE NECESSITY OF

RECREATION LEADERSHIP


4 Leadership in Recreation

Historical

The earliest views of leadership centered on a belief that leaders were born, not made. This led to searching for the best leader personality as well as for optimal physical and mental characteristics of leaders. For example, it is interesting to think that one of Napoleon’s greatest challenges in leading the later stages of the French Revolution was to overcome the misperception of his height (he was 5’7”—typical for his time), because height was an early important criterion for leadership (Dennis, 2009).

This belief about leadership began to fade about the time we pick up with the history of recreation leadership. We can point to the Industrial Revolution as when we left behind notions of physical and mental characteristics and replaced them with leadership bestowed according to abilities, skills, and commitment. Leaders emerged at that time who knew what to do and what to say.

In the second half of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century, the invention of the steam engine, the discovery of petroleum, and the development of mass manufacturing for clothing, utensils, and tools revolutionized the world. This industrial revolution likewise caused a major shift in the nature of leadership. What was born was a recreation and park movement led by capable and dedicated people who sought to utilize the power of recreation, sport, the out-of-doors, and recreation therapy to face the many social and economic problems of the time.

Our professional predecessors were radicals (Duncan, 1991). They fought city hall; organized people at the grass roots; gave public speeches; and wrote articles deploring the conditions of the poor, disenfranchised, enslaved, and immigrant. They were not intimidated by politicians, lack of funds, or public ignorance about the idea of leisure services. Through their leadership legacy we now have community programs that are safe and fun, outdoor recreation resources that are aesthetic and exciting, sport programs and facilities that are convenient and meaningful, and cultural art opportunities that are vital and stimulating. Table 1.1 helps us keep track of this history.

Table 1.1A Timeline of Recreation Leadership in American History, 1850–1950

1850s First YMCAs (Boston and Montreal) Florence Nightingale provided first “recreation huts” Founding of Central Park in New York City

1860s First intercollegiate football game (Rutgers – 6; Princeton – 4) First Boys Club (Hartford, CT) & first Girls Club (Waterbury, CT) Yosemite established as first state park

1870s Tennis brought to the United States from Bermuda First railroad across the United States—starts modern era of tourism


The Necessity of Recreation Leadership 5

Table 1.1 (cont.)

1880s 20 U.S. cities have organized park systems Yellowstone set aside as national “pleasuring ground” Boston Sand Gardens Hull House founded in Chicago

1890s Four cities opened playgrounds Student unions began on college campuses First modern era Olympic Games held (Athens) Sierra Club founded

1900s 100 U.S. cities have organized park systems Playground Association of America founded (later became the National Recreation and Park Association)

1910s Camp Fire, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, and 4-H founded 11 states have state forests Mass-produced cars revolutionize tourism Earliest recreation services on military bases (World War I)

1920s First college-level coursework in recreation The “weekend” founded (more workers get Saturday off) Recreation staff in veterans’ hospitals

1930s 1,700 U.S. cities have organized park systems The Great Depression ushers in federal level provision of recreation Little League founded

1940s USO founded Colleges offer recreation majors Brooklyn Dodgers hired Jackie Robinson, first black player in major leagues World War II recreation services established

1950s TV ownership grows rapidly Growth of amusement parks (Disneyland opened in California) Recreation facilities and programs began to integrate

Who were these pioneering recreation leaders? Let’s feature a few who made major impact on the early establishment of leisure services: Joseph Lee, Luther Gulick, Dorothy Enderis, Beatrice Hill, William Steel, and Juliette Gordon Low (see Figure 1.1 on the following page).



According to most historical writings, Joseph Lee was a beloved and influential recreation leader. Even though a Boston charity is credited with founding the first playground in the United States (the Boston Sand Garden) in 1886, Lee is considered the “Father of the Playground Movement” (Butler, 1965). Lee’s first action in behalf of playgrounds was to help with an 1882 survey in Boston of possible play opportunities (including graveyards) in several crowded neighborhoods (Butler, 1965). Later, when shocked to see boys arrested for playing in the streets, Lee secured permission to use an empty lot for a neighborhood play area. He provided planks, boxes, barrels, and game equipment and told the children it was their playground (Butler, 1965).

But soon the children began to fight and break up their games unless Lee was there to supervise. In 1898 Lee helped to create a model playground in a desolate Boston neighborhood. It included a program of basketball, bowling, club activities, and gardening. Two leaders were employed, and Lee paid the total expenses of the playground’s operation. In speeches and articles, Lee extended the playground movement across the United States.

Dr. Luther H. Gulick was a friend and associate of Joseph Lee. He furthered the cause primarily through his effective organizational skills. His leadership style was to take an idea,

Figure 1.1. A Photo Album of Pioneering Recreation Leaders

William Gladstone Steel

Juliette Gordon Low and early Girl Scouts

Dorothy Enderis

Joseph Lee



develop it, organize it, and then turn it over to others to carry on, while going on to tackle something else. This was his primary role, for example, in establishing the Playground Association of America (serving as its first president) and promoting the founding of the YMCA; Boy Scouts of America; Camp Fire Girls, Inc.; and recreation services in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Dorothy Enderis is the name associated with Milwaukee’s fame as “The City of Lighted Schoolhouses” (Butler, 1965). For more than three decades she was in charge of the most widely known and highly respected recreation program under school auspices. Beginning as a fourth grade teacher assisting with the school board’s newly formed recreation extension service, by the time she retired in 1948, Enderis had helped Milwaukee develop 32 indoor centers and 62 playgrounds on school property. Two popular features of the indoor centers were “roughhouse” rooms where young boys could burn up excess energy and “drop-in” rooms where teens could dance and socialize.

A prominent person who influenced therapeutic recreation leadership in the United States was Beatrice Hill. While volunteering in a tuberculosis sanitarium (and after a personal bout with the disease), she began her service as Director of Recreation at Goldwater Memorial Hospital on New York’s Welfare Island (Avedon, 1974). Throughout her life she was instrumental in the development of recreation services for persons with an illness or disability—work that extended to Canada, Mexico, and various European countries (Avedon, 1974).

Outdoor recreation owes much of its initial growth to the vision of a small number of idealistic persons who had the early foresight to see the long-range natural resource-based recreation needs of people. The national park concept in the United States, which originated around a campfire in the Yellowstone area, succeeded mainly as a result of the single-minded devotion of such individuals as John Muir, President Theodore Roosevelt, Steven Mather, Gifford Pinchot, and William Steel (McCall & McCall, 1977).

For example, the story of how Crater Lake National Park was founded is a tale of Judge William Gladstone Steel’s commitment. Steel viewed Crater Lake in Oregon for the first time in 1885 and, after looking into its blue 2,000-foot depth, vowed to devote the rest of his life to establishing it as a national park. The tale is told of how he carried rainbow trout from Medford, Oregon, to Crater Lake, which because of no inlet or outlet was without fish. He walked for three days where no roads existed, carrying a pail of minnows. Although only half his trout survived, it was enough to start a sporting population that exists to this day.

Finally, Juliette Gordon Low is recognized as the founder of the first Girl Scout group in the United States. She had become acquainted with the program in Great Britain, leading Girl Guide groups in Scotland and England. But it wasn’t until 1912 during a visit to her native city of Savannah, Georgia, that she organized what has ultimately become a 3.2 million member program.

WEB EXPLORE

Another pioneering leader of the recreation movement at this time was Jane Addams, most noted for founding the Hull House in Chicago. Explore the web for more information about this. For example, you might begin your search with: http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/615.html. What was the Hull House? How did Jane and her colleagues use recreation programs and facilities to attempt to solve the social problems of the time? What are the legacies from Jane’s leadership for today’s recreation leaders?



Leadership in recreation has been greatly modified since the early influences of Lee and the other founders. In the more than 100 years since then, the recreation leader’s role has been altered primarily in two ways.

First, society has become increasingly more democratic. Likewise recreation participants, clients, and guests have demanded more opportunities to contribute to their own leisure services decision making. In our early professional history, the leader’s vision completely dominated the form and content of all services. Now recreation leadership has become more participatory.

Second, as a result of the sheer size and complexity of the leisure services industry, recreation leaders must now be more knowledgeable, better trained, and more global in perspective. In Lee’s day, the participants were mainly young, inner-city boys; today the recreation leader’s constituency ranges widely in chronological age, economic affluence, ability, interests, and needs. There is also greater diversity than ever before in what programs we offer, the facilities we use, who sponsors the programs, and how we pay for the programs. For example, in addition to playgrounds there are now natatoriums, velodromes, marinas, horse and rider campgrounds, water parks, and much more.

Do these two transformations mean that old-fashioned styles of recreation leadership known to our pioneers are obsolete? To some degree, the answer is yes. The autocratic style of leadership that dominated the approach of our early leaders is no longer as useful. The recreation leader of today is to a large extent a manager.

However, let us hope that the spark of individuality and the deeply rooted sense of purpose that characterized the leadership of Lee, Hill, Steel, and the others continues to have a decisive effect on the success of today’s recreation organizations. As it was for the profession’s pioneers, enthusiasm, adaptability, creativity, sensitivity, and the energy to meet new challenges remain hallmarks of successful recreation leadership today.

Contemporary

The necessity of recreation leadership continues. Our society must still grapple today with many of the same social and economic issues that dominated our history. Dealing with these as well as new problems means leaders in the recreation professions persist to maintain a humane and habitable world that celebrates diversity, preserves nature, encourages creative expression and freedom, and expands human potential.

This is because recreation, parks, sports, and tourism represent a major area of social responsibility for a wide array of governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and commercial enterprises. Leadership of park systems, community centers, gardens, youth clubs, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, resorts, campgrounds, athletic arenas, and hundreds of other situations is not only shaped by historical legacy but also by contemporary factors. Let’s think about some of these factors and how they impact today’s recreation leadership.

First, communication technologies and the new knowledge they spawn are driving massive change in the world of recreation leadership.The Internet alone changes everything about the way we think and act! Through strategic use of technologies, leaders today forge flexible and essential links between their organization and its partners, suppliers, and clients. Today’s recreation leader commands not only the subject and style of communication, but also the entire system of communication itself. This is because leisure service organizations—like all contemporary organizations—are reforming around the primarily electronic communication systems that support them.



This likewise means that recreation leaders have access to and mastery of new and massive information. Today, leadership power has shifted to the people who are able to coordinate resources to meet client needs. Information has become the key competitive and managerial advantage. Reading, thinking, digesting, pondering, skimming, researching, investigating, comparing—all with a sense of urgency—have become the normal way of life. Thus, recreation leaders must be “knowledge managers” who find human assets, help people collaborate and learn, encourage people to generate new ideas, and harness their ideas into successful solutions.

A dynamic economy with the cumulative effects of inflation, energy costs, unemployment, and rising national debt has affected the contemporary efforts of those working in the recreation professions as well. Although this has not meant the total amount of money spent on recreational pursuits has decreased (spending for recreation has risen more rapidly than consumer spending as a whole), it has meant that the sponsorships and forms of recreation payments have changed. For instance, an increase in the role of private and commercial agencies and a decrease in the role of government agencies have resulted.

As well, contemporary recreation leadership strives for success within the context of many demographic changes. For example, societies around the world are aging faster so that the proportion of older persons within the population is increasing. Also, women’s needs and interests in leisure have expanded at a faster rate than men’s as new options break taboo barriers. Today’s leaders provide services for wider ranges of family types. Fewer Americans are married than a generation ago, and fewer still are parents. As during the early days of the founding of the recreation movement, problems of youth continue. We are still seeking solutions via recreation for drug and alcohol use, dropping out of school, becoming teenage parents, joining gangs, and other antisocial actions. And, the income and education gaps between the social classes are widening, presenting recreation leaders with new concerns for social class differences.

LEADERSHIP DILEMMA

Mobile technology is transforming the way leisure service organizations accomplish their goals. Accompanying this, of course, are dilemmas for the leadership of these organizations. For example, suppose you are the director of a nonprofit community group with a mission to provide recreation and sport programming for at-risk youth. You have instituted a new conflict prevention project that via text messaging a “nerve center” has been established to alert about violent outbreaks around the community involving youth. To respond to the alerts you have organized “peace committees” of adults and youth. Meanwhile, the city parks and recreation advisory board has gone on record as frowning on the project. They claim it invades privacy and puts “good” citizens at risk of harm. What do you do? Discuss the following questions with classmates:

• Do you agree with the advisory board? Why or why not?• Do the advantages of using mobile technology outweigh their concerns?• How do you respond?• How might mobile technology be better used to achieve the goal?



Communities today have achieved greater identity and autonomy, paving the way for increased concern for quality of life. People want clean, safe, and interesting residential areas; aesthetically pleasing public areas and buildings; quality education and health services; convenient and enjoyable natural areas; and independent and convenient transportation. An increased expectation for quality of life also means meaningful life experiences. Recreation leaders today want to promote individual initiative, learning, growth, wellness, and self-actualization.

Finally, contemporary recreation leadership is influenced by increasing global references. National, cultural, and organizational isolationism is a thing of the past. More the norm today is the short-term changing kaleidoscope of coalitions among different leisure service agencies and networks. These coalitions resemble children’s Lego® toys—they are easily assembled, pulled apart, and then reassembled into different structures (Lipman-Blumen, 2000). For the recreation leader this means both more competition and more collaboration with other organizations.

There are, of course, more social, cultural, and economic factors that could be cited as important to the context of recreation leadership today. Substance abuse and violent crime, increased concerns for health and wellness, shifting attitudes about work and leisure, and the elevated importance of the individual also characterize contemporary situations in society within which professionally prepared recreation leadership responds. And, there is absolutely no assumption that these dynamic changes will abate in the future.

Future

What exactly might be the future for leaders of recreation, park, sport, and tourism enterprises? “Sunny with a chance of excellent opportunity,” says futurist Jim Carroll, a recent keynote speaker at a national conference (Parks & Recreation, 2009). In his speech, Carroll provided some examples of future scenarios:

• Hyper-connectivitydigitalleisurelifestyles• Next-generationreengagement activistretirees• Healthcarepreventativefocus• Fragmentation smaller,morewidespreadrecreationalinterestniches

The Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education program at Indiana

University (CORE) prepares college students for leadership by way of high-

adventure skills training and experiences. (Used with permission.)



• Communityredefinedthinkingmorelocallytosolvebigproblems• Workforce trends nomadic, contingent workforce seeking services at

nontraditional times and days• DemographicincreasedHispanicinfluenceonneedsandinterests• Expectationgapabigdisconnectbetweenwhatthepublicexpectsandwhat

the public can afford

Recreation leadership does not exist in a vacuum, so what might these and other predictions mean for recreation leaders of the future? For one, it is likely we’ll be expected to work within shorter and shorter time frames; speed and agility in providing leisure services will be essential. We’ll also likely have fewer second chances. We must be able to garner more information resources to get it right the first time. What is it we are getting right? New ways of diagnosing and solving complicated problems, and developing innovative solutions through recreation, parks, sports, and tourism will be required of us.

As well, despite pressures to succeed in the short term, we’ll need to think for the long term. We’ll need to anticipate rapid changes and envision goals stretching beyond the initial issue. Throughout all this will be ethical dilemmas created by new circumstances, relationships, and technological possibilities. Vigor and forethought will be required.

Self-Assessment

This self-survey provides feedback on your readiness for the future of your recreation leadership. Rate yourself with 5 being a definite YES and 1 being a definite NO.

I am good at planning. 1 2 3 4 5I enjoy collecting and analyzing data. 1 2 3 4 5 I am good at solving problems. 1 2 3 4 5 I know how to develop goals and carry them out. 1 2 3 4 5I am comfortable at implement- ing new techniques. 1 2 3 4 5I thrive on change. 1 2 3 4 5

Reading Comprehension Check

1. T/F. Today, recreation leadership approaches haven’t changed much since the rec-reation movement pioneers of Lee, Gulick, Hill, Enderis, Steel, and Low.

2. T/F. Professionals working in leisure service organizations are front and center in maintaining a humane and habitable society for people.

3. T/F. The needs and interests of minority groups are likely to present less challenge for recreation leadership in the future.



4. Our recreation leader predecessors werea. radicalsb. largely autocratic in stylec. committed to recreation’s ability to solve social problemsd. all of the above

5. Dr. Luther H. Gulick a. is regarded as the “Father of the American Playground Movement”b. was associated with Milwaukee’s use of schools as recreation providersc. founded therapeutic recreationd. none of the above

6. In the future, recreation leaders will likely need to deal witha. a fragmentation of recreation interests by clienteleb. a growing population of retirees with passive leisure interests c. less relevancy and a reduced role in meeting societal challengesd. all of the above

7. The professionalization of leisure in the United States began around the turn of the last century with the leadership efforts of urban playground organizers. Why is the early leadership of people like Joseph Lee important to our current professional ef-forts?

8. Of the six contemporary forces on recreation leadership, name and describe two. What is your own perspective on these?

9. Of the eight predictions for future recreation leadership, name two and offer an elaboration of them for your own goals as a recreation leader.

Your Portfolio

With this chapter you have an opportunity to begin to build your own leadership portfolio. While this chapter was about more contemplative topics, it is important to the foundation of your own career because it poses that recreation leadership is important and necessary. What is your perspective about this? For this first entry, in your portfolio development, follow these instructions:

1. Collect evidence. Select a recreation leader in your community to interview. Ask questions of why and in what ways this person believes his/her work is important and necessary for the community. Request specific examples of this.

2. Reflect on the meaning and relevance of the evidence. Think about what you’ve learned from the interview in light of your own future as a recreation leader. Do you agree with what he/she said? Do you identify with the interviewee’s commit-ment? How might your own contributions be similar as well as different from that of your interviewee?

3. Organize the evidence in a meaningful way. Write a one-page essay on your own goals for contributing to the leisure professions. Incorporate relevant aspects from your interview and self-reflection.



References

Avedon, E. M. (1974). Therapeutic recreation service: An applied behavioral science approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Butler, G. D. (1965). Pioneers in public recreation. Minneapolis, MN: Burgess.Dennis, D. J. with Meola, D. D. (2009). Preparing for leadership. New York: American

Management Association.Duncan, M. (1991). Back to our radical roots. In T. L. Goodale & P. A. Witt (Eds.), Recreation

and leisure: Issues in an era of change. State College, PA: Venture. Goodale, T. L. (1991). Of Godots and Goodbars: On waiting and looking for change. In T.

L. Goodale & P. A. Witt (Eds.), Recreation and leisure: Issues in an era of change. State College, PA: Venture.

Lipman-Blumen, J. (2000). Connective leadership: Managing in a changing world. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

McCall, J. R., & McCall, V. N. (1977). Outdoor recreation: Forest, park, and wilderness. Beverly Hills, CA: Bruce.

Parks & Recreation. (2009, September). What the future holds. Parks & Recreation Magazine, pp. 71–73.


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