Creating change at Congress '92.

"The future is much like a mirror and it will reflea back to the thinker whatever we think into it.. --Phibro Cox

"Forty percent of all workers are working more than 45 hours per week." --Juliet Schor

NRPA steamed into Cincinnati, Ohio like many of the vintage river boats that lined the Ohio River for the 1992 Tall Stacks celebration. Calliope music, paddle boats and fireworks provided a scenic backdrop for NRPA's National Congress for Recreation and Parks in America's Queen City of the west. More than 3,500 delegates and 400 commercial companies all came to Cincinnati to exchange information and ideas, learn, exhibit and socialize.

The friendly and informative "red shirts"of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission could be found throughout the convention center and surrounding areas. These dedicated local hosts attended to every detail, from pointing to shuttle buses to giving guided tours. The "red shirts" kept their cool and a kind smile as they worked into the night on projects both familiar and unfamiliar to local hosts.

Two forms of communication new to NRPA delegates, the daily newsletter NRPA Whistlestop Cincinnati, and the Congress Video Network kept delegates informed of schedules and last-minute changes, as well as the latest convention news. The "red shifts" were behind this effort as well-or was it the flying pigs?

Cincinnati is a delicate combination of a contemporary urban area that has not forgotten its legacy as a whistlestop connecting the east and west; it's a place to relive the past and reach for the future.

In the days of the tall stacks, Cincirmati was a melting pot of ideas and cultures. As the big ships paddied up and down the Ohio River, they transplanted passengers and crew members, thus creating an exchange. As NRPA delegates came from across the country to meet their counterparts, attend educational sessions, and see the latest products and services, they too created an exchange.

This year's educational sessions focused on the practical matters facing NRPA delegates. Increasing social pressures from budget cuts and lay-offs to homelessness and at-risk youth have complicated the responsibilities of those in the field as well as those citizens who support parks and recreation. New this year, a coding system was used in the printed program to designate' session content for quick reference. Sessions focused on administration, budget and revenue, computers, natural resources, programming, research, social issues and special interests.

Seven National Focus sessions looked at some of the varied issues facing the future of parks and recreation. "Outreach to Urban Youth and Mentoring Future Professionals" explored methods of touching urban youth to motivate, hire, train and mentor them in the profession. "The ADA and Park and Recreation Facilities: Applications of the Law" discussed the standards affecting the design of new park and recreation facilities and the modification of existing facilities. The session's counterpart, "The ADA and Park and Recreation Programs" discussed implications under the law for the provision of park and recreation services. "The Shape of Things to Come... NRPA Prepares a National Agenda on Aging" identified key aging issues and developed an NRPA position paper and aging agenda. "Social Changes and Human Impacts--Implications and Interventions" discussed topics affecting the profession including homelessness, at-risk youth, gay teens, unemployment and economic issues. "Environmental Conflicts--Are We Loving Our Parks to Death?" discussed the implications of park overuse. "Social Changes and Human Impact: Focus on Youth Intervention and Strategies" reviewed social issues and problems facing our youth today. All in all, more than 250 education sessions were tailored to the changing needs of the park and recreation professional.

As delegates entered the ballroom of the Cincinnati Convention Center for the first All Congress General Session, they were greeted by the Cincinnati Young People's Theatre. Their performance of an old favorite, "Hello Dolly" ended with a customized twist, "Cincinnati loves NRPA!"

All of the proper recognitions were made. The NRPA National Awards were presented in a stylish new video format, which introduced delegates to each award winner in a personal light. NRPA's first national spokesperson for fitness and wellness, Kathy Smith, was on hand to present a special award to our hosts. Cincinnati was named the first National Fitness Crew by the National Fitness and Wellness Coaliation for their promotion of healthy attitudes and fitness behavior at the local level, for initiating fitness programs for the entire community and for influencing community leadership into a team effort.

The evening's keynote speaker, Philip R. Cox, enlightened and motivated the delegation. The president and CEO of Cox Financial Corporation spoke on the challenges of today's youth and how we can make a difference. He talked about the challenges of the future and the changing role of parks and recreation professionals, and inspired and challenged us to rise to the occasion and become leaders in our ever-changing society.

Cox recognized that, faced with today's social problems, parks and recreation professionals are finding themselves, "doing the job of a babysitter, a policeman, a teacher, a counselor and a psychologist." He warned how we must also have knowledge in the areas of "management, marketing cost accounting, wildlife preservation, environment, and ecology--all within the restraints of the law, which is constantly changing." And he recognized that with present economic downsizing, we are all "expected to do more with fewer people."

Always an optimist, Cox gave us words of wisdom and inspiration as well. He said that, "the future is much like a mirror and it will reflect back to the thinker whatever we think into it," encouraging us to be positive and take a personal challenge to make a difference. Cox also reminded us that when faced with adversity, "The human spirit is always stronger than anything that can happen to it."

With a renewed sense of purpose, Cox gave the delegation six practical steps to start making the future everything we want it to be both in parks and recreation and in the big picture. First, recommit yourself to what you are doing; second, understand what you are doing and why; third, become better marketers of your services; fourth, lead by example and motivation; fifth, start holding people accountable; and sixth, give everyone that opportunity to do those things for themselves that they can do for themselves.

The 1992 Congress for Recreation and Parks came to a close at the second All Congress General Session. The session was marked by keynote speaker Juliet Schor, associate professor of economics at Harvard University and author of The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure.

Schor shared her ideas and research findings on American work time versus leisure time. She noted that, "In the 45 years since the end of the Second World War, American productivity growth would have enabled this nation to cut its work week in half." As most of us know, that has not happened. Schor hypothesized that, "Progress created by productivity growth was put towards producing more and better things" and that we were propelled into a higher material standard of living.

These trends have a different effect on the lives and work of leisure professionals. Not only are we working harder, but we are attempting to service people with less and less leisure time. "At a time when Americans need your services more than ever, they are less able to use them," Schor said. Overall, Schor states that Americans are, "overworked, time poor, torn between jobs and families and trapped in an endless marathon of work."

In a time where one in six workers has a second job and one in three works weekends and evenings, there is some encouraging news. Schor referred to a 1990 poll where workers were given the choice of one day off per week in exchange for losing a day of pay. More than half of those polled would prefer the day off without pay. The results showed that Americans are placing a higher value on leisure time.

Schor closed by warning that Americans can use our economic progress in two ways and must choose between, "being things rich and time poor or time rich and things satisfied."

This year's socials highlighted two of Cincinnati's treasures. The APRS/CBM social at the Museum Center showcased the old Union Terminal train depot that has been restored and combined with the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History. Antique cars shuttled patient delegates up to the Museum Center entrance. Inside, the sights and sounds of many cultures and time periods flooded the senses. Big band music, German om-pa-pas and down-home fiddlin' and foot stomppin' were at hand. Classic German cuisine and home-grown Cincinnati Chili were a few of the delicacies. Visitors could wander around the gigantic center and walk through the Ice Age, tour a replica of an 1850s steamboat, go spelunking through a Kentucky cave or catch a movie on the 72-foot domed Omnimax Theatre.

While the temperature may have been brisk, the feverish pitch of the evening made the closing social at Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point one of the hottest events of the week. The barbecued ribs from Cincinnati's Montgomery Inn Boat House were a true delight.

Following dinner, the stage was set for the Blues Brothers. Jake and Elwood had the crowd rocking on their feet to the hits that Dan Akroyd and the legendary John Belushi made famous. Shortly afterward, the evening was propelled into high gear by the musical greats, Sha Na Na, who brought the sounds of the fifties to the banks of the Ohio River. Dancing was definitely the word for the evening, partly to the high spirits of an exciting meeting and partly to ward off an early visit from Jack Frost.

Each year, the Exhibit Hall is the showcase of the Congress for Recreation and Parks. The latest in recreation products and services were available for delegates to see, test, poke, prod and play with. Over 400 commercial companies were there to demonstrate everything from playgrounds and park benches to sporting goods and computer programs.

Following is a complete listing of exhibitors.