The 21st century.

Park and recreation programs have grown tremendously in the 20th century, and it has been during this century that the park and recreation profession has been established, endured and matured. In the 1980s and now the '90s, the park and recreation profession has faced many new challenges in continuing to provide programs to serve all of the people. The profession looks ahead to many new opportunities in the 21st century, and there is great optimism regarding its impact on the quality of life for all citizens. However, there are questions about what these issues and opportunities will be, as well as possible obstacles that will face the profession.

In April 1991, a national conference was held at Springmaid Beach, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, sponsored by the National Symposium Committee, The James Foundation and Leroy Springs and Company, Inc. to identify the critical issues and trends in parks, recreation and leisure services. At that conference attendees developed a "professional agenda" for park and recreation professionals for the 21st century. This agenda was published in PARKS & RECREATION in September 1992. The National Recreation and Park Association has also published the agenda, complete papers and proceedings of that seminar in a publication entitled, Parks and Recreation in the 21st Century: Chapter I which is now available.

A second conference was held at Springmaid Beach on September 13-17, 1992, sponsored by the National Symposium Committee and Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. This Symposium was Chapter II, and its purpose was to expand upon the agenda established in Chapter I. Organizers identified five agenda items to be explored in detail by a small number of individuals from a cross-section of the profession who would present papers, discuss issues, debate and decide on specific courses of action which might be taken. The five agenda items were chosen based upon their importance and need in society and within the profession. The objective was that there also would be some reasonable expectation that the agenda item could be addressed within the foreseeable future.

The complete report and proceedings from Chapter II will be published by NRPA. This publication will include the major presentations made by speakers, a short paper which was prepared by each symposium participant and summaries of the discussions and conclusions reached.

Foundations of Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services

Douglas Sessoms and Tony Mobley stressed the importance of revisiting the foundations and roots of the profession in looking toward future challenges. Parks and recreation has been greatly influenced by industrialism, and the profession is evolving with the belief that all people have the right to play and pursue the recreational experience. A democratic society has the responsibility to provide its citizens with these opportunities. Leisure is not replacing work as a dominant life force, but leisure is emerging as a force along with work in guiding the lives and activities of most people. In support of this point, they pointed out that Americans spend more than $330 billion per year at the leisure market, which is more than the nation spends on housing or national defense.

Sessoms and Mobley suggested that the central mission of the parks, recreation and leisure services profession is to improve the quality of life for all citizens through creative, meaningful leisure experiences. The role of the profession is specific and definitive in providing a select set of opportunities within designated environments which have the potential to facilitate play and the recreational experience. Those opportunities should be provided for all who wish to take part in them. In further discussion, the symposium participants expanded this concept to indicate that opportunities must be provided for recreational expression for all people. Inherent in this charge is to develop programs and services consistent with the needs and interests of those served but in a manner which adds to their health, sense of well-being and sense of community. The recreative experience, when properly provided, affords numerous opportunities for individual growth and community development. Recreation is, and continues to be, a vital force in individual lives and in the lives of communities.

Parks and Recreation Relate to the Total Community

Ronald Dodd and Dennis Nowicki presented the concept that in the 20th century leisure service agencies had the luxury of being "reactive," but in the 21st century, new public attitudes and increasing restrictions will force public agencies to be "proactive" for survival. Much of the discussion in this session referred to public agencies', including parks and recreation departments, need to commit resources to address social concerns. However, as stated by Ron Dodd, "Public leisure service agencies do not have the capacity, power or expertise to act as the primary force to address the problems of the homeless, poor, drug dependent and at--risk youth." Instead, he said, "We should not deny responsibility to these groups but position ourselves to become enablers/facilitators." He feels that the key to creating momentum for change lies in community mobilization.

Dennis Nowicki, former police official in Chicago and now with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Agency, agreed and said, "It is time again to involve the community in safeguarding our neighborhoods. Community institutions (families, churches, schools, park systems, social groups, community organizations) served as a first line of defense against erosion of core values when many of us were growing up." The development of good communication between agencies has been a major breakthrough in allowing these agencies to jointly meet community needs.

The discussion emphasized that parks and recreation is an integral part of the total community and must be a part of the formula which addresses societal concerns in all areas, including economic development and job creation, social ills and other similar issues. It is important to continually and realistically assess social needs and community values and conditions for the profession to remain germane and vital. It is important for the profession to involve the community in establishing coalitions through which it can move toward accomplishing its mission. While remembering the foundations and purposes of the field, it is critical to adapt to change occurring in the community.

New Leadership for Park and Recreation Professionals in the 21st Century

Lydia Pettis Patton and Robert Toalson agreed that parks and recreation has many outstanding leaders today who are committed to service, but there are many factors that will require new leadership for the 21st century. Today, America is in the midst of a complex crisis reflecting problems created by human beings. In addition, there are many other reasons park and recreation professionals will need new leadership techniques for the 21st century. The world is constantly changing. For example, more than 100 new nations have appeared in the last few years. Cultural diversity has become an extremely important issue in this country as well as throughout the world. New leadership techniques will be essential to providing park and recreational services in this environment.

Patton and Toalson covered other reasons why new leadership will be required, and they reviewed some basic qualities needed in the new leadership. The new leadership must "redirect the profession to focus on the assets in parks and recreation." The successful new leader must have a commitment of service, be a humanist as well as a change agent, possess rationality, emotional maturity, patience, tolerance and a sense of humor, as well as have the vision to "look down the road and see around the corner."

They spoke of integrity as being a basic quality of good leadership, but this must be supplemented with enthusiasm and the ability to work with people. In working with people, the leader of tomorrow must be a good communicator. Both speakers stress the need for leaders to become role models and for them to get involved in the mentoring process of young professionals.

Wellness and Health Enhancement Through Physical Fitness

Bud Getchell from the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University stressed that "exercise is the basis for living a full life," and he pointed out that "it will help bring body, mind and spirit into concert." He stressed that to obtain "high level health and wellness means being physically active on a regular basis, eating properly, adhering to good sleep practices and living life with enthusiasm and vigor."

He further stated, "In the past, health meant only absence of disease. Today we define health in terms of physical, mental, social and emotional wellness. We look at health in a much broader perspective with physical fitness being a key component of total health." Everyday activities in modern society do not promote good health practices, and people are becoming much more concerned about health promotion and the role of exercise in developing and maintaining good health habits. The basic health components of physical fitness are cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition.

The park and recreation profession needs to develop programs to help people experience the feeling of high-level wellness. "Programs which reward the best, and disenchant the rest, leave the majority ungratified and even alienated." Good programs aimed for all the people will allow them to achieve a "feeling of accomplishment, the ability to do more things with quality, making for a fun life." In his presentation, Getchell outlined the principles of exercise and physical fitness development that can be used appropriately in park and recreation programs. He states that good programs are certainly needed because "the body was made to be used and in today's fast paced lifestyle, the human body cannot handle the stress of sitting and standing all day."

Since ancient times, it has been clear that the body needs the regular nourishment of exercise. Getchell says, "Active people tend to be healthy." Although not a guarantee to health, exercise, if regularly practiced, is looked upon more and more as the key to sound health and wellness. Getchell further states that, "exercise can be the |positive do' in a person's life."

The role of Parks and Recreation in Developing an Environmental Ethic 

Denis Galvin of the National Park Service reminded the participants that there are fundamental differences in the two terms parks and recreation. He said, "Parks and places, recreation is human activity." Recreation can take place in parks, but recreation can happen elsewhere too. He also reminded the participants that "We are dependent upon ecosystems and we are part of them. We are profoundly ignorant of the fate of ecosystems."

He said that, "All parks, large and small, can serve as places for education. Each contains some plant with a story, some opportunity for a crude archeology that uncovers a nugget of neighborhood history, or illustrates some facet of scientific inquiry." He further indicated that, "Parks and recreation programs are excellent places to ponder our connection to the rest of life; past, present and future."

Galvin feels that the park and recreation profession has a major responsibility in helping people to develop an environmental ethic which goes way beyond activities in the parks.

Following the presentation on each agenda item, the symposium broke into small groups to review and discuss the presentation to try to develop a consistent statement about the agenda item and other issues raised in the presentations. Each symposium participant prepared a paper in advance on one of the agenda items. These were brought into the discussion where appropriate and formed the basis for thinking and stimulating discussion during the symposium. Dean Tice, NRPA's executive director, closed the session by summing up the results of the three days work and the meeting of the symposium to the future of the profession. The full text of the presentation and the summary discussions along with all preliminary papers are included in the publication Parks and Recreation in the 21st Century: Chapter II which can be obtained through NRPA. Tice indicated that this material will provide the basis for additional detailed discussion in planning for the future.

All participants were challenged at the end of the symposium to use this as a model for promoting and conducting workshops around the country to involve large numbers of professionals in exploring the opportunities of the 21st century. Young professionals along with experienced leaders in the field should work together in a mentoring process. Creative thinking, establishing new paradigms, flexibility, change and renewed commitment are essential in providing parks and recreation for the 21st century.