Presented by Howie Dayton, Director Recreation City of Mississauga Commissioned Author, National Recreation Summit April 11, 2013
Session Outline: Stated Objectives: Share learning's from the National Recreation Summit Café discussions-applying the learning's locally Inclusion & Affordability Community Building Addressing Inactivity & Obesity through local action Plenary discussion: The National Priorities-Focus Group Next Steps
Community Recreation…We’ve come a long way (or have we?!?) Roots of Recreation-diverting anti-social behavior of youth A public good delivered by non-profit agencies, to the impoverished- community halls and playgrounds Fast forward- user pay system, competitive market place, changing demographics, aging infrastructure multiplexes and enterprise facilities that are drive-to Our role not clearly articulated or defined Still, limited research exists- Measures don’t tell our story Recreation remains a locally mandated service Provincial funding is inconsistent across the Country Ontario’s ministry profile greatly diminished Federal interest is sport focused and limited Society’s need for accessible recreation is no less important than it was when we began
National Recreation Statement www.lin.ca Commissioned by Recreation Ministers in 1987 Recognized the ‘significance of recreation’ Defined the roles of government, agency, private sector in provision of infrastructure/services Articulated the need for collaboration between all parties Acknowledged the need for greater coordination between sport & recreation
National Recreation Summit 2011 The Context Society is highly complex… “wicked issues” Escalating health, social, economic & environmental concerns A lack of a strong national voice for recreation A lack of singularity of purpose and voice for the sector A national statement that is 25 years old
FIRST STEPS TOWARD A UNITED AGENDA
Who was there: Advanced education Public health and medical field National organizations: CPRA, ParticipACTION Pubic Health Agency of Canada Sport Canada Municipal politicians Environmental organizations Health promotion Community development Child and youth development Municipal and provincial/territorial recreation Provincial recreation organizations
• Why were we there: To take the first steps towards a united agenda for Canada’s recreation and parks sector. • To examine trend, information, research, retrospectives and promising practices in the R & P field. • To prioritize strategic challenges • To explore novel pan-Canadian approaches to these challenges • To design innovative ways the three levels of gov’t can partner • To explore ways for corporate, not-for- profit, and other quality of life agencies can contribute • To examine feasibility of multi-year dialogue to improve inter- gov’t and inter-sector collaboration • Development of a national agenda for recreation
• Where were we:
The Process 26 pre-submitted commissioned papers www.lin.ca National Recreation Summit-Commissioned Papers Panels and Keynote speakers on 4 Key Themes Confronting Canada’s Public Health Crisis Respecting Nature & Our Environment Building Community Contributing to Public Sector & Social Innovation Breakout sessions to explore “top of mind issues” including Aboriginal Peoples and Communities Active Aging & Recreation Canadian Sport Policy Role of Recreation in Building Community Recreation Inclusion, Diversity & Visible Minorities Rural Recreation Priorities
The Process Final Keynote address….Dr. John Crompton “Repositioning Recreation: Building a National Recreation Agenda” Recommended readings: Summit Synopsis Panel Presentations Commissioned Papers
Opening Keynote: Carle Honore , In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed “…this summit could…redefine recreation and its place in the 21 st Century. Take that torch and run with it..run slowly but run nevertheless. Run with conviction, with courage and with creative spark-and help make the world a better world for everyone”.
Theme 1: Confronting Canada’s Public Health Crisis Key message: Recreation & Parks need to claim itself as essential in addressing national health challenges including: Chronic disease (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) Obesity (88% of children & youth age 5-19 are insufficiently active) Mental illness (1 in 5 Canadians will experience) Health inequities (interconnection between poverty, upbringing, employment status, community, housing, education)
“Too often in our society, the unhealthy choice is the easy choice and then we wonder why people make unhealthy choices. Healthy choices should be the easy choices ” Dr. Trevor Hancock University of Victoria
Areas of focus…Active 20/20 Canada’s Physical Activity Strategy Policy development to stimulate Physical activity increases through incentives and the reduction in barriers to participation Targeted information & Public education to bring greater awareness of the issues associated with unhealthy lifestyles AND what options exist in communities across Canada High quality, accessible programs and services that don’t marginalize those who are unable to participate Community design and social infrastructure which modernizes transportation, land use, puts in place sidewalks, bike lanes and other supports to encourage greater activity as a way of daily life
Theme 2: Respecting Nature & Our Environment: Recreation’s Role Keynote: Richard Louv, Chair, Children and Nature Network, San Diego, California “As of 2008, more people in the world live in cities than in the countryside. Either human beings will lose meaningful connections to nature in everyday life or it’s the beginning of a new kind of city. I would vote for door number two-the world many of you are involved in creating”.
Theme 3: Building Community: Recreation’s Role Key Message: “The final frontier is to invest in human and social capital. Communities that do not work socially are likely not the ones that will flourish” “Recreation is both an end and a means to achieving other ends. It is a fundamental, core building block of our notion of healthy flourishing communities” “Communities often feel if they have an economic development plan, everything else will fall into place. But rising tides to not lift all boats , we need a holistic understanding of communities and what they need to be resilient .” Sherri Torjman
Respecting Nature & Our Environment: Recreation’s Role Research is growing … Playing outside correlates with reduced incidents of ADD Playing outside longer equates to reduced incidents of obesity Children in greener neighbourhoods are less likely to be obese (independent of density of the built environment) People and Parks… The public loves their parks Park animation is on the increase Nature is affordable Park programming is on the increase Community gardens Off leash parks Nature gardens Community ovens Trail network expanse Cycling, running, walking, boardwalks Be at the planning table!
Building Community: Recreation’s Role Areas of focus: Recreation needs to reposition itself within other policy agendas: Health Poverty reduction Economic development Official planning Recreation MUST remove the barriers to participation Ontario’s Provincial Policy Framework on Affordable Access to Recreation
Measure Returns to Well-being “ Too much and too long, we have surrendered community excellence and values to the mere accumulation of material things. The Gross National Product measures neither our wit, nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning…GNP measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile” Robert Kennedy, March 16, 1968
Theme 4: Social Innovation in Community Recreation Key messages : In a highly complex world with “wicked” problems, high degree of regulation, quality assurance and systems…HOW can we be innovative? We can’t afford NOT to be! Develop a culture of innovation Refresh our education system to encourage “new” ways of thinking Develop a vision statement that pushes the envelope Consider the citizen, not just the customer…who aren’t you engaging OWN your career Embrace our role as community builders and create something fantastic
Putting It All Together … Building A National Agenda Common Themes We must be considered a “PUBLIC GOOD”, defined by our core values: Community building Human health and development Environmental stewardship Economic development We must articulate a CLEAR VISION and not let others define us Be citizen focused not just customer centered Remove barriers to participation Promote lifelong leisure literacy (helping citizens make positive, healthy, pro-social decisions) Adopt innovative process for continuous quality and improvement Be more accountable through meaningful measures using “INDICES OF WELLBEING”
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