Community Recreation Management Option

This course introduces students to the role of community and non-profit recreation agencies in generating benefits for individuals and communities. Using experience industry design/management and social justice perspectives, this course focuses on designing meaningful experiences that serve people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances.

Topics covered in this course include:

• The history of community and non-profit recreation
• Environmental, economic, health, social and human development benefits of recreation
• Access and equity issues in recreation and community sport
• Engaging communities in decision making
• The experience industry
• Designing community recreation programs and spaces for meaningful experiences

Students will develop their ability to:

• describe the benefits of community and non-profit recreation to individuals and society
• Identify disparities in access to recreation and the role of community and non-profit recreation in addressing these
• Describe methods and techniques for engaging community members in decision making
• Explain how theory informs the design of meaningful experiences
• Describe ways in which programs and places can be designed to facilitate meaningful experiences
• Explain how individual and group characteristics should influence design to result in greater benefits.

Recreation agencies in voluntary and semiprivate sectors will be investigated through membership strategies, fundraising, volunteer management, case studies, etc. The primary objective of this course is to expose students to the operational practices and missions of nonprofit recreation and tourism organizations. In particular, this course will allow students to investigate voluntary and semi-private sectors through membership strategies, fundraising and development roles, and volunteer management.

Primary topics taught in this course will typically include the following:

• The role of non-profit organizations in providing park, recreation and tourism opportunities
• Missions, governance procedures, and societal roles associated with non-profit organizations
• Program support functions and non-profit fundraising strategies
• Skills and roles of professional staff in non-profit organizations

This is also a supporting course (i.e., department list) for RPTM majors in the Community Recreation Management option.