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ACADEMIC ORIENTATION
Recreation Management, as a field of academic study, is not one that is well understood by the general population. During the early years of the program, students constantly came under fire for being in an easy program from peers across campus who did not comprehend the breadth or depth of the field. The same was often true of parents who were critical of this as a career field for their children, again lacking in knowledge of the possibilities that such a degree would hold. The students themselves, when asked why they chose this degree program, frequently reported either having an interest in a particular form of recreational pursuit, or that they felt it to be more enjoyable and less rigorous than other academic programs on campus. As such, it was important that during the Fall, soon after their arrival on campus, that the Recreation students received a solid orientation not only to the program, but to the professional field in which they would be working upon graduation. Faculty felt that is was important for students to understand the key role that the profession plays in society, in order to hopefully instill in them early, a strong work ethic. In some cases, the orientation helped students realize that this was not an appropriate field of study for them, which was another objective of the process. Another intention was for students to get to know their peers in the program and to begin the team building that would play such a key role in their success in the program.
The orientation program took various forms over the years, often dependent upon the energy and time availability of the faculty member(s) who accepted the responsibility in a given year, and the financial resources available through the School. As well as having faculty involved, senior students and alumni of the program often played key roles. The most basic form of orientation occurred on campus in late September, generally over a Friday afternoon and Saturday. Participants would engage in a series of classroom sessions, and initiatives around campus such as an experience on the challenge (ropes) course. For a number of years, the orientation took place at Sherbrooke Lake camp. This was more challenging to orchestrate as some students had jobs, others were on varsity athletic teams, and some simply resisted giving up a weekend. Owing to the team building nature of the orientation, it was extremely important that all members of the first year class participated, otherwise non participants would fall behind in terms of relationship development with their peers, faculty, and alumni, not to mention the loose of access to the learning that was being facilitated.
By the mid 2000s, faculty were becoming concerned about the nature of the students being attracted to the BRM program, their lack of commitment to their studies, and the increasing failure and dropout rates. A working group was struck consisting of faculty members Colton, Robertson, and Warner, along with administrative support person Kim Vaughan. Together they examined the nature of the first year experience of students in order to determine strategies to better engage the students. They developed a cohesive first year experience (curricular and co curricular) for BRM students that endeavoured to fully engage them in the learning experience by striving to achieve the following:
To this end, a number of strategies were implemented, two of the key ones being to reintroduce a required first year foundations course and to step up the nature of the first year orientation program. In 2007, a bold and innovative program was developed entitled Quest for a New World.
Extensive assessment of the orientation experience found it to have been effective in achieving the intended objectives, including weeding a few students out of the program early. Following on the success of the previous year, it was decided that the 2008 orientation theme would be Seeing the World through Different Eyes.
Once again, this elaborate experiential orientation met the objectives. and gave the participants much to reflect upon not only during their first year, but throughout the entire course of their studies and beyond. It certainly served to broaden their thinking on the meaning of recreation in its many diverse forms, and the potential it holds to enhance the lives of all persons, and in particular those who face particular barriers in accessing the services.
The orientation program took various forms over the years, often dependent upon the energy and time availability of the faculty member(s) who accepted the responsibility in a given year, and the financial resources available through the School. As well as having faculty involved, senior students and alumni of the program often played key roles. The most basic form of orientation occurred on campus in late September, generally over a Friday afternoon and Saturday. Participants would engage in a series of classroom sessions, and initiatives around campus such as an experience on the challenge (ropes) course. For a number of years, the orientation took place at Sherbrooke Lake camp. This was more challenging to orchestrate as some students had jobs, others were on varsity athletic teams, and some simply resisted giving up a weekend. Owing to the team building nature of the orientation, it was extremely important that all members of the first year class participated, otherwise non participants would fall behind in terms of relationship development with their peers, faculty, and alumni, not to mention the loose of access to the learning that was being facilitated.
By the mid 2000s, faculty were becoming concerned about the nature of the students being attracted to the BRM program, their lack of commitment to their studies, and the increasing failure and dropout rates. A working group was struck consisting of faculty members Colton, Robertson, and Warner, along with administrative support person Kim Vaughan. Together they examined the nature of the first year experience of students in order to determine strategies to better engage the students. They developed a cohesive first year experience (curricular and co curricular) for BRM students that endeavoured to fully engage them in the learning experience by striving to achieve the following:
- Foster an understanding of university vs community college education
- Better appreciate the role of students and faculty
- Accept responsibility of a university level student
- Understanding of, and connection to, the professional field/community
- Develop a connection to the Acadia recreation alumni community
- Foster an understanding of the history of the program-belonging and pride
- Gain an appreciation for the body of knowledge, understanding it
- Develop skills to manage university lifestyle
- Learn appropriate professional use of the computer
- Develop professional communication skills
- Develop passion for the field
- Understand professional conduct-dress, communication, ethics
- Exposure to recreation management research and writing
- Understand concept of building a positive reputation
- Become familiar with the key academic and professional literature
To this end, a number of strategies were implemented, two of the key ones being to reintroduce a required first year foundations course and to step up the nature of the first year orientation program. In 2007, a bold and innovative program was developed entitled Quest for a New World.
Extensive assessment of the orientation experience found it to have been effective in achieving the intended objectives, including weeding a few students out of the program early. Following on the success of the previous year, it was decided that the 2008 orientation theme would be Seeing the World through Different Eyes.
Once again, this elaborate experiential orientation met the objectives. and gave the participants much to reflect upon not only during their first year, but throughout the entire course of their studies and beyond. It certainly served to broaden their thinking on the meaning of recreation in its many diverse forms, and the potential it holds to enhance the lives of all persons, and in particular those who face particular barriers in accessing the services.
QUEST FOR A NEW WORLD
This was an intensive two-day experience designed to transition first year students from high school into the new world of the Annapolis Valley, of university, of adulthood, and of the recreation profession. Students were introduced to a number of communities, both geographic as well as cultural. The cultural communities included First Nations, French Acadians, artists, farmers, fishers, historians, activists, entrepreneurs, and the military; and the geographic communities of Annapolis Royal, Digby, Aldershot, Greenwich, and Grand Pre.
A key objective was to engage students in the learning process and facilitate them accepting greater interest in, and responsibility for, their learning. The process involved posing questions for the students to consider prior to each component of the program and debriefing each of the experience, both through self reflection and a group exercise. Four key questions served to frame the overall orientation experience for the students: 1) what are my most effective means of learning and finding new solutions to age old issues?; 2) who is my authentic self and how can I reflect that is my work?; 3) how can I use the power and privilege that education affords me to fight for social justice?; 4) and how can I best use my assets and help mobilize others to build healthier communities?
A key objective was to engage students in the learning process and facilitate them accepting greater interest in, and responsibility for, their learning. The process involved posing questions for the students to consider prior to each component of the program and debriefing each of the experience, both through self reflection and a group exercise. Four key questions served to frame the overall orientation experience for the students: 1) what are my most effective means of learning and finding new solutions to age old issues?; 2) who is my authentic self and how can I reflect that is my work?; 3) how can I use the power and privilege that education affords me to fight for social justice?; 4) and how can I best use my assets and help mobilize others to build healthier communities?
ORIENTATION PROGRAM: QUEST FOR A NEW WORLD
The framework upon which individual program components were developed for the Quest for the New World consisted of 4 general themes, each relating to specific roles students would be expected to fulfil both in university and as professionals in the field.
THEME: Community Building - Building social capital with colleagues, professors, mentors, and alumni.
DESCRIPTION: Understanding that we all have assets and that through the development of relationships with a diverse set of others we can help build communities to make the world a better place, including the Recreation Management community.
ROLE: Builders
THEME: Exploration - Discovering your best ways of learning, planning, and problem solving.
DESCRIPTION: Dedication to finding new solutions to address old problems through creative and brave approaches that some may consider to unconventional. Need to find a personal path in a confusing and conflicted world.
ROLE: Explorers
THEME: Professionalism - Achieving, and taking pride in, your best work as a young professional.
DESCRIPTION: To have a realistic sense of true self and embrace and celebrate the positive while continuing to work on the less developed aspects. To act with integrity and accountability.
ROLE: Achievers
THEME: Power - Using your personal power to fight for the social change in the world.
DESCRIPTION: With education comes power and privilege and with power comes responsibility to fight for social justice and to make the world a better place.
ROLE: Warriors
DESCRIPTION: Understanding that we all have assets and that through the development of relationships with a diverse set of others we can help build communities to make the world a better place, including the Recreation Management community.
ROLE: Builders
THEME: Exploration - Discovering your best ways of learning, planning, and problem solving.
DESCRIPTION: Dedication to finding new solutions to address old problems through creative and brave approaches that some may consider to unconventional. Need to find a personal path in a confusing and conflicted world.
ROLE: Explorers
THEME: Professionalism - Achieving, and taking pride in, your best work as a young professional.
DESCRIPTION: To have a realistic sense of true self and embrace and celebrate the positive while continuing to work on the less developed aspects. To act with integrity and accountability.
ROLE: Achievers
THEME: Power - Using your personal power to fight for the social change in the world.
DESCRIPTION: With education comes power and privilege and with power comes responsibility to fight for social justice and to make the world a better place.
ROLE: Warriors
The program was delivered by faculty, with a support team of senior students, alumni, and professionals, all committed to ensuring that participants gained maximum benefit from the experience. Students were invited to participate in the orientation in a rather unique manner, establishing early that this would be no ordinary academic orientation experience. An account, written by the student co leaders read as follows: It was a warm but rainy early fall day when 30 students, 6 student leaders and the faculty and staff of the Recreation Management program gathered in the foyer of the academic building where learning generally takes place in the classrooms. Not this day. Students had a change of clothing, a sleeping bag, a clipboard with paper, and a $5.00 bill. The previous week, their leadership class had been intruded upon by ‘Sammy” Champlain (Prof Alan Warner), obviously very disoriented, searching for people to accompany him on his quest to colonize North America. The faculty member who pursued him into the room (Prof Brenda Robertson), dressed in full academic dress, attempted to calm Sammy down and point out that in fact this was the year 2007 and not 1604, despite attempts by the leadership Professor (John Colton) to hustle them both from the room so he could continue teaching his class. Ignoring him, and the students present, the dialogue continued with the professor in pursuit attempting to ascertain the mission of this 17th century French explorer. It turns out he was recruiting fellow adventurers to accompany him to explore the opportunities and challenges of the ‘new world’ and was having a difficult time finding persons of a certain character. When Sammy asked of the professor if she was a judge dressed in her ornamental black robes, she smiled and responded that she was a judge of sorts. She explained to him that as a professor she was continually judging the development of her students, and their potential to create a new world, one where greater value would be placed upon leisure and an enhanced quality of life. She lamented the challenge in finding recreation students with the characteristics necessary to become the leaders of the future leisure era. The dialogue continued with the observation that perhaps they were both seeking individuals with a similar set of characteristics; that is people who were explorers and community builders, who were professionals capable of being custodians of power. At that point, Professor Colton interrupted the discussion to interject that the students in that very class were apprenticing as leaders through their studies and that perhaps they could be considered as viable recruits for the quest of either Sammy or the Professor. An argument quickly ensued in terms of who would stake claim to this human resource. It was finally determined with a hand shake, that a 36 hour challenge, led by Sammy and the Professor, would be the most appropriate way to determine the suitability of these students to become future leaders in the societal quest to create the conditions that would support more balanced and satisfying leisure lifestyles. The students were extended a formal invitation to join in the challenge and the adventure had begun.
The components that made up the two-day program included the following:
Port Royal: This fort is a National Historic Site representing the first permanent European settlement in North America and it was here that participants learned about the value of collaboration through the experience of the Acadians. During the visit, comparisons were made between the transition from high school to University life and the French explorers coming to the new world. The use of this metaphor assisted the first-year students to understand the importance of building a sense of community. The Acadians came to this land in 1604 with very few resources, but through establishing partnerships with the Mi’kmaq peoples, they were only able to not only survive but to create a comfortable life for themselves. Recreation played an important role in their survival with the creation of the first social club in North America called the Order of Good Cheer. Reflection questions for this component focused upon finding ways to nourish and sustain oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally as well to identifying and building relationships to support that goal.
Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail: This area was once a thriving black community, settled following the American Revolution. Today it is primarily a wilderness area managed and maintained by Annapolis County Recreation Services. The trail system was opened in 1985 and consists of two trails: of approximately 2 kms in length. Three ecosystems are represented...forest, coastline, and stream and the intertidal zones are exposed during low tide. Students walked the trails and along the way, encountered initiative tasks at various stations where they were challenged to explore their personal connections to the natural world.
Digby: Established in 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists, Digby has long been a fishing and lumbering centre. With a long, seafaring history, Digby was an important regional transportation centre in the 1890’s where trains connected with steamships. Today, the picturesque town is home to a large fishing fleet, and is known worldwide for their famous scallops. In Digby, participants were challenged to talk with local people and try to discover the essence of the community and what makes it cohesive and sustainable. Small teams of students were tasked with finding the answers by meeting with people in specific sectors (e.g. recreation, tourism, education, fishing, social services, business). At the conclusion of the task, groups met at the local sports complex where they had to present their finding pictorially on a large mural, and then explain the results to the town council. In addition, each group was given a specific question about an aspect of the local culture that they needed to discover an answer for and incorporate it into the mural. The students discovered Digby to be a healthy, well functioning, close knit community where everyone happily used whatever assets they possessed for the great good of all. They also learned about the importance of building one’s social capital in order to leverage the assets of others.
Supper in Digby: The supper experience was a living example of what they had discovered about the community. Because one of the faculty members had built capacity with the municipal Recreation Director over the years, an arrangement was made that for a nominal fee, someone in the community would provide a modest meal of soup and sandwiches for the group. Once the community got wind of the request, a number of folks took it upon themselves to prepare and serve the meal. As such, the students were treated to a “taste of Digby” which included seafood chowder, mussels, bacon wrapped scallops, haddock, halibut, fish cakes, vegetables, home made bread and preserves, apple pie and ice cream, ginger bread and lemon sauce, and refreshments all for the pre-arranged nominal fee. All courses were served in abundance with plenty of leftovers, making the students taste and feel the sense of what that community was all about.
Night at Camp Hillis: Camp Hillis is a residential summer camp located on 10 acres of land in Paradise Nova Scotia. The facility has operated since the 1970s by the Department of Social Services, offering camp experiences to disenfranchised children and adults. Participants slept in rustic cabins, which fostered plenty of conversation and debriefing of the days activities. The evening program held around a campfire, featured Aboriginal drumming and story telling. Emile, a local Metis leader, led a powerful process designed to assist participants to get in touch with their spiritual self and explore its relation to the external world. Although it was lights out early, in depth discussions extended into the wee hours in most of the cabins.
Annapolis Royal is a beautiful waterfront community, originally inhabited by a strong Mi’kmaq community, and in 1605 the area became home to some of North America’s earliest European settlers. The Annapolis Royal area has gained a reputation as a vibrant centre for arts and cultural activity, and over the years it has become a magnet for visual artists, craftspeople, performers and writers. Residents are proud of their many well-preserved heritage buildings that make up one of the loveliest streetscapes in the country. They’re also pleased to be recognized as a community where volunteerism is alive and well. This initiative consisted of three distinct components: 1) a visit to ARTsPLACE, a centre run by Annapolis Region Community Arts Council to support artistic endeavours, where the MY STORY photo project was on display. Locals Nathaniel and Susan Tileston travelled to Burma and taught photography workshops to local refugees, and equipped them with digital cameras and asked them to document their lives. Proceeds from the sale of photographs supports humanitarian needs in Burma. Nat and Susan were on hand to discuss how art helps build community; 2) Students visited the Annapolis Royal Farmer’s and Trader’s Market where they mingled with the local people, interacted with the farmers and artists, and purchased a $5 lunch; 3) pairs of students were each assigned the name of a local artist who they had to go find in his or her studio, and interview about the meaning of art, about being authentic and expressing oneself through ones work.
Camp Aldershot: Established in the late 1880s, Camp Aldershot has served as a militia training facility for the cavalry, infantry, and artillery. During war time, the camp served as the training centre for thousands of military personnel through instructor schools, trade schools, and officer training schools. The camp presently hosts a number of Army Reserve units as well as the 5th Canadian Division Training Centre which conducts year round courses for Regular and Reserve Force personnel. Canada has long been recognized for the quality of the military training programs. The Acadia group had the privilege of meeting with one such group at the camp. Small groups of military officers from around the world and students met to engage in discussion about power & conflict resolution. With certain roles in society, including military officials as well as recreation professionals, comes a degree of power over others. This task challenged the students to reflect upon how power can be used to bring about socially desirable ends.
Noggins Corner Farm: Although the farm market has only been around since the early 1990s, the farm has existed in the Bishop family since the 1760s. A business does not thrive for 250 years without understanding the concept of community, and being a contributor to community. During the past few decades, the business could not exist solely on growing and selling farm produce and so turned to offering recreation-based services to supplement their income (e.g. hayrides, trails, corn maze, haunted house).
Order of Good Cheer at Grand Pre: Although many of the French arrived in Port Royal in search of a new and better world for themselves, that dream was shattered years later in Grand Pre where the English expelled and deported them. This therefore seemed like a fitting location to hold an Order of Good Cheer dinner, much as was done in the early 1600s. A grand feast was prepared for the students and they provided the entertainment. In small groups, they prepared and presented a short play based upon some key learnings from the previous 2 days highlighting ways in which they felt better equipped to succeed the new world they had entered or the ones that lay directly in their paths.
Transportation back to Wolfville: As the evening drew to a close and the students grew weary, concerns arose about how they would make the journey back to campus given that the bus had long since departed. They were told to gather their gear and make there way outside the hall, where they found waiting, a large farm wagon, compliments of Noggins Farm. Climbing aboard, they made there way back to town, under the light of the full moon, atop the dykes that the French Acadian had so carefully crafted 250 years earlier. The 45 minute trip gave time for quiet reflection upon all that they had experienced, and learned, during the previous 40 hours.
The components that made up the two-day program included the following:
Port Royal: This fort is a National Historic Site representing the first permanent European settlement in North America and it was here that participants learned about the value of collaboration through the experience of the Acadians. During the visit, comparisons were made between the transition from high school to University life and the French explorers coming to the new world. The use of this metaphor assisted the first-year students to understand the importance of building a sense of community. The Acadians came to this land in 1604 with very few resources, but through establishing partnerships with the Mi’kmaq peoples, they were only able to not only survive but to create a comfortable life for themselves. Recreation played an important role in their survival with the creation of the first social club in North America called the Order of Good Cheer. Reflection questions for this component focused upon finding ways to nourish and sustain oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally as well to identifying and building relationships to support that goal.
Delaps Cove Wilderness Trail: This area was once a thriving black community, settled following the American Revolution. Today it is primarily a wilderness area managed and maintained by Annapolis County Recreation Services. The trail system was opened in 1985 and consists of two trails: of approximately 2 kms in length. Three ecosystems are represented...forest, coastline, and stream and the intertidal zones are exposed during low tide. Students walked the trails and along the way, encountered initiative tasks at various stations where they were challenged to explore their personal connections to the natural world.
Digby: Established in 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists, Digby has long been a fishing and lumbering centre. With a long, seafaring history, Digby was an important regional transportation centre in the 1890’s where trains connected with steamships. Today, the picturesque town is home to a large fishing fleet, and is known worldwide for their famous scallops. In Digby, participants were challenged to talk with local people and try to discover the essence of the community and what makes it cohesive and sustainable. Small teams of students were tasked with finding the answers by meeting with people in specific sectors (e.g. recreation, tourism, education, fishing, social services, business). At the conclusion of the task, groups met at the local sports complex where they had to present their finding pictorially on a large mural, and then explain the results to the town council. In addition, each group was given a specific question about an aspect of the local culture that they needed to discover an answer for and incorporate it into the mural. The students discovered Digby to be a healthy, well functioning, close knit community where everyone happily used whatever assets they possessed for the great good of all. They also learned about the importance of building one’s social capital in order to leverage the assets of others.
Supper in Digby: The supper experience was a living example of what they had discovered about the community. Because one of the faculty members had built capacity with the municipal Recreation Director over the years, an arrangement was made that for a nominal fee, someone in the community would provide a modest meal of soup and sandwiches for the group. Once the community got wind of the request, a number of folks took it upon themselves to prepare and serve the meal. As such, the students were treated to a “taste of Digby” which included seafood chowder, mussels, bacon wrapped scallops, haddock, halibut, fish cakes, vegetables, home made bread and preserves, apple pie and ice cream, ginger bread and lemon sauce, and refreshments all for the pre-arranged nominal fee. All courses were served in abundance with plenty of leftovers, making the students taste and feel the sense of what that community was all about.
Night at Camp Hillis: Camp Hillis is a residential summer camp located on 10 acres of land in Paradise Nova Scotia. The facility has operated since the 1970s by the Department of Social Services, offering camp experiences to disenfranchised children and adults. Participants slept in rustic cabins, which fostered plenty of conversation and debriefing of the days activities. The evening program held around a campfire, featured Aboriginal drumming and story telling. Emile, a local Metis leader, led a powerful process designed to assist participants to get in touch with their spiritual self and explore its relation to the external world. Although it was lights out early, in depth discussions extended into the wee hours in most of the cabins.
Annapolis Royal is a beautiful waterfront community, originally inhabited by a strong Mi’kmaq community, and in 1605 the area became home to some of North America’s earliest European settlers. The Annapolis Royal area has gained a reputation as a vibrant centre for arts and cultural activity, and over the years it has become a magnet for visual artists, craftspeople, performers and writers. Residents are proud of their many well-preserved heritage buildings that make up one of the loveliest streetscapes in the country. They’re also pleased to be recognized as a community where volunteerism is alive and well. This initiative consisted of three distinct components: 1) a visit to ARTsPLACE, a centre run by Annapolis Region Community Arts Council to support artistic endeavours, where the MY STORY photo project was on display. Locals Nathaniel and Susan Tileston travelled to Burma and taught photography workshops to local refugees, and equipped them with digital cameras and asked them to document their lives. Proceeds from the sale of photographs supports humanitarian needs in Burma. Nat and Susan were on hand to discuss how art helps build community; 2) Students visited the Annapolis Royal Farmer’s and Trader’s Market where they mingled with the local people, interacted with the farmers and artists, and purchased a $5 lunch; 3) pairs of students were each assigned the name of a local artist who they had to go find in his or her studio, and interview about the meaning of art, about being authentic and expressing oneself through ones work.
Camp Aldershot: Established in the late 1880s, Camp Aldershot has served as a militia training facility for the cavalry, infantry, and artillery. During war time, the camp served as the training centre for thousands of military personnel through instructor schools, trade schools, and officer training schools. The camp presently hosts a number of Army Reserve units as well as the 5th Canadian Division Training Centre which conducts year round courses for Regular and Reserve Force personnel. Canada has long been recognized for the quality of the military training programs. The Acadia group had the privilege of meeting with one such group at the camp. Small groups of military officers from around the world and students met to engage in discussion about power & conflict resolution. With certain roles in society, including military officials as well as recreation professionals, comes a degree of power over others. This task challenged the students to reflect upon how power can be used to bring about socially desirable ends.
Noggins Corner Farm: Although the farm market has only been around since the early 1990s, the farm has existed in the Bishop family since the 1760s. A business does not thrive for 250 years without understanding the concept of community, and being a contributor to community. During the past few decades, the business could not exist solely on growing and selling farm produce and so turned to offering recreation-based services to supplement their income (e.g. hayrides, trails, corn maze, haunted house).
Order of Good Cheer at Grand Pre: Although many of the French arrived in Port Royal in search of a new and better world for themselves, that dream was shattered years later in Grand Pre where the English expelled and deported them. This therefore seemed like a fitting location to hold an Order of Good Cheer dinner, much as was done in the early 1600s. A grand feast was prepared for the students and they provided the entertainment. In small groups, they prepared and presented a short play based upon some key learnings from the previous 2 days highlighting ways in which they felt better equipped to succeed the new world they had entered or the ones that lay directly in their paths.
Transportation back to Wolfville: As the evening drew to a close and the students grew weary, concerns arose about how they would make the journey back to campus given that the bus had long since departed. They were told to gather their gear and make there way outside the hall, where they found waiting, a large farm wagon, compliments of Noggins Farm. Climbing aboard, they made there way back to town, under the light of the full moon, atop the dykes that the French Acadian had so carefully crafted 250 years earlier. The 45 minute trip gave time for quiet reflection upon all that they had experienced, and learned, during the previous 40 hours.
SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH DIFFERENT EYESThe program had a similar structure and objectives as the previous Quest for the New World orientation. The focus was on students gaining a better understanding of the meaning of recreation in their own lives, and in the communities of those who have been traditionally disenfranchised in a variety of ways including access to recreation services. The program took place in the Halifax area where participants could interact with a variety of diverse groups and start to gain an appreciation for their perspective. Faculty designed a program intended to heighten student awareness that recreation enhances the health and quality of life of individuals and communities, that it takes many different forms as determined by each individual, that it is a fundamental human need for all persons, and that is essential to ones physical, social, and psychological well-being.
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ORIENTATION PROGRAM: SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES
Recreation in urban environments: Small groups explored the nature of diverse opportunities that exist in the urban area relative to various forms of recreation: Outdoor, Theatre, Music, Sport, Commercial, Tourism, and Festivals. Students joined a group exploring the area of the field with which they are least familiar.
Understanding professional practise: During this session, small groups spent time with a recreation professional learning about the nature of his or her work and the means by which they try to ensure that as many people as possible have access to their services.
Greek Feast: Since the early 1900s, there has existed an active Greek community in Halifax. In the mid 1970s they built a large church and community centre of the Northwest Arm. Students were warmly welcomed to the Greek centre for a traditional meal, music, and dancing.
Adventure Earth Centre: The group was treated to some after dark activities at this unique outdoor education centre located in a wooded park area in the heart of the city. In small groups, students hiked through the forest visiting a series of stations where they engaged in a variety of environmental education initiatives.
Chocolate Recreation Centre: This was home for the night and the group learned about the meaning and value of such a facility to the residents of a suburban area that is home to a diverse population.
Communities within: This day long session enabled small groups to learn about specific cultural groups that make up the fabric of the city by visiting specific areas, interacting with members of the community, and gaining an understanding of their leisure lifestyles. The target groups included African Nova Scotians, Recent Immigrants, Muslim, Activists, Street kids, Seniors, and members of the LGBT community.
Socratic dinner: For the final dinner, a group of interesting individuals representing diverse communities that make up the city were invited to host an intimate dinner for 3 student guests, at a unique inexpensive eatery, and engage the dinner guests in discussion on a topic related to the theme of the orientation. Students signed up for the dinner experience of their choice
Understanding professional practise: During this session, small groups spent time with a recreation professional learning about the nature of his or her work and the means by which they try to ensure that as many people as possible have access to their services.
Greek Feast: Since the early 1900s, there has existed an active Greek community in Halifax. In the mid 1970s they built a large church and community centre of the Northwest Arm. Students were warmly welcomed to the Greek centre for a traditional meal, music, and dancing.
Adventure Earth Centre: The group was treated to some after dark activities at this unique outdoor education centre located in a wooded park area in the heart of the city. In small groups, students hiked through the forest visiting a series of stations where they engaged in a variety of environmental education initiatives.
Chocolate Recreation Centre: This was home for the night and the group learned about the meaning and value of such a facility to the residents of a suburban area that is home to a diverse population.
Communities within: This day long session enabled small groups to learn about specific cultural groups that make up the fabric of the city by visiting specific areas, interacting with members of the community, and gaining an understanding of their leisure lifestyles. The target groups included African Nova Scotians, Recent Immigrants, Muslim, Activists, Street kids, Seniors, and members of the LGBT community.
Socratic dinner: For the final dinner, a group of interesting individuals representing diverse communities that make up the city were invited to host an intimate dinner for 3 student guests, at a unique inexpensive eatery, and engage the dinner guests in discussion on a topic related to the theme of the orientation. Students signed up for the dinner experience of their choice