CRIME & JUSTICE
One area of employment where the suitability of persons with a leisure and recreation background may not seem readily apparent is crime and justice, yet many Acadia Rec grads have carved out successful careers in that field. The sub fields include law, policing, and corrections. In terms of the legal field, aspects of the recreation program that were useful include an understanding of how social systems operate, respect for the human rights, an appreciation of diversity, and the need to protect quality of life through policy and legislation. The types of positions that Acadia Rec grads have held include Legal Counsel, Crown Prosecutor, Corporate lawyer, Barrister and Solicitor, Law Firm Partner, Legal Aid Counsel, Director of the Energy Secretariat, Climate Change Policy Specialist, and Environmental Legislative Auditor.
Some aspects of policing that attract recreation graduates include a concern for at-risk youth, an understanding that some people engage in antisocial behaviour as recreation, knowledge of the social conditions that foster aberrant behaviour, and an appreciation for the value of community-based alternatives to incarceration. Acadia Rec grads have served as police officers, RCMP officers and administrators in various locations throughout the country, Youth Officers, Sheriffs, and Enforcement Officers.
In terms of the justice system, positive forms of recreation engagement have long been recognized as a deterrent to participation in many forms of deviant or delinquent behaviour. Engagement in certain forms criminal activities satisfies the same needs realized through recreation including adrenalin rush, challenge, recognition, and stress release. The understanding of human behaviour and motivation, appreciation of social factors that cause exclusion, and an awareness how to work effectively with disenfranchised populations are useful working in the rehabilitation process, which is the focus of Corrections in Canada. Some positions that Acadia Rec grads have held relate directly to the provision of recreation and leisure education in institutional settings including Youth Workers, Leisure Time Coordinators, Recreation Managers, Aquatics Supervisors, Sport Coordinators, Outdoor Program Leaders, Volunteer Coordinators, and Leisure Educators. Other grads, with additional training, have served as Guards, Institution Administrators, Addictions treatment staff, and Chaplains.
A number of Rec graduates have served in such roles as Corrections Canada Citizens Advisory Committee members, Correctional Recreation Association Board members, and the Concilio Prison Ministry Board members. They have been involved, as volunteers, with such programs as facilitating Christmas programs for inmates, and running Kairos Marathons within correctional facilities which are 2 day sessions where volunteers and prisoners come together to talk, share concerns, support each other, and grow personally, emotionally and spiritually.
In terms of the justice system, positive forms of recreation engagement have long been recognized as a deterrent to participation in many forms of deviant or delinquent behaviour. Engagement in certain forms criminal activities satisfies the same needs realized through recreation including adrenalin rush, challenge, recognition, and stress release. The understanding of human behaviour and motivation, appreciation of social factors that cause exclusion, and an awareness how to work effectively with disenfranchised populations are useful working in the rehabilitation process, which is the focus of Corrections in Canada. Some positions that Acadia Rec grads have held relate directly to the provision of recreation and leisure education in institutional settings including Youth Workers, Leisure Time Coordinators, Recreation Managers, Aquatics Supervisors, Sport Coordinators, Outdoor Program Leaders, Volunteer Coordinators, and Leisure Educators. Other grads, with additional training, have served as Guards, Institution Administrators, Addictions treatment staff, and Chaplains.
A number of Rec graduates have served in such roles as Corrections Canada Citizens Advisory Committee members, Correctional Recreation Association Board members, and the Concilio Prison Ministry Board members. They have been involved, as volunteers, with such programs as facilitating Christmas programs for inmates, and running Kairos Marathons within correctional facilities which are 2 day sessions where volunteers and prisoners come together to talk, share concerns, support each other, and grow personally, emotionally and spiritually.
ALUMNUS CAREER PROFILE
Dave V Wright ’98 continued his education earning law related degrees from Dalhousie, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Stanford. His degree at Stanford focused on Environmental law. His legal career began as General Counsel and later Director/Senior Energy Advisor with the Government of Nunavut. After 2 years in the north, he relocated Australia where he worked for the government as Senior Advisor, Office of Energy and Earth Resources Strategic Policy. Next in his career path was a position as a Climate Change Specialist with the United Nations in Maldives. Heading back to Canada in 2011, Dave worked for the Office of the Auditor General for 5 years doing legal work related to pipelines, offshore oil & gas, environmental assessment, fisheries and climate change. He then headed back up north for 2 years to serve as General Counsel with Gwich'in Tribal Council in the Northwest Territories. In recent years, he has returned to his native Alberta where he is a Law Professor at the University of Calgary.