ResourcesNo.50
May 2007
 
    

Watching the Web:
Leisure and Recreation Associations
Gretchen Ghent

 

The words leisure and recreation may seem easy to define but each has different meanings to different people. Leisure is thought by many to mean that time when one has no obligations or is not at work and is free to enjoy many activities. Recreation can also mean the same thing – games, hobbies, or recreational sports.
Leisure time may consist of updating information and skills in an educational context (reading, taking educational courses, learning a new skill or spending time on hobbies such as knitting, sewing, model trains, stamp collecting, or making decorative objects).
For this Webliography a number of specific activities, for example, alpine/mountaineering clubs, hiking/walking societies, whitewater/rafting associations, surfing/soaring associations, hobbies and crafts, were not included. The focus is on national, regional or international inclusive recreation and leisure organizations.

Directories and Meta Search Engines
To find specific recreations go to Google Directory using the following example:
LIN Lifestyles Information Network
http://www.lin.ca/
Collects and disseminates information and publications on health, parks, recreation, sport and culture, especially the “gray literature”.
Intute: Social Sciences
http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/
Search this directory for leisure studies or recreation to find websites that Intute recommends
Therapeutic Recreation Directory
http://www.recreationtherapy.com/

International Organizations:
International Federation of Parks and Recreation Administration (IFPRA)
http://www.ifpra.org/
World Leisure and Recreation Association (WLRA)
http://www.worldleisure.org/
This is a major international association for leisure and recreation. Note that their section on partners is not complete as yet.
A commercial website, international in scope, that has sections on outdoors in many countries, city guides, active vacations, sells gear for hiking and winter activities is Outside magazine that is connected to Orbitz (http://www.orbitz.com/ )and Away.com. See also
GORP (the great outdoor recreation pages)
http://gorp.away.com/index.html
and

Africa
The best listing of sport and recreation organizations in Africa can be found on the website of
Sport and Recreation South Africa.
See their Sport Atlas
http://www.srsa.gov.za/Sports.asp
Institute of Environmental and Recreation Management (Ferndale, South Africa)
http://www.ierm.org.za

Asia
Daehan Therapeutic Recreation Association
http://www.tr4u.co.kr/
Website in Korean only
Hong Kong. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Dept. Country and Marine Parks
http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/country/cou_vis/cou_vis_cou/cou_vis_cou.html
National Recreation Association of Japan
Suidobashi, Nishiguchi Kaikan
20-7 Misaki-cho 2 chome
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101 Japan
Tel: (03)3265-1369 Tokyo
Taiwan Recreation Portal
http://202.39.225.132/jsp/Eng/html/search/index2.jsp?layer1=2
Outdoor Recreation Association of Taiwan

Europe
For many European countries, sport, recreation and leisure for the general population is included in governmental sport confederations or councils. For an explanation on how this is organized in 15 countries of the European Commission see:
http://ec.europa.eu/sport/information/structures/sport-structures-ms_en.html
Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS)
http://www.atlas-euro.org/
Countryside Recreation Network (UK)
http://www.countrysiderecreation.org.uk/
Deutscher Olympischer SportBund (Leistungssport, Breitensport sections)
http://www.dosb.de/
Institute for Sport, Parks and Leisure (ISPAL)
http://www.ispal.org.uk/index.cfm
Spanish Association of Parks and Public Gardens / Asociacion Espanola de Parques y Jardines Publicos
http://www.aepjp.com/
Sports & Leisure Association of the International Labour Organization
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/snl/website.home?p_lang=en

North America
Adventure Travel Society
http://www.adventuretravelsociety.com/
(Website under construction early 2007)
American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA)
http://www.rpts.tamu.edu/AAPRA/
American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR)
One of the six associations within AAHPERD. AAPAR was formed in 2005 as a result of a merger between the American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness (AAALF) and the American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR,)
http://www.aahperd.org/aapar/
American Recreation Coalition
http://www.funoutdoors.com/arc
American Therapeutic Recreation Association
http://www.atra-tr.org/
Association of American Geographers. Recreation, Tourism and Sports Specialty Group
http://www.geog.nau.edu/rts/
Canadian Association for Leisure Studies (CALS)/ Association canadienne d'etudes en loisir
http://www.eas.ualberta.ca/elj/cals/home.htm
Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute
http://www.cflri.ca/eng/index.php
Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) / l'Association canadienne des parcs et loisirs
http://www.cpra.ca/
See World Playground directory website for links to all the provincial parks and recreation associations
http://www.world-playground.com/ParkRecreation.htm#canada
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
http://www.cpaws.org/
Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA)
http://www.canadian-tr.org/
National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP)
http://www.narrp.org/
National Association of State Park Directors
http://www.naspd.org/
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
http://www.nctrc.org/
National Forest Recreation Association
http://nfra.org/default.aspx
National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)
http://www.nrpa.org/
See World Playground directory website for all US state parks and recreation associations
http://www.world-playground.com/ParkRecreation.htm#usa
Society of Park and Recreation Educators
http://www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=531

Oceania
Australia Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association
http://www.aalara.com.au/aalara.htm
Australian Council for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Inc. (ACHPER)
http://www.achper.org.au/
Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies (ANZALS)
http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/anzals/
New Zealand Recreation Association
http://www.nzrecreation.org.nz/
Parks and Leisure Australia
http://www.parks-leisure.com.au/
SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand)
http://www.sparc.org.nz/
List of Recognized National Recreation Organizations
http://www.sparc.org.nz/partners-and-programmes/national-recreation-organisations/
recognised-national-recrea


Contact
Ms. Gretchen Ghent, Librarian Emeritus
President (Pro tem), International Association for Sports Information
The University of Calgary Library
Calgary, Alberta
CANADA
Email: gghent@ucalgary.ca




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