The formal inclusion of participation in the new Canadian sport policy in 2002 marks a significant change in the Canadian sporting landscape, a change examined in this Masters thesis through a qualitative research methodology in the form of a questionnaire, interviews, and document analysis. The first section of the thesis seeks to gain a better understanding of what factors led the federal government to add participation to the new Canadian Sport Policy, and what the agendas were of the key stakeholders in the formation of the policy. Findings support Kingdon's Multiple Streams Theory but highlight the importance a single individual can have in driving the policy agenda. The second section examines the participation pillar's effect on NSOs related to new initiatives implemented and organizational structure and values linked to organizational archetypes. Six structure- and value-based barriers to change were found, throwing doubt on the ability of NSOs to deliver participation initiatives.

The increasing number of persons surviving into old age, the prolongation of the period spent in retirement, and the social changes resulting from urbanization and industrialization, have all combined to make the use of leisure time by the senior citizens an urgent social problem. For this study, two districts from the City of Vancouver, both of which had a high proportion of senior citizens, were selected and compared. The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of existing resources in meeting, the recreational needs of the senior citizens in the two areas. Foremost was the question of the nature of existing resources, their availability to the general population, and. their availability to senior citizens. It also attempted to throw some light on the meaning of recreation to the older person, and the extent to which he is willing or able to involve himself in meeting his own recreational needs. For the purpose of gaining information the cooperation was sought from ministers of local churches, and pensioners' organizations, through the use of questionnaires. These were followed up by personal interviews with staff of social and recreational agencies, representative men and women, and interested citizens. The socio-economic characteristics of the two areas are described, and the recreational resources available and. the use made of them by old people are analyzed. Many groups that replied indicated that the provision of recreation was part of their purpose, but that social action was their primary concern. The questionnaire was useful, but to determine the needs that are considered important by the recreation authorities and the pensioners, it was necessary to make further inquiries through personal interviews with people concerned with the issue. These findings are that the programmes studied are able to meet with varying degrees of success the needs of the senior citizens for companionship with their own group. The extension of existing facilities and programmes, and more frequent meetings are needed, however, to satisfy the emotional and leisure-time needs of senior citizens. In the last chapter, the recreational resources and needs are reviewed and the limitations of the survey are discussed. It appears that the survey dealt primarily with older people of limited financial means who enjoy sufficiently good health to go out to meetings. Larger questions regarding the recreational needs and resources available to all senior citizens, would require further surveys to answer them properly. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study investigated the background and experience of municipal recreation directors in the Southwest District of the United States and compared these qualifications with standards recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family religiosity, family recreation, and family functioning. Mahoney's Joint Religious Activities Questionnaire was used to measure family religiosity, while Zabriskie's Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to measure family leisure involvement. Olson's Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES II) was used to measure family functioning. The sample consisted of 121 parents and 99 youth from various faith groups and were selected using a convenience and snowball sample. Results indicated that there was a relationship between family religiosity and family recreation, and that both family religiosity and family recreation had a significant influence on family functioning for this sample. Data collected from both parents and youth in families provided interesting insights into the nature of the impact of family religiosity and family recreation on family functioning. Family religiosity was the most significant predictor of family functioning for parents, whereas for youth, both family recreation and family religiosity were the significant predictors of family functioning. These findings provide specific implications for parents and professionals who work with families.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family of origin rituals and young adults' attachment style when controlling for parents' attachment style. The sample consisted of 222 paired young adults and one parent (representing 208 families) from 36 different states. Family of origin rituals were measured using the Family Ritual Questionnaire (FRQ) and attachment was measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire. Results indicated a negative relationship between family of origin ritual meaning and young adult attachment anxiety. Results also indicated that family of origin ritual meaning significantly predicted young adult anxiety after controlling for parent attachment.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries