Identity research has focused primarily on outcomes associated with identity formation. Far less attention, however, has been given to understanding the facilitating contextual elements of this process. This qualitative study examined a context, a 2-week adventure recreation program for youth, quantitatively shown in previous research to have…

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a…

This article discusses social dimensions of the play form. (PD)

Storey (2008), in his eloquent and timely critique of the Special Olympics and his call to close it down, focuses on the failure of the Special Olympics to achieve the goal of social integration and sustained social interaction among people with intellectual disabilities and their peers without a disability label. The authors wholeheartedly agree…

Parks and recreation professionals can help prevent juvenile delinquency by learning more about why young people feel disconnected with society and developing programs to help them develop strong ties and relationships with their communities. Social bonds can be developed through attachment, commitment, involvement, and positive beliefs. A sidebar…

Outdoor education and adventure programs can protect themselves from lawsuits by educating participants about risks of activities before they begin and by using properly written release forms. When an accident does occur, a lawsuit may not result if the injured party is talked to and treated like a friend. (SV)

According to sociological conventional wisdom, contact of the right kind in the right setting reduces stereotyping. Some research supports this hypothesis, some does not, and most can be challenged because the hypothesis conditions were not clearly met. This study attempted to meet the necessary conditions by using an unusually suitable setting,…

Expectancy theory suggests that volunteers make choices based on certain predetermined goals. Three major needs that can be applied to the selection of volunteer activities are: the need for achievement, the need for power, and the need for affiliation. (JN)

A study examined the relationship between older adults' motivations to participate in outdoor adventure experiences and their retirement status. Surveys of 782 adults over 55 years old participating in 72 outdoor adventure programs found that although there were several significant differences in motivation based on retirement status, the overall…

Investigators studied whether a systematically designed recreation program stressing cooperation and interaction among mentally retarded adults would increase the duration and frequency of social contacts. While the program did increase the frequency of social interactions, effects did not carry over after it ended. (Author/PP)

Since 2002, the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NMSBVI) in Alamogordo, New Mexico, has worked to create a partnership with the "Centro de Capacitacion para Invidentes" in Durango, Mexico, and the "Instituto de Asesoria y Apoyo para Ciegor" in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The purpose of this association was to…

This booklet contains descriptions of 150 urban action programs being conducted by Young Men's Christian Associations throughout the United States. Planning principles are included to assist those who wish to adapt the programs to local situations: involvement of people in planning; use of local indigenous leadership; planning in collaboration…