University Park, Pa. -- Many American parents feel overwhelmed by the wealth of structured leisure activities that their kids are involved in. However, the dearth of available recreational opportunities, planned or otherwise, for youth in much of the rest of the world may be limiting both those children's development and their nations' social and economic progress, Penn State experts say.
In a recent presentation at the international Leisure Futures conference in Innsbruck, Austria, Linda Caldwell, professor of recreation and park management, provided an overview of research conducted in five countries--South Africa, Togo, Australia, Sweden and Chile--by faculty from a variety of institutions. Caldwell's co-author for the paper was Cheryl Baldwin, assistant professor of hotel, restaurant and recreation management. Both researchers are based in Penn State's School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management.
Caldwell says that although no comprehensive studies exist to give a firm grasp of leisure trends among youth worldwide, it seems clear that many cultures, particularly those struggling with economic hardships, consider time devoted to recreation and social activities to be neither productive in the short term nor important to becoming a well-rounded adult. Furthermore, even among those countries that are more "Western" or economically advanced, including the United States, there is uneven distribution of services and opportunities for recreation to youth of different backgrounds, and to boys versus girls.
However, "If you subscribe to the notion that what one experiences during free time is as important as what one does with it, then finding a balance of structured and unstructured activities is important to both children and to the societies that they will grow to become leaders in," Caldwell says. "Leisure is important to healthy personal, as well as societal, development. That makes what little we know about youth leisure worldwide look discouraging--the opportunities are allocated very unevenly, and gender, disability and socioeconomic status play too large a role in determining who gets to do what."
For instance, most youth growing up in Tomegbe--a small rural village in Togo where the main form of entertainment is listening to music, dancing and watching television--are rarely involved in any organized activities. For girls, it is worse. Certain games are banned so that girls will have enough time for chores and study, notes Caldwell, who was involved in a recent study of that African nation.
Another study that Caldwell is participating in, based in Santiago, Chile, found that many youth encountered institutional barriers to leisure, depending on their social class--upper-middle and upper-class families took charge of their children"s social and leisure lives while agencies intended to create programs for lower-class youth lacked sufficient funds to make much difference.
Baldwin points out that while there is evidence of youth in such newly democratic or developing countries participating in pro-social activities, most surveys or statistics ignore this facet of leisure time use. "We do not know what it is about different extracurricular activities that promotes pro-social behavior," she says.
Caldwell adds, "The fact is that unless culture, gender and socioeconomic status privilege a youth, opportunities for developmentally productive leisure are lacking across much of the globe. Neither the United States nor other countries seem to be able to avoid this reality. And yet, the question of who is responsible for youth policy as it relates to leisure, youth service provision and civic engagement is rarely brought up in discussions of developing nations."
**gwc**
Contact:
Gary W. Cramer (814)-865-7517 gwc104@psu.edu
EDITORS: Linda Caldwell is at 814-863-8983 or lindac@psu.edu