Reinventing the Wheel? Designing an Aboriginal Recreation and Community Development Program

Abstract

In recent years, studies and reports by organizations concerned with Aboriginalcommunity and economic development (including government departments,educational institutions, career counselors, and social agencies) have affirmed theimportance of recreation and leisure in Aboriginal community wellness. Another areaof growing interest is the potential economic and social benefit of developing culturaltourism for Aboriginal groups in Alberta. However, in both these related fields, theprovince lacks comprehensive postsecondary education opportunities for leaders andworkers. This article discusses the development of a college-level program inRecreation and Tourism Leadership designed for Aboriginal youth in central Alberta.The planned program emphasizes the integration of learning into the communitythrough innovative delivery systems and flexible accommodation of cultural learningstyles. The article explores program rationales and philosophies, related communityprograms, proposed sociocultural and technological contexts of delivery, and theprocess of consultation with Aboriginal community leaders and educators. Finally, itconsiders the obstacles to program implementation with reference to institutionalconstraints on innovative program delivery in Aboriginal recreation and communitydevelopment training and to indicators of its success in other jurisdictions.