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Beyond "Fun and Games" -- Emerging Roles of Public Recreation

NCJ Number
163333
Date Published
1994
Length
64 pages
Annotation
The National Park and Recreation Association has prepared 19 State and local profiles of public recreation programs representing a broad range of public programs, services, and resources that bring new dimensions to recreation as a human service.
Abstract
The profiles are intended to inform local, State, and Federal policymakers about the diversity and impact of public recreation in a society increasingly at risk. The profiles are also designed to assist media organizations and others responsible for understanding and communicating public actions to society at-large and to help recreation and park policymakers, executives, and managers discover initiatives appropriate to their circumstances. The 19 profiles embrace disease prevention and health promotion, latch key children, personal and public health, juvenile curfews, medical services, day care, nutrition for elderly and young persons, substance abuse prevention, mental health and family counseling, teenage pregnancy, services for the homeless, family and community revitalization, gang and violence prevention, familial abuse, arts and culture awareness, career development, infrastructure restoration, and economic revitalization. Various programs and projects are described, including the City Streets Project in Phoenix that imposed a juvenile curfew program; late evening recreation programs in Cincinnati: Project Pride in Santa Ana, California, to prevent crime, vandalism, and antisocial behavior; the STARS Program in Fort Myers, Florida, to prevent disruptive behavior in school and criminal behavior by juveniles in the community; a public-private outreach partnership in Olympia, Washington; a cooperative gang prevention program in Dallas; the Nord Youth Services Center in New Mexico; and a juvenile drug prevention program in Baltimore. Information is provided on program costs and points of contact. Photographs