The financial embargo imposed by Israel and the international community to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) after Hamas’ control of the Palestinian Legislative Council in January 2006 cut down basic social services to the population both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. After the Annapolis Peace Conference, that was held in November 2007, the Brazilian Government participated at the International Donators Conference, an initiative of the French Government for the purpose of getting funds for the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PRDP). In this occasion, Brazil donated US$ 10 million to the PNA. The Palestinian leaders proposed that this sum of money should be spent with three great areas: health, agriculture and education. The Brazilian Government organized then meetings with some “experts” from these areas cited above, including myself, a PhD in Education from the Universidade de Brasilia that has been researching the relations between Education and Leisure for over 15 years now, and that spent nearly one month in the Palestinian Territories in 2006 in order to project possibilities toward advances in these fields. The goal of this presentation is to share with the leisure academic community during the 10th World Leisure Congress the achieved results and effects of the Brazilian multidisciplinary mission in general, and specifically concerning the proposal of improving leisure based on its connection with educational practices.

Access to document: B21_Alfredo_Feres.pdf

Le loisir humanitaire - Projet Action Loisir, République Dominicaine Été 2008
Rachel Berthiaume et Geneviève Lefebvre, Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup (Rivière-du-Loup, Canada)

Le loisir est un droit pour tous! L’exercice de ce droit pour les jeunes vivant dans les milieux défavorisés est-il porteur de développement? La présentation portera essentiellement sur le projet de loisir humanitaire réalisé par 6 étudiants, 2 enseignantes et une finissante du programme de Techniques d’intervention en loisir du Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup dans la communauté de Munoz en République Dominicaine à l’été 08, plus spécifiquement auprès des jeunes vivant dans les bateys haïtiens (travailleurs de la canne à sucre). Leurs mandats: - offrir une programmation d’activités adaptées, répondant à des besoins d’éducation, de sensibilisation à la santé, au développement du potentiel sportif et culturel aux jeunes vivant dans les bateys; - offrir des formations leadership, d’animation d’activités auprès des jeunes adultes - effectuer des rencontres de concertation avec les acteurs du milieu pour accroître l’accessibilité des infrastructures de loisir aux jeunes. L’initiative a débuté en janvier 2006, par une enseignante récréologue et une étudiante en loisir. Aujourd’hui, plusieurs acteurs se sont greffés au projet et participent activement au développement d’un loisir humanitaire, porteur de changement et d’amélioration de la qualité de vie des communautés défavorisées qui en bénéficie. Comment le loisir peut contribuer au développement des jeunes et de la communauté?Comment se sera passé l’intervention auprès des jeunes des bateys et de la communauté? Que restera-t-il de notre intervention? Aurons-nous fait une différence? Est-ce que les acteurs municipaux auront été des facilitateurs? Le loisir peut-il être un moyen pertinent dans la prise en charge? Quels sont les effets de notre intervention? L’exposé permettra de connaître les sources du projet, la réalité terrain, les modes d’intervention choisis et les prochaines actions envisagées par les gens impliqués.

Accès au document : B21_Rachel_Berthiaume.pdf

Between Global Perspectives and Local Participation: A Case Study of the World Leisure Organization and Leisures Studies in Latin America
Ricardo Uvinha, University of Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil); Holly Donohoe, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Canada)

This paper explores the promise and potential of the World Leisure Organization (WLO) as an advocate and catalyst for leisure development in both the global and local contexts. While the paper focuses specifically on Latin America, it has applicability to other regional contexts. In 1998, the 5th World Leisure Congress was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For one week, the leisure community mobilized to explore the theme Leisure in Globalized Society: Inclusion or Exclusion?, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nation Declaration of Human Rights, and to enrich our understanding of the Latin American experience. An important feature of the Congress was the adoption of the Sao Paulo Declaration on Leisure and Globalization which establishes the importance of leisure diversity. The legacy of the event was a strong and inclusive connection between WLO and the Latin American leisure community. And, this connection resulted in a significant increase in Latin American representation in WLO membership, events, and publications. It has been ten years since the connection was forged and there is evidence to suggest that the connection needs to be strengthened. Latin American contributions to the World Leisure Journal, participation at World Leisure Congresses, and membership in WLO, need to be enhanced. Informal survey suggests that economic constraints are limiting Congress participation while language is presenting barrier to knowledge exchange and membership. To strengthen the connection established in Brazil, it is suggested that future efforts be focused on enhancing opportunities. WLO participation in local conferences, contribution to local publications, and the establishment of a World Leisure Centre of Excellence in Latin America are noteworthy in this regard. To ensure that Latin America continues to contribute to and benefit from the connection, communication channels should be strengthened, collaborative research opportunities should be nurtured, and a regional World Leisure Conference should be considered. The WLO, as a world-wide nongovernmental organization, has a pivotal role to play to ensure that Latin America is included when celebrating, advocating, and planning for leisure in a globalized society. Keywords: global and local perspective; leisure; Latin America.

Access to document: B21_Ricardo_Ricci.pdf