Gathering around a crackling campfire, residents connect with nature and each other. These moments of shared experience on the land are vital for fostering well-being and exemplify how outdoor physical activity creates strong community bonds.
Get Moving, Live Better: Recreation’s Power
At the heart of what we do in recreation is something really simple but powerful: helping people get active and stay active. It’s called Active Living, and it’s a big part of the Framework for Recreation in Canada (2024 Update). For us working in arts and community recreation, whether we’re in a small town, a rural area, an Indigenous community, or up north, it means looking beyond just thinking of organized sports. It’s about finding ways to weave movement into daily life for everyone, boosting our health, our resilience, and how connected we feel to our communities.
Simple Steps for More Movement
One easy way we can help is by sharing good information about what’s happening in and around our communities. We can get this out in our community newsletters, on social media, or even in friendly workshops and board meetings. The goal is to make it easy for folks to understand and use, no matter their background or current activity level. It’s about giving people the tools to make healthier choices for themselves.
Think about how much we all love to just get out and play, without strict rules or competition. This kind of unstructured play, both indoors and outside, is super important. It ties into another big goal of the Framework: Connecting People with Nature. When the pandemic hit, we saw so many people flock to parks and trails, hungry for outdoor spaces. Let’s keep that momentum going! We can create more drop-in options, design playgrounds that spark imagination and movement, or offer self-guided activities like nature walks or bike routes alongside our team sports. The trick is to encourage this natural desire to move while also being mindful of our precious natural environments.
Life’s changing, and so should our programs. With more people working from home or having hybrid schedules, we need to get creative. What about online fitness classes people can do from their living rooms, or lunchtime walking groups that meet up in a local park? It’s all about making recreation fit into people’s lives, not the other way around. And let’s not forget physical literacy – it’s about helping people of all ages and abilities learn fundamental movement skills. When kids (and adults!) feel confident in their bodies, they’re much more likely to stay active for life.
“Active Living isn’t just about hitting the gym; it’s about seeing our whole community as a place to move and connect,” said Chris Suluk, one of the parents involved in this year’s programming with The Arts Incubator. “We’re excited to learn more about how to use creative projects to inspire people to explore their neighbourhoods more actively, turning everyday spaces into vibrant hubs for health and connection.”
Building Places That Encourage Activity
Active Living isn’t just about programs; it’s also about the places we live. This connects to another Framework goal: creating Supportive Environments. This means designing our communities so that physical activity feels natural and inviting. We can do this through placemaking, which is basically making our public spaces—like parks, town squares, even alleyways—more vibrant and useful.
Simple things like adding benches and picnic tables, or inviting local artists to create murals, can transform a space. Imagine how a community mural project could bring people together, not just to create art, but to be active, interact, and build a stronger sense of belonging. It’s about turning everyday spaces into places where people want to gather, move, and connect.
When people are active, it’s not just good for their bodies; it’s great for their minds and their social lives too. Recreation helps fight off loneliness and brings people closer. That’s a huge win for overall health and well-being in our communities.
And let’s not forget about how we get around. Encouraging active transportation—like walking, hiking or cycling—is a fantastic way to promote Active Living and help the environment at the same time. This means advocating for safe bike lanes and making sure our recreation centers have bike racks. It’s about building a community where getting around actively is easy and safe.
Encouraging Active Living means thinking outside the box. How can we make movement a natural, joyful part of every day for everyone, no matter their age, ability, or background?
Reflective Questions:
- How can we better leverage existing community spaces (parks, alleys, trails) for unstructured and non-competitive physical activities that align with Active Living principles?
- What partnerships are needed to promote active transportation and ensure safe, accessible routes to recreation facilities and parks?
- How can we adapt our programming and facilities to truly welcome and engage inactive populations, including newcomers and older adults, reflecting their diverse needs and preferences?
Summer Learning in Recreation
This summer, we’re diving deeper into critical topics for recreation professionals, focusing on effective program design and robust capacity building. A cornerstone of our learning journey is the Framework for Recreation in Canada (2024 Update).
As we’ve seen with this short look at placemaking, the Framework offers invaluable guidance, providing principles and strategies that help us create more impactful and inclusive recreation opportunities. Throughout the coming weeks, we’ll continue to explore how its goals and strategic ideas can be applied directly to the challenges and opportunities faced by local, rural, Indigenous, and northern communities.
Stay tuned for more insights as we work together to build stronger recreation sectors across Canada.
