Qualification -CERTIFICATE IN RECREATION VRE001

Learn Leadership Skills Online - A Career You Can Love

  • learn skills needed to work in leadership or management
  • work in recreation or related fields (e.g. in recreation centres, fitness centres, camps, youth work, parks management, cultural and church)

 

Train as a Recreation Leader or Recreation Officer

The course involves 30 lessons plus practical assignments over 500 to 600hrs covering the nature and scope of recreation, leadership principles and practices, fitness and fitness testing, managing recreation facilities, first aid, staff supervision and management, marketing, budgeting, tourism, youth leadership, sports, crafts, environmental activities, organising exhibitions and more.


CONTENTS
There are 30 lessons (and 30 assignments) as follows:

  1. Introduction to Recreation
  2. The Nature & Scope of Recreation
  3. History of Recreation
  4. Planning Recreation Programs
  5. Leadership
  6. Introduction to Fitness 
  7. Fitness Testing
  8. Developing an Exercise Program
  9. Herb Crafts
  10. Planning for Recreation Facilities
  11. Parks & Playgrounds
  12. Playleadership
  13. Recreation for Special Populations
  14. Sports in Recreation
  15. Introduction to Gardening
  16. Gardening in Recreation
  17. Tourism
  18. Understanding People
  19. Communication skills A.
  20. Communication Skills B.
  21. Photography & Recreation
  22. Environmental Studies
  23. Environmental Activities
  24. Youth Leadership
  25. First Aid
  26. Office Management
  27. Staff Supervision
  28. Organising an Event
  29. Marketing
  30. Budgeting.


Leadership Skills Never Go Astray

Leadership is important in society generally. Leaders are needed, and found in all aspects of our daily life, from the workplace to the school ground; and from the social club to government. When leadership is good, there is an increased probability of things being achieved with greater efficiency, and a higher level of satisfaction among all concerned.

Good leadership is however not something a person is born with. Certain personal traits, such as self confidence, may give some an advantage over others; but effective leadership requires more than simply a forceful personality that is capable of dominating everyone else.

A leader is not the same as a manager or supervisor. This is a key point to remember. Managers and supervisors are able to cause things to happen because they have legal authority to enforce orders. Leaders do not cause things to happen because of any legal authority.

People follow leaders of their own free will; and leadership skills are those skills that allow a leader to effectively communicate with, and influence the actions of their followers. Leaders are people who are in a position of power, and who use that position to influence the environment in which they abide, and the others who share that environment.

Leadership contributes to order, motivates productivity, and influences the way in which resources (human and material) are used.

Positive leadership enables things to happen. The leader in effect influences the environment in a way that encourages certain actions. Negative leadership disables things from happening.

Recreation and Work

There is a fine line between recreation and work that may not be easily defined. For instance, when a school class is told to play certain sports at a certain time, is that play or recreation, or is it work? When parents send a child to play soccer every Saturday morning even when the child is not interested, is that recreation or work? When your partner persuades you to take the long hike to a waterfall during a vacation though you really don’t enjoy hiking, is that recreation or work?

The fact is that for many people, recreation activities are work. Some, including people working in the recreation field and professional sports people, are paid to do recreation activities on call. Others are not paid, but are obliged to do those activities on call because they have made a commitment to a group to do so. Sports participation can impose certain responsibilities and demands that require participation whether or not the person feels like participating.  In general, therefore, it may be said that recreation that is not undertaken for the purposes of pleasure or relaxation, or that is not voluntary, is work. As was explained earlier, recreation is more about people’s state of mind than about the nature of the activities.

Recreation is Therapeutic
Recreation has long been recognised as part of a balanced, healthy life because of its benefits psychologically and physically. Recreation benefits mental health in many ways:

  • Regular exercise has been shown to cause “significant improvements” in even severely depressed people in as little as five weeks.
  • Physical activity improves the success rate for people trying to overcome substance addictions.
  • IQ has been shown to benefit from regular physical activity.
  • Physical activity reduces levels of anger and hostility, and reduces anxiety.
  • Sport scientists agree that regular exercise results in greater emotional stability, assertiveness, and calmness.
  • Exercise has been shown to reduce the psychological symptoms (hallucinations etc) of schizophrenia.
  • Exercise has also resulted in dramatic improvement in brain function in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Non-active recreation also has valuable therapeutic benefits. Arts and crafts are widely used in both hospitals and aged care facilities to stimulate young and old, and improve their overall functions and health. Visits to local parks, picnics, group activities, and entertainments of all kinds are important in reducing the negative impacts of illness, isolation, or trauma, and are now becoming a standard element of long term treatment.