What do you think of when you think of “Recreation”? Perhaps you think of relaxation, free time, play, fun, and a whole variety of activities that people enjoy. And, yes, those are all wonderful ways to describe recreation! And, as many of you know, I advocate that everyone participate in as much of this recreation as possible each day!

I’d like to add another thought for you…and that is that recreation holds in it an incredible opportunity to balance inequalities, rectify injustices, and create a more dynamic and diverse community.

Much of the inequality in our world is the result of one group of people establishing a division with another group of people, and through that division, promoting a sense of superiority over the other group. This division creates a dominance, a sense of power, and ultimately, a position of control over that other group. (Over and over again this cycle happens! Think of any “group” of people and see who they are considered “better than” and “lesser than”. Some familiar power groups are formed based on Age, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation; Religious affiliation; etc.)

Why is this significant? Unequal distribution of power leads to women vulnerable to rape and sexual harassment, people of color being vulnerable to housing discrimination and police brutality, young people being vulnerable to neglect and physical and sexual assault, LGBT individuals vulnerable to job discrimination and hate crimes, and people with disabilities vulnerable to exclusion and lack of education, housing and community-based care and, recreation opportunities!

Take a look at this listing of power groups. I’m sure there are many more that could be added!*

More powerful groups

Adults, Men, Rich people, White people, Bosses, Heterosexuals, Able-bodied people, Christians, Formally educated people, and people born in this country.

Less powerful groups

Youth/Seniors, Women, Poor & working class people, People of color, Workers, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered people, People with disabilities, Jews/Muslims/Buddhists, Non-formally educated people, and Recent immigrants.

Each of us at some point is part of at least one group that has been designated as the more powerful or the less powerful. Look at the groups above. Find yourself in that list. When you are in the powerful group, what benefits do you have? Doors are opened, you are made to feel welcome, you get paid more, attacked less, have access to better healthcare, safer jobs, and more education opportunities. Many of us also know what it is like to be a part of a group with less power. We know what it’s like to be vulnerable to abuse, prejudice or discrimination from others. We know what it is like to not be able to assume we will not be pointed at, called names, or denied access.

How does Recreation tie into all of this? As I mentioned before, Recreation has incredible power to create social change, for fighting injustices and inequalities created by these power distributions. Whether you are a recreation professional, a participant in a recreational group, or someone who enjoys recreation and leisure with family and friends, you can be a part of creating social change!

For the past eight years, I have had the fortune of working with people who are invested in putting the Power of Recreation to work. Participants in the recreation program at the Center for Disability Rights have historically combined Advocacy and Recreation. From its grassroots inception over 20 years ago, *(the recreation program has existed under several titles prior to CDR’s incorporation in 1990), the recreation program has had an eye towards advocating for equality. When a group of friends wanted to socialize and recreate together but were blocked by the lack of curb cuts on city sidewalks, the lack of lifts on public buses, the myriads of stairs leading into restaurants, and the lack of wheelchair accommodating bathrooms in public venues, they got busy! They wrote letters, asked for meetings and ultimately demanded change; Curb cuts were added, buses were ultimately outfitted with lifts, and many venues in the city created accessible front door entrances and worked on restroom modifications.

And so, through their desire and intent to recreate together, this group of people began a movement to create change in their local community. If you’ve spent time on the CDR website (http://www.rochestercdr.org/) you have seen pictures of people attending “actions” in Rochester, Albany, Syracuse, Washington DC, and a variety of other places. They advocate, practice civil disobedience and protest injustice. They want equal access to accessible, affordable, integrated housing. They want the right to stay out of institutions and in their own homes. They want the right to get community based care if they need it, rather than institutional care. And, many of them are the same ones who participate in weekly recreation events with our program!

What’s really cool is that the same people who are going outrigger canoeing at Genesee Valley Park are the ones who fought to get curb cuts in the Rochester.

They are:

• the same people who are working with Geva and Dryden theaters to figure out how to put in more wheelchair seating;
• the same people who work with bowling alleys to get the safest ramps installed for access to their lanes;
• the same people who are asking if skydiving can be accessible to them;
• the same people who want to get theaters to have open captioning so that you don’t have only one choice of a movie once a month;
• the same people who are teaching adventure businesses how to transfer people safely and make adaptations for equipment to make
• the activity possible for more people through our Outdoor Exposure program (http://www.rochestercdr.org/outdoor_exposure/ );
• the same people who are talking to bar owners about building ramps, adding elevators, becoming aware of a whole group of people who would like to access their businesses.

What I have found is that when we become more aware of ourselves with regards to how much “power” we have or don’t have due to societal constructions then we can begin learning how our actions or lack thereof can be create a better life for ourselves and/or someone else.
You know what’s cool about Power? A person with MORE POWER has a choice how he/she uses their Power! And, both people with MORE POWER and people with LESS POWER can become a part of building allies in the community. What is an ALLY? An ally is someone who we can count on to:

• stand by us when we need them,
• intervene, interrupt, and challenge when we are the brunt of the joke,
• take action to get access granted when we are denied a chance to participate,
• speak up,
• see the inaccessible playground and ask the Parks and Recreation department to install accessible equipment,
• ask restaurants and bars that aren’t accessible to become accessible, and
• pick up the phone and call the Mayor’s office and ask about unplowed sidewalks in the winter.

What would our community – your community – look like if we were allies bonded together to create an environment of creativity, strength, imagination, empathy, and fun? What if everyone focused not on differences, but on things we have in common? What if you were the one who decided to help someone in another group fight their fight?

How can you become an ally in your day to day life? I urge you to start now if you haven’t already, take a long look inside and be honest with yourself and others, look around you at our society, your community, learn where you have power and where you have less power, and no matter which column you fall into, begin living in a manner which invites allies to join with you.

Of course, you can do this in all parts of your life. As a recreation professional, I would urge you to take a close look at these issues as they impact recreational settings. What do YOU do for recreation? And, could someone in a different group than you also participate freely? If YOU cannot participate freely and equally, who could you become an ally with to gain strength to create the necessary changes so that you can?

Go play!

*For further resource information and ideas please see Kivel, P. and Kivel, B.D. (2000). Beyond cultural competence: building allies and sharing power in recreational programs. In M.T. Allison & I.E. Schnieder (Eds.) Diversity and the Recreation Profession: Organizational Perspectives (pp.263-277). PA: Venture.