C. Sparks Consulting

Government of Yukon annual community recreation leadership award

In October, I was very honored to be presented with the Government of Yukon’s annual community recreation leadership award. This award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to community recreation in the Yukon.

I believe that community recreation happens when we work together. I have been so fortunate to work with many amazing people, organizations and communities across the Yukon and the North for more than 30 years. The work I have done wouldn’t have been possible without people with a passion for recreation and a belief in the benefits that recreation can have in their communities.

Lessons learned about using technology for training in the North

At the beginning of March, I was honoured to have the opportunity to share nationally a little bit about the Recreation North Training Program. Technology for Training: Lessons from rural, remote and Northern communities was part of a ReImagine RREC workshop.

ReImagine RREC – Renew, Retool, Engage and Contribute – is a national COVID-19 recovery initiative for parks, recreation and community sport leaders delivered by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA). It is intended to help leaders working in parks, recreation and community sport to improve planning, operations and delivery of programs and services in a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, as well as to contribute to community recovery more broadly. Technology: The New Frontier in Recreation and Community Sport was the last of five interactive workshops.

People are the added value in Recreation North’s Training Program

As Recreation North’s Learning Consultant and Lead Trainer, I am amazed at what I have learned about our the diversity across our country. Recreation is a uniquely personal experience – not only for individuals, families and neighbourhoods, but also for communities and regions.

Wendy Giesbrecht of Boissevain, MB participated in a provincial pilot of the Recreation North Training Program and then carried on to earn her certificate in recreation leadership. In the blog, Taught me why recreation is essential, Wendy explains how the training program helped her develop the skills for her new position in Killarney.

Networking on The Bench

Congratulations to CPRA on launching The Bench. The opportunity to connect across the field of recreation is more important than ever. The Bench lets us put our heads together and come up with innovative strategies in these challenging times.

Developing Northern Recreation Leaders

Being able to remotely develop capacity for recreation in many small communities across the North has been so rewarding. The following article was written by Sylvia and I to explain the value of the remote leadership training to organizations and communities.

Sylvia Riessner is an education consultant focused on online and blending learning for adults. She has developed curriculum and taught in British Columbia and Yukon for more than 25 years. She has been involved in the development, Pilot and evaluation of ongoing training provided by Recreation North. I am a consultant with expertise in community development, adult learning, planning and evaluation and my work focuses on the contribution of recreation, physical activity and sport, to health and well-being.

Do supervisors see a difference in staff who take Recreation North?

A vital component of the vision for the Recreation North online recreation leadership training is to provide equitable access to quality learning opportunities for emerging leaders in remote and rural communities.