Guest speakers Howie Dayton (centre), Carolyn Fast (centre left) and Clarie-Tucker Reid (centre right) surrounded by current and former recreation and leisure studies students.

More than 40 recreation and leisure students from Brock attended a one-day dialogue on current issues facing citizen engagement in recreation earlier this month.

The Bridging Classroom and Community Learning in Recreation workshop was held at the Welland Wellness Complex on Nov. 6 and included local professionals in recreation and community services and students from Niagara College and Brock University.

Martha Barnes, associate professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies and member of the steering committee for the event, noted that the workshop was a great opportunity for students from different schools to network with one another, as well as community leaders and potential future employers.

“As a former Brock student and graduate, I cannot say enough about the importance of taking advantage of any and all networking opportunities that occur,” said Sarah Ane, community development and volunteer co-ordinator for the City of Welland and steering committee member.

Presentations were made by Howie Dayton, past president of Parks and Recreation Ontario and founding chair of the Task Force for Affordable Recreation, Claire Tucker-Reid, former general manager of Parks and Recreation for the City of Toronto, and Carolyn Fast, founding director of the Welland Neighbourhood Project.

Future bridging events are in the works and will focus on other key themes and issues related to community recreation and leadership.