CRLT ALUMNI NEWSLETTER Dawson College Winter 2014  

CRLT ALUMNI HOLIDAY SUPPER Honouring  Holly  Bockus   On  Friday  December  6th,  alumni  gathered  at  the  Centre  Greene  to  celebrate  the   holidays  at  the  first  ever  Alumni  Holiday  Supper.  Members  of  the  alumni  committee,  with  vice-­‐ president  Patrice  Turcotte  as  head  chef,  prepared  a  delicious  spaghetti  dinner.  There  was   representation  of  alumni  from  the  80’s  right  up  until  2013.  Attendees  had  a  fun  time  socializing,   as  well  as  taking  silly  photos  with  props  provided  by  graduate  Edna-­‐May  MacKenzie.  The  event   was  a  huge  success  offering  alumni  the  chance  to  re-­‐connect  and  network,  while  also  enjoying  a   fun  party  atmosphere.    

CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014 The  holiday  supper  was  also  an  opportunity  to  celebrate  the  life  of  Holly  Bockus.  Two   surprise  announcements  were  made  during  the  evening.  Firstly,  with  the  help  of  Santa  Claus,  a   plaque  was  revealed  that  will  be  placed  over  the  doorway  to  the  multi-­‐purpose  room  in  the   CRLT  department  thus  renaming  the  room  in  Holly’s  honour.  Secondly,  the  Alumni  Committee   has  decided  to  create  an  award  in  Holly’s  name.  A  gift  certificate  to  DeSerres  store  will  be   awarded  to  a  CRLT  student  who  demonstrates  creativity  each  year.  Two  great  ways  to   remember  and  honour  a  great  woman!    

The  Alumni  Committee  would  like  to  thank  everyone  who  helped  decorate  and  prepare   the  meal,  the  graduates  in  attendance  who  made  the  event  extra  special,  Edna-­‐May  for   lending  us  the  props,  and  the  Centre  Greene  for  generously  allowing  us  to  use  their  space!  

 

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

CRLT Accomplishment Night Accomplishments Group  Leadership   nd

Last  year,  the  2  years  held  two   events  to  support  local  charities.  One   group  held  an  awareness  campaign   with  speakers  and  an  interactive   presentation  for  Dans  la  Rue.  The   other  group  held  a  school  supply  drive   for  a  low-­‐income  elementary  school.    

Fundraising  Class   Students  in  the  fundraising  class  raised   over  $6,000  for  4  charities  through  a   candy  carnival,  a  Comedy  for  a  Cause   night,  a  bar  night  at  Brutopia,  and  by   teaming  up  with  Sustainable  Dawson   to  make  Dawson  College  carbon   neutral.    

UN  Visit   In  September,  14  CRLT  students  had   the  opportunity  to  attend  the  UN’s   International  Day  of  Peace   celebrations  in  New  York.  Guest   speakers  included  Jane  Goodall  and   Ban  Ki-­‐Moon  

Fieldwork  Orientation  Session   rd

In  the  fall,  3  year  students  in  the   public  relations  class  organized  the   Fieldwork  Orientation  Session     (formerly  Market  Day)  for  students  to   meet  potential  fieldwork  placement   supervisors.  

An  evening  to  celebrate  CRLT’s  many  achievements   On  November  28th,  past  and  present  CRLT  students,   faculty,  family,  and  friends  gathered  at  Dawson  College  in   room  5B.16  at  6:30pm  for  the  first  ever  CRLT  Accomplishment   Night.  Robyn,  Ben,  Taylor,  Ashley,  Fiona,  Gillan,  Adriana,  Emily,   Melissa  and  Melanie,  3rd  year  students  in  the  public  relations   class,  organized  the  event  with  help  from  their  classmates.   There  was  wine,  cheese,  hors  d’ouevres,  presentations,   speakers,  and  time  for  socializing  over  the  course  of  the  night.   The  goal  of  the  event  was  to  highlight  and  celebrate  the   many  accomplishments  of  CRLT  students  and  faculty  over  the   last  year.  The  evening  was  very  well  attended  with  an  almost   full  room  of  new  and  familiar  faces  to  the  department.  Family   members  of  the  students  had  the  opportunity  to  see  what   their  sons  and  daughters  have  been  up  to  at  school  and  to   meet  the  CRLT  faculty.  Alumni  in  attendance  were  able  to   catch  up  with  old  classmates  and  teachers,  and  current   students  were  able  to  show  off  their  work.     The  CRLT  department  accomplishes  a  large  number  of   events  and  special  projects  each  year.  Finally  there  has  been   an  event  that  celebrates  and  acknowledges  the  hard  work  and   dedication  of  the  students  and  faculty.      

Open  House   rd

3  year  students  in  public  relations   implemented  the  annual  Open  House   and  helped  recruit  new  CRLT  students.    

Veterans  Day   rd

 

3  year  students  in  public  relations   also  planned  the  Veterans’  Day  event   th on  November  6 .    The  event  consisted   of  a  ceremony,  poem  readings,  and   the  release  of  5  doves.     3  

CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

Alumni Announcements Congratulations  to  Marcelo  Rojo  on  his   marriage  to  Nancy  Ramos  in  August   2012.  Marcelo  and  Nancy  are  also   expecting  a  baby  boy  in  March  2014!   Best  of  luck  to  the  happy  couple!  

Volunteer Opportunities The  NDG  YMCA  (4335  Hampton,  corner  Monkland)  is  recruiting   volunteers  for  weekday  mornings  to  provide  recreational  activities   for  seniors;  for  Monday  and  Wednesday  afternoons  to  do   homework  help  with  children;  and  for  any  weekday  afternoon  to   tutor  high  school  subjects  (especially  math  or  French)  to  teens.  Contact  Lindsey  if   interested  at  514-­‐486-­‐3273  ext.  3119  or  [email protected].       At  WIAIH  we  know  that  volunteering  can  change  YOUR  world   because  so  many  volunteers  have  told  us  so.  People  with   disabilities  sometimes  need  help  with  activities  of  daily  living  and   they  flourish  when  the  right  volunteer  is  there  to  support  them.   We  have  a  myriad  of  opportunities  in  recreation,  at  our  residence,  at  the  Pat  Roberts   Developmental  Centre,  at  our  fund  raising  or  information  events  or  in  our  office.  Everyone   can  find  a  rewarding  volunteer  placement  at  WIAIH.  All  we  ask  is  a  basic  commitment  to  fit   your  circumstances  and  your  energy  and  enthusiasm.  Discover  your  strengths  –  play  a  role   in  making  someone's  life  happier  –  learn  about  people  with  different  abilities  -­‐  gain  new   skills.  Volunteering  is  good  for  you!   To  volunteer  for  a  WIAIH  special  event,  or  for  more  information,  please  contact  Franca,  the   Volunteer  Relations  Coordinator  at  (514)  694-­‐7090  ext.  214,  or  by  email  at     [email protected].  

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

Job Postings

 

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

Camp  Massawippi  is  also  looking  for  a  female  and  male  section  head  coodinator,  a   programs  coordinator,  a  waterfront  coordinator,  5  program  specialists  (woodshop,   academics,  arts  and  crafts,  music  and  drama,  and  sports),  6  team  leaders,  and  14  camp   counselors.  Please  email  us  at  [email protected]  if  you  would  like  to  receive  a  copy  of   a  job  description.      

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

 

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

The Play Revolution by  Edna-­‐May  MacKenzie  class  of  `81  and  owner  of  Ednamation     st

Play  will  be  to  the  21  century  what  work   was  to  the  industrial  age  –  our  dominant  way   of  knowing,  doing  and  creating  value.    ~Pat  Kane  The  Play  Ethic  (2004)   Hooray  for  the  play  revolution!  Our   neglect  of  free  play  and  outdoor  play  has   reached  its  crisis  point  welcoming  the  “Play   Revolution”.  The  field  of  Human  Play  is  now  a   credited  discipline  in  the  scientific   community.  The  scientific  community   supports  the  healing  power  and  necessity  of   human  play.  Physical  scientists  have  proven   that  neurons  connect  and  the  brain  grows   when  we  play.  The  fast  paced  performance   oriented  industrial  and  corporate  world  who   shunned  the  word  play  is  now  investing  in   play.  

Edna-­‐May   and  staff   playing  at   Ednamation   events  

 

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This  new  era  has  increased  the  market   value  for  the  education  and  profession  of   Community  Recreation  and  Leadership   Training.  A  demand  for  play  programs,   outdoor  play  and  play  professionals  is  on  the   rise.  The  market  value  of  the    word    “play”  is  a   new  buzz  word  recognised  in  current   marketing  campaigns:  Canadian  Tire  ,  “Get   out  and  Play”,  ParticipACTION,  “Bring  back   play”,  Disney  Parks  “Laugh,  Let  Loose,  Play   Together”,  Montreal  Casino  “We’re  all  Play”,   IPad  “Power  of  Play”,  Kinder  eggs  “Did  you   play  today?”.  The  January  2014  issue  of  Oprah   magazine  features  a    front    cover    headline   and  story  “The  case  for  goofing  off,  Why  play   really  pays”.     In  recent  decades,  outdoor  play  and   free  play  has  been  replaced  by;  carefully   framed  and  sketched  playgrounds,  plastic   playing  fields,  over-­‐scheduled  free  time,   performance  oriented  leisure,  adult   restraining  rules  and  boundaries,  adult  fear   for  safe  play,  3rd  generation  screen  play,  3rd   generation  indoor  play.    We  now  walk,  jog,   cycle,  and  row  indoors.     In  recent  years  depression,  mental   illness,  bullying  and  school  violence  have   become  a  main  cultural  concern.  The   Canadian  mental  health  Association  reports   that  8%  of  adults,  5%  male  youth  (12-­‐19),  10%   female  youth  (12-­‐19)  have  experienced  a   depression  episode  and  3.2  million  young   Canadians  are  at  risk.  Suicide  is  now  the   leading  cause  of  death  among    Canadians    15-­‐ 24year  olds.  

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014

  “The  opposite  of  play  is  not  work  it  is   depression.  Work  is  adult  play”.  Dr.  Brian   Sutton-­‐Smith  leading  psychologist  of  play  and   Dean  of  Play  Studies  at  the  University  of   Pennsylvania  is  the  author  of  this  new  quote   and  theory.  This  new  theory  credits  the  clinical   healing  power  of  play  in  curing  depression.   The  Canadian  Association  for  Child  Play   Therapy  is  growing  as  a  world  leader  in  the   value,  training  and  intervention  of  play   therapy.  The  corporate  workplace  is   incorporating  strategies  to  assure  work  is   playful.  Community  Recreation  and  Leadership   Training  has  been  leading  play  since  1970.       Schoolyards,  playgrounds,  and  screen   play  are  plagued  with  bullying.  For  18  years,   the  University  of  Gloucestershire  in  the  United   Kingdom  has  been  a  leader  in  higher   education  “Play  Work”.  Play  coaching  and   schoolyard  designs  provided  by  organisations   like  “Peaceful  Playgrounds”  and  “Playworks”   are  proven  successful  solutions  and  a  new     trend    for  getting  kids  active  and  reducing   bullying  across  the  USA.    My  company   Ednamation,  is  now  providing  play  coaching   for  schools  and  is  preparing  to  market    a   “Playful  Playgrounds”  program.    

Recently  I   have  been  deeply   inspired  by  the  book:     play  How  It  Shapes   the  Brain,  Opens  the   Imagination,  and   Invigorates  the  Soul   (2009).  The  author,   Dr.  Stuart  Brown,   medical  doctor,   psychiatrist  and  clinical  researcher  is  also   the  founder  of  the  National  Institute  for   Play,  USA  (2006).  Dr.  Brown  is  recognised   as  one  of  the  world’s  foremost  practical   champions  of  the  knowledge  of  play.  It  is   The  National  Institute  for  Play’s  (NIFP)   vision  to  gather  all  existing  scientific   knowledge  related  to  human  play  to   integrate  human  play  as  a  credited   discipline  in  the  scientific  community.   Thanks  to  Dr.  Brown  and  the  Institute,   the  importance  of  play  advocated  by   Community  Recreation  Leaders    for  years   is  now  supported  by  the  scientific  and   medical  community.  The  NIFP’s  vision   also  reads,    

“...We  envision  a  longer  term  future  in  which   the  science  of  Human  play  enables   individuals,  parents,  teachers,  leaders,  and   organisations  to  harness  the  power  of  play   to  create  transformational  differences  in   their  individual,  family,  school  and   organisational  lives....create  organisations   capable  of  producing  innovative  products   and  services.”    

Edna-­‐May  and  school  children   making  a  peace  sign.    

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CRLT Alumni Newsletter Winter 2014 To  this  vision  I  would  add  the  word  Community.  As  a  graduate  of  Community   Recreation  and  Leadership  Training  and  independent  entrepreneur  in  the  field  of  play  for  25   years,  I  embrace  the  “Play  Revolution”.  I  am  thankful  for  my  training  and  reinforce  the   importance  of  those  dances,  games,  sports,  creative  and  artistic  expression,  nature  and   outdoor  education  classes  combined  with  the  human,  group  and  business  theories.  I   encourage  students  and  alumni  of  Community  Recreation  and  Leadership  Training  to  join  the   “Play  Revolution”  and  market  ourselves  as  experienced  leaders  in  the  science  of  Human  play.     Make  everyday  a  playful  one,   Edna-­‐May     Dedicated  to  Holly  Bockus,   Maureen  McBride  and  my   father  Malcolm  MacKenzie   advocates  of  Human  play   “Take  time  to  Play”.        

To  submit  an  Alumni  announcement,  job   opportunity  or  volunteer  position,  please   send  us  an  email  at  [email protected].     We  would  also  love  to  receive  your  old  CRLT  photos   and  other  submissions  for  the  newsletter!   Contributors

Editor in Chief Kristen Whitelaw  

Edna-May MacKenzie Accomplishment night information and photos from Robyn Beaver Holiday Supper photos from Julie Paquette

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