Choosing the right career
8/12/2008 12:33:56 PM
Like many high school graduates today, Sean McKenna was unsure what program to pursue for his post-secondary education.
But with a little luck, the Fogo Island native found College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Community Recreation Leadership program and hasn’t looked back.
McKenna graduated from the program in 1985 and the 46-year-old is now the Health and Wellness Coordinator with the Department of Parks and Community Services in Mount Pearl.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my early 20s but I found out about the program through occupational exploratory training, which was six weeks of training in different classes. I think the exploratory training is a great program for young adults who don’t know what they want to do. One of those classes was Community Recreation Leadership and that was one I chose to pursue.”
It is a decision he has never regretted.
“I thought it was a great program. It gave us the fundamentals you need to go out and work in the field. You had the education part in the background and also had the practical part where you got the practice. You got theory and practice in one place.”
“The two-year Community Recreation Leadership program has been developed in response to an increasing awareness of the technological and societal changes in modern society that influence people''s leisure time, pursuits, retirement, and in recognition of the opportunities and challenges inherent in providing recreation services to people,” says instructor Paul Lahey.
“The purpose of the program is to train personnel who may contribute to the development and extension of individual and group interests and endeavours as they relate to the leisure time of people in both urban and rural communities of the province, encompassing all ages and abilities,” he says.
Community Recreation Leadership encompasses two main components of the recreation field – Therapeutic Recreation and Recreation Management.
According to Lahey, there is an increasing demand for recreation therapy workers in long term care facilities and hospitals.
“The demand has created the need to address specific training in the development of social and therapeutic programs for residents of long term care facilities and retirement homes, development of programming specifically designed for patients of psychiatric care facilities, and development and implementation of therapeutic programs and services for individuals with special needs and rehabilitation services.”
Lahey adds that the Community Recreation Management program has been providing training to students to address the issues faced by residents in the community since 1974.
“Through specific training opportunities and hands-on practical experiences, graduates have been addressing the leisure time needs of residents in the community using training such as program planning, community needs assessments, special event management, outdoor recreation, risk management, fitness and nutrition, proposal writing, recreation administration – and hands-on practical opportunities that train graduates to become administrators and recreation leaders who cater to the greater community.”
According to Lahey, there are a number of job opportunities for graduates of this program.
After successful completion of the two-year program, which combines theoretical knowledge and practical training, graduates of Community Recreation Leadership may obtain employment in long-term care facilities, retirement centres and hospitals, as executive directors, programs directors, economic development officers, managers, supervisors, and other senior positions with community recreation agencies or as fitness and wellness coordinators in fitness centres and weight training facilities.
Lahey says other job opportunities include executive directors, supervisors, youth counsellors or group home counsellors with agencies that deal with youth at risk and youth corrections specific to troubled youth, or as outdoor recreation fieldworkers, or supervisors and administrators working with populations seeking outdoor recreation as a means of leisure time interest.
McKenna himself has had several jobs in this field since graduating from the program.
“First, I was a program coordinator with the Town of Goulds for a year. Then I moved into therapeutic recreation at the Leonard A. Miller Centre, which was part of the health care system in St. John’s. I was there for three years. Then I moved to the City of Mount Pearl where I still am today,” says McKenna.
“My job as the health and wellness coordinator is varied but I’m involved in direct programming, supervising contracts and liaising with other groups. I deal with people with disabilities, and under that, subsidy programs for those who can’t afford to pay the fees. I also supervise summer staff and have been doing day camps and those types of services for citizens. Right now I’m taking care of volunteer services and placing them in appropriate job placements.”
In addition to his paid position, McKenna utilizes the training he received at CNA in a volunteer capacity.
“I am the past president of Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, chair of the recreation inclusion committee for Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, plus I sit on the Provincial Wellness Advisory Council where I am an ambassador the for province. I’m also involved in a national initiative for the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association. It is my training from CNA, along with the work experience, that has given me the ability and confidence to work and function on these committees.”
And he’s proud of the training he received from CNA.
“I have found the training by the college very useful. It gave me the basis to be able to get a job and the theory and practical experience to help get my start in this field. Then when you get your first and second jobs you gain so much work experience, that the training really solidifies what you’re able to accomplish,” he says.
“I enjoy what I’m doing because even though it’s busy and there’s a lot of different segments to the population I work with, I’m always doing something new or working with a new group or with old groups that have a different population and that keeps it interesting and rewarding.”
Graduates of the program are able to pursue further training at partner institutions.
“Community Recreation Leadership is partnered with many colleges and universities throughout Canada,” says Lahey. These include Memorial University of Newfoundland, Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Waterloo University in Ontario, Dalhousie University in Halifax, the University of New Brunswick and Lakehead University located in Ontario. Credits are transferred for those who wish to pursue a degree in the Therapeutic Recreation or Recreation Management field.”
CNA’s Community Recreation Leadership program is offered at the Prince Philip Drive campus in St. John’s. For more information log on to the college’s website at www.cna.nl.ca or call the campus at (709) 758-7284.
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For more information contact:
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca