Echoing Green was honored to host a presentation for our staff by Leisure Education Specialist, Alison Link this week.  Alison is an adjunct professor, international presenter, consultant and specialist in leisure education. Her organization “The Leisure Link” helps individuals and organizations plan their leisure lives as they plan other aspects of their lives in order to get the most out of both leisure and life.

In her presentation, Alison covered many of the theories and models that are used to evaluate leisure in the academic world, and then translated these ideas into relevant information that can be applied to each individual’s life patterns and even the way that we structure HR policies in our organizations.  Alison passionately spoke about the right to leisure as a social change issue because, in her broad definition of the term, leisure ultimately equals freedom–freedom to make choices for ones’ self.  

This concept of freedom is not confined to being used only in one’s “free time.” We can actually achieve a state of leisure at school, work, or any other time of day, she explained.  As Alison puts it, “leisure can be experienced every day, even if we only have five minutes. Even small amounts can turn ‘surviving’ into ‘living.’”  She also used an example from her work with prison inmates to explain this concept to us. Fascinatingly enough, it is possible to achieve a state of leisure or mental freedom while being physically locked up in prison. Being able to feel free and own one's time without harming one's self or others is a coping skill that can be used in all situations and through transitions. In this case, especially to help reduce the rate of recidivism, crime and delinquency.

After participating in her presentation, Echoing Green got a taste of what our leisure lives could look like if we put a bit more planning into it on a personal and professional level.  If you are interested in finding out more about this topic, you can visit the Leisure Link website and also check out an organization that Alison serves on the board of called Take Back Your Time.  

Alison is also facilitating a workshop on July 15th.  We recommend it!

How do you think social entrepreneurs can benefit from leisure education?    Answer by leaving a comment below.