Leisure-time activities

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Learn what Governments commited to in 1995: The World Programme of Action for Youth on Leisure-Time Activities (A/RES/50/81)
H. Leisure-time activities

91. The importance of leisure-time activities in the psychological, cognitive and physical development of young people is recognized in all societies. Leisure-time activities include games, sports, cultural events, entertainment and community service. Appropriate leisure programmes for youth are elements of any measure aimed at fighting social ills such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency and other deviant behaviour. While leisure programmes can contribute greatly to the development of the physical, intellectual and emotional potential of young people, they should be designed with due care and concern so that they are not used as a means for excluding youth from participating in other aspects of social life or for indoctrinating them. Leisure-time activity programmes should be made freely available to young people.

Proposals for action

1. Leisure-time activities as an integral part of youth policies and programmes

92. Governments, in planning, designing and implementing youth policies and programmes, with the active involvement of youth organizations, should recognize the importance of leisure-time activities. The importance given to such activities should be reflected in appropriate funding.

93. Governments are invited to establish public libraries, cultural centres and other cultural facilities in rural and urban areas, with the aid of international organizations, and to provide assistance to young people active in the fields of drama, the fine arts, music and other forms of cultural expression.

94. Governments are invited to encourage the participation of young people in tourism, international cultural events, sports and all other activities of special interest to youth.

2. Leisure-time activities as elements of educational programmes

95. Governments, by providing adequate funding to educational institutions for the establishment of leisure-time activities, may accord priority to such activities. In addition, leisure-time activities could be integrated into the regular school curriculum.

3. Leisure-time activities in urban planning and rural development

96. National Governments as well as local authorities and community development agencies should incorporate leisure-time activity programmes and facilities in urban planning, giving particular attention to areas with a high population density. Equally, rural development programmes should pay due attention to the leisure needs of rural youth.

4. Leisure-time activities and the media

97. The media should be encouraged to promote youth understanding and awareness of all aspects of social integration, including tolerance and non-violent behaviour.

World Youth Report 2005

2. Leisure

42. The last decade has seen a shift in awareness of the importance of leisure time activities in the development of a young person. There is growing recognition of the vital contribution that discretionary time can make for young people in terms of promoting social inclusion, access to opportunities and overall development. As underlined in the World Youth Report 2003, terms such as "leisure", "informal learning" and "play" imply a casualness of purpose and practice that does not do justice to the way in which a majority of young people use their free time. Young people's leisure time and volunteer activities relate directly to many of the issues affecting them, such as education and employment. They are increasingly seeking and finding new ways to spend their free time, out of both necessity and interest.

43. Threats to the well-being of a young person, such as HIV/AIDS, delinquency, conflict and drug abuse, are very much linked to the projects and programmes that may or may not be available during their discretionary hours. Given such interconnections, it is critical that leisure time activities continue to be discussed in the overall context of youth development and their participation in their community and society.

44. The International Year of Volunteers in 2001 played an important part in broadening the traditional perceptions on the nature, role and contributions of the volunteer activities of young people. By the end of 2001, there was general consensus in the international community that the canvas of volunteerism encompassed, but was much broader, than leisure time activities. Youth volunteer in a number of ways, not only through formal service organizations, but also through mutual aid systems, particularly prevalent in developing countries, as well as through activism. In order to sustain the momentum generated by the International Year of Volunteers 2001, the power of volunteerism to engage young people and to promote action will be a key contributor to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

45. In many industrialized countries, cuts in government subsidies for leisure activities, sport, music and art instruction have endangered many valuable extracurricular activities in and out of schools. The loss of these opportunities is leading to greater numbers of latchkey children, who either return home to empty apartments or houses or roam the streets. While some young people are initiating projects to compensate where public programmes fall short, they need assistance to support their participation, such as supervision, provision of meeting places and access to other public facilities. Leisure activities that positively engage youth are particularly important, as statistics show that youth who are engaged in volunteer experiences are more likely to continue to volunteer in their later years. Some studies in North America show that youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school and to vote. The leisure needs of young people ought to be considered in the processes of urban planning and rural development in order to ensure the availability of a range of constructive, voluntary activities and opportunities for youth.

46. Sport improves physical health, contributes to the development of a positive self-concept, social skills and values, such as teamwork and tolerance. Furthermore, sport is a universal language that can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background, religious beliefs or economic status. It cuts across barriers that divide societies, making it a powerful tool to support working with young people for conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts, both symbolically on the global level and, very practically, within communities. Well designed sport-based initiatives are practical and cost-effective tools to achieve objectives in development and peace.

47. An increasing number of variables determine how young people make use of the time spent outside of school or work. Universally high levels of youth unemployment and the rising costs associated with higher education often mean that young people must use their limited number of leisure hours to constantly improve their skills and employability. Therefore, an increasing number of young people tend to view leisure hours as an unaffordable luxury because they misuse any free time to either improve their skills or to earn income to finance their studies. Spare hours are often spent in activities that promote school-to-work transitions through career exploration and preparation. This trend helps to explain the continued decrease in memberships in sports associations and other organized forms of leisure activities. Some young people have fewer opportunities to undertake leisure activities for pure enjoyment or interest, as limited work opportunities require more youth to be very competitive and to use their leisure activities to build networks that could lead to job opportunities.

48. Information and communication technologies have also affected leisure time habits, as larger portions of socializing now take place through text messaging and on-line meetings. A national survey in the United States found that 91 per cent of adolescents aged 18 to 19 use the Internet to e-mail friends or relatives, while 83 per cent use it for instant messaging. A recent study in the United Kingdom found that 94 per cent of youth have a mobile phone, and that half of the roughly 10 billion text messages sent in 2003 were by the young.19 Cell phone users are getting younger, and teenagers are spending more money on mobile phones every year. In 2001, the total number of mobile phone subscribers in the world stood at 860 million.20 On average, 80 per cent of young people in the European Union use a mobile phone weekly.21 In China, nearly 60 per cent of cell phone subscribers are between 20 and 30 years of age.

49. Some of these trends include the displacement of traditional activities, such as sport. A Norwegian study shows that children and young people are spending less time on physical activities, sport or games, and that only 47 per cent of all young people aged 20 to 24 engage in physical training of any kind every 14 days or more.22 The habits developed by using modern technology may create a culture of "individualized leisure time", as young people increasingly devote their free time to computer screens and mobile keypads.

Footnotes:

19. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/marketresearch/audiencegroup2.shtml.
20. See R. Curtain, .Promoting youth income generation opportunities through information and communication technologies (ICT): best practices in Asia and the Pacific. (Melbourne, Curtain Consulting, 2003).
21. See http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/cceb_en.htm.
22. See E. Mjaavatn, .Modern lifestyle: a threat to young people.s life. (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 1999).