Cynthia P. Carruthers

Youth sport volunteer coach motivation

Each year, over 20 million youth participate in sport (Ewing & Seefeldt, 2002). Public parks and recreation agencies are increasingly reliant on volunteers to deliver services (Silverberg, Backman, & Backman, 2000). These volunteers are especially vital to the delivery of youth recreation and sport programs (Twyam, Ferrell, & Johnston, 2002/2003). Volunteer positions in sport programs, especially coach positions, are difficult to fill (Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye, & Darcy, 2006), and the retention of youth coaches is low (Paiement, 2007). The purpose of this study was to understand the motivations of youth sport coaches. A convenience sample of youth sport coaches completed the Volunteer Functions Inventory that measures motivations, along with demographic information. Results indicated that values were the most important function for youth sport coaches. A MANOVA revealed significant differences between first year and returning coaches for the functions of self-serving and personal growth but not for values and social. Implications for the recruitment and retention of youth sport coaches and future research are provided.

Leisure and Alcohol Expectancies.

This paper presents the results of a study investigating the ways in which individuals expect drinking to affect their leisure experiences, and the relationship of these expectancies to alcohol con...

Implementing and Sustaining Service-Learning at the Institutional Level.

In this study, we offer insights regarding the tactics used by institutions to implement and sustain service-learning at various levels of commitment as identified by Holland (1997). An analysis of data collected from 12 directors of service-learning centers provides a description of common practices associated with implementing and sustaining service-learning initiatives at the institutional level, focusing on organizational tactics associated with funding, administration, faculty recruitment and support, and student involvement and assessment.

Motivations of elder volunteers to youth programs.

Abstract Successful intergenerational volunteer programs are dependent on obtaining elder volunteers; however, these people are in short supply. Understanding the motivations of elder volunteers in intergenerational programs may help program managers secure additional volunteers and provide them with optimal experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine the motivations of elder volunteers who serve in intergenerational programs. Data were collected from 19 elder volunteers using qualitative interviews, as well as field observations. The study found the three strongest motivations articulated by the elders in intergenerational programs to be values, social, and enhancement. Elders described wanting to make a contribution to youth, to feel connected to others, and experience the joy of being with children. For some elders, volunteering with children also served the motivational functions of understanding, protective, and continuity. These findings highlight the utility of the literature concerning the volunteer motivations of elders. In addition, the study illuminates differences in the social and continuity functions of elder volunteers. Implications of these findings for volunteer management are offered.

The constraints experienced and negotiation strategies attempted by nonparticipants of a festival event.

ABSTRACT The leisure constraints and negotiation model was used to examine nonparticipation in a large festival event. A purposive sampling survey was conducted with 502 event nonparticipants. The results indicated that the hierarchical leisure constraints model is a useful framework for understanding the constraints to attendance at special events. Consistent with previous research on constraints to participation, structural constraints were the greatest category of constraint, followed by interpersonal and intrapersonal constraints. Further, nonparticipants who experienced intrapersonal constraints were least likely to attempt negotiations relative to time, partners, or finances. Additionally, this study compared the constraints of nonparticipants who were interested and disinterested in attending the event and found disinterested nonparticipants perceived greater intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints than those interested in attending, suggesting that constraints create amotivation. Disinterested event nonparticipants were also less likely to negotiate constraints to participation, especially barriers related to lack of time and partners with whom to participate. Finally, interested nonparticipants who experienced intrapersonal constraints were less likely to attempt to negotiate constraints. This study broadens the scope of the constraints and negotiation discussion to include the context of a community festival event, as well as differences in constraints and negotiation between interested and disinterested event nonparticipants.

Supporting the development of a strengths-based narrative: applying the leisure and well-being model in outpatient mental health services.

Strengths-based practice emphasizes the discovery, development, and expression of a variety of strengths as a significant strategy for well-being (Jones-Smith, 2014). The notion of recovery in mental health services refers to living well with mental illness and is often based in creating a self-narrative that includes mental illness but that is not defined by it, or in other words creating a self-narrative of strengths (Onken, Craig, Ridgway, Ralph, & Cook, 2007). The Leisure and Well-Being Model (LWM) (Carruthers & Hood, 2007; Hood & Carruthers, 2007) provides direction for the development of strengths-based therapeutic recreation (TR) programs and this article will describe the development, implementation, and evaluation plan for a TR program designed to address one of the distal goals of the LWM, “cultivation and expression of one’s full potential including strengths, capacities and assets” (Carruthers & Hood, 2007, p. 280) in outpatient mental health services. The literature on recovery in mental health treatment, strengths-based practice, positive psychology and narrative therapy provided the conceptual framework for the application of the LWM to TR services. The resultant program, entitled Be Your Best Self, is described in some detail and the ongoing plans for development and evaluation research are articulated.

Alcoholics and Children of Alcoholics: The Role of Leisure in Recovery

Abstract Teachers and leisure service providers must recognize the signs of alcoholism in those with whom they come into contact, as well as the signs of alcoholism in a family. They must also provide interventions to assist alcoholics and children of alcoholics in the recovery process.