My Internship
with
The New Zealand Recreation Association
Kia ora koutou
Ko Silver's Hill toku maunga
Ko Banook toku roto
No Dartmouth ahau
Ko Godin toku whanau
Ko Mariah toku ingoa
Tena koutou katoa
Greetings
Silver's Hill is my mountain
Banook is my lake
I am from Dartmouth
Godin is my family
Mariah is my name
Greetings, all
Making it Happen
When I started in the Recreation Management program at Dalhousie, I was sure I’d do my internship locally, to establish relationships with employers at home. What I didn’t realize is how well-connected the program would set me up to be before I even began searching for a placement. As the time to start looking for an internship finally approached, I realized I wanted to take my opportunity overseas to develop experience that was less common among peers.
When I thought of international options, New Zealand was the first (and only) country that came to mind. I knew it was a place that would always remain on my bucket list, and that it was the more active lifestyle among citizens I was interested in living, rather than the tourist attractions. My internship through the School of Health and Human Performance seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore a lifestyle and career in recreation in the country.
The support of my professors, along with my drive to get involved and develop practical experience, allowed and inspired me to step out of the comfort zone I had boxed myself into. What seemed impossible at the beginning of my search quickly became reality. If there’s an organization you want to work with, don’t be afraid to ask.
Letter from the CEO
What I've Learned
The New Zealand Recreation Association
Recreation Aotearoa is the national recreation representative for professionals across New Zealand. The organization prides itself on its commitment to inclusive, sustainable operations as they advocate for an active and connected country.
“Recreation Aotearoa's mission is to lead and build capability in the New Zealand recreation sector. This is achieved through professional development and standards and benchmarking services, designed to develop individuals and organisations, and to advocate on behalf of the sector to affirm recognition of recreation and sport as essential public services.”
Recreation Conference
Writing Sample
This is a post I wrote for the organization's blog page on the Women and Girls in Sport and Recreation Summit I attended.
The Impact: Sport NZ Women & Girls Summit 2019
Last month, leaders in the field of sport and recreation gathered at the Sport NZ Women & Girls summit at Te Papa Museum. With a diverse lineup of 32 speakers, featuring both seasoned and aspiring professionals, and those of all different abilities and backgrounds, women and girls were represented well and the message was clear. We've done the strategising and it's time to act. With Dr. Nicole Lavoi sharing the data we need to change conversations and Karen Skinner of NZ Rugby showing how culture change can happen, by the end of the day the most ambitious of goals felt like practical solutions.
There was an overwhelming number of delegates at the summit this year, nearly doubling that of last year's She Moves Symposium. According to Active NZ's New Zealand Participation Survey 2018, young women participate in sport and active recreation 90 minutes less per week than young men. To make a more active Aotearoa we need to create opportunities for women to shape how they participate, because no one knows the barriers they're facing better than the people facing them. With more and more women having the courage to make their voices heard in a world that's told them they're always "too" something, it's encouraging to see increasing numbers of male delegates recognizing that this cause affects them directly, and that, as Dr. Lavoi rightly stated: "A world that's better for women, is better for all".
How to act? Now.
With calls to action being announced in every field, the importance of equitable treatment and prioritization of women's input has been a common theme across them all. Change cannot happen without diverse and empathetic voices, but it can be overwhelming to think of all that needs to be done at every level for us to see the systemic change that really makes a difference.
The Women & Girls Summit inspired the audience to identify ways they can take action in their current roles, even if they aren't the ones making the 'big' decisions at CEO levels. With scholarships granted for young women across Aotearoa to attend the event, Women in Sport Aotearoa, the Shift Foundation and Sport NZ demonstrated how we can create meaningful opportunities for the future leaders in our industry with simple initiatives. These are the investments that will pay off tenfold in the not-so distant future.
Rather than focusing on everything that needs to be changed in the world right now, try and think backwards. What do you want to see in it? If you can't directly change that now, what is something you can do to facilitate that change for the future? We've planned well over the years, and however small your action may be, that's what is needed today.
Click here for the event wrap up video
For more information on the organisations that made this event possible, check out these links:
The Shift Foundation NZ
Women in Sport Aotearoa
Sport New Zealand
Mariah Godin, 2019