Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

Speaking Up and Speaking Out:

1st International Symposium
Speaking Up and Speaking Out
Working for Social and Environmental Justice
through Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Leisure
May 17 - 19, 2012

speakingup

Hosted by the
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
College of Health
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Overall Purpose

The purpose of this symposium is to gather scholars, students, practitioners, and interested others who are committed to making a positive difference in matters of social and environmental justice in the field of parks, recreation, and tourism. We believe working for social and environmental justice ought to be the essence of our professional mission.  Race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and other social markers have been studied extensively in a multitude of leisure settings, often leading academicians to call for change.  At the same time, leisure studies scholars have begun addressing ecological health, recognizing the interconnectedness between healthy people and healthy environments, and thereby suggesting that social and environmental justice are opposite sides of the same coin. 

Keynote Speakers

Thursday May 17, 2012
Evening Keynote

Sharon Washington

          Eating, Breathing, and Living Social & Environmental Justice

          Sharon Washington, Executive Director, National Writing Project, Berkeley, California

Sharon Washington has over two decades of professional experience and scholarly work in social justice education, higher education administration, teacher preparation, outdoor recreation, sports, and the arts. Throughout her career she has been engaged in work that contributes to a greater understanding of individuals and groups and the ways in which work and learning communities can foster greater equity and inclusion.   

Friday May 18, 2012
Luncheon Address

stewart

     Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Public Memory for an Inclusive Society

     Bill Stewart, Director of the Park Planning and Policy Lab, University of Illinois

Bill's lab directs research at understanding park and protected area development, including community-based decision-making related to park policy and land-use change. The Lab focuses on social processes of park development within watershed and ecosystem contexts.

Saturday May 19, 2012
Luncheon Address

goodale

        What Will Become of My Grandchildren?

        Tom Goodale, Professor Emeritus, George Mason University

Tom Goodale is co-author (with G. Godbey) of The Evolution of Leisure: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives and co-editor (with P. Witt) of Recreation and Leisure: Issues in an Era of Change. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of SUNY-Cortland, Distinguished Colleague of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, and a recipient of the National Literary Award from the National Recreation and Park Association. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Waterloo (Canada) and the State University of New York.

Entertainment Highlights

Friday Evening

Rhonda Larson

     Evening Musical Interlude

     Grammy Award winner and Montana Native Rhonda Larson

Rhonda integrates her classical training with various ethnic trditions, eras, and flutes from around the world. Her music merges the most soulful elements of sacred, folk, medieval, classical, and Celtic music. Rhonda's diversity, combined with her musical and technical wizardry, has begun a new generation for the flute as a leading voice in the music world. Composing much of her own repertoire, Larson continues to be recognized as a visionary force, creating a refreshing hybrid music for the flute.

Saturday evening

Lee Stetson

     The Spirit of John Muir

     with Lee Stetson

Lee Stetson's Spirit of John Muir is one of several shows based on the life of naturalist John Muir. These productions, with Mr. Stetson in the title role, have been presented in Yosemite National Park since 1983 to more than a quarter of a million visitors. Additionally, the Muir shows have toured throughout the country to universities, parks, museums, wilderness and environmental organizations from Washington D.C. to Hawaii. Mr. Stetson lectures frequently on the arts and the environment, and spends a considerable portion of his time promoting the performing arts in the national parks.

Full Conference Program

Registration Information 

Symposium Hosts: Daniel Dustin, Keri Schwab