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SCOPE AND NEED FOR A COMMUNITY R&CREATION PROGRAM:

The recreation program of the Work Projects Administration
is designed to provide employment on projects for persons in
need, who are qualified to furnish leadership in organizing
activities of a recreational nature and in directing group
participation.

There is a great need for a quality-service program of
recreation in every community in order that people may acquire
various recreational skills and attitudes for leisure time
pursuits. There must be opportunities for these same people
to practice and develop these old and new skills under competent
leadership whether it be individuals, family or community groups.

The need for recreation cannot be limited to any particular
group within a community and care must be exercised in the
administration of the program to include all the people. In
some cases, special attention must be given to the minority
groups (racial, economic, etc.), areas of high delinquency as
a preventative rather than cure for crime, to rural areas with
their particular problems, and to certain individuals in need
of recreational therapy.

The community recreation program must be geared and adapted
to the community needs. There are many ways of determining these
needs and the method which will most adequately determine these
needs should be used. Some methods are outlined below:

1. The conference method is probably the most widely used
means of gathering information. By this method, the
leaders in the community life and heads of local organ-
izations who are interested in the social betterment
of the community, are called together. In this way,
information is assembled covering current programs,
needs, and desires. The judgment of such a group
would furnish the basis for the organization of a
community program.

2. Personal interviews with the leaders of the community
on the part of the recreation supervisor is another
method of finding out information which will point out
the needs and desires of the community.

3. In many cases, questionaires have been assembled which
when distributed among the people of the community will
point out pertinont needs of the community.

4. The research method, if properly used, is probably the
most effective approach to the finding of the real
needs, interests and desires of a community. The
information is carefully assembled, tabulated, analyzed,
and the findings used to adapt the program of local