The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) has commenced working on an online survey instrument for the above noted initiative which has been made possible through a grant received from Mountain Equipment Co-op. The survey will be developed so as to seek input on strategic matters pertaining to children and youth and their perceived lack of engagement/connection with nature (the out-of-doors).
Our goal is to have some survey results to report at the National “Children in Nature” Strategy Session being organized by Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) in early April 2010 as part of their Educational Forum and National Exchange event. We have developed the survey instrument, with assistance from the Children in Nature Network, the University of Alberta (Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation) and Yates, Thorn & Associates. It is our hope that CPRA partners and their members across the country would complete this survey, creating a broader understanding of the existing circumstances, programs and perceived gaps, in outdoor recreation and nature education opportunities for children and youth.
In order to complete this project in the short time period we have, we need your Association’s support and assistance. More specifically, we would ask that you do whatever you can to send the online survey out to your respective Association members. The survey has been designed in both English and French and links to both versions of the survey are below. To help facilitate this we have attached a draft template (in both English and French) that can be used to introduce the survey to your members.
English Version: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/239694/l8e6t
French Version: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/244588/myctt
It will be our intention to eventually be able to report on survey input based on individual provincial/territorial basis as well as analyze on a pan-Canadian aggregate basis. This information would be made readily available to all of our P/T Partners.
As with anything done through online technology, the research will, in the end, be “representative and indicative” but could not be regarded as “scientifically valid”. That’s not really the intent. We merely want to get a sense... a reading... from our community recreation and parks practitioners (and allied stakeholders) on this vital children and nature matter.
As stated before, time is of the essence! The survey will only be online until Friday, March 12th. We would ask that upon your review of this letter, you determine a course that would have your P/T Association members engage with the online survey.
Thank you so much for your urgent attention to this matter.
Rick Curtis
Executive Director
Alberta Recreation and Parks Association
