2014

Mobile Field School Final Report

Joanne Schroeder
Vancouver Island University
12/12/2014

Contents
Inaugural Field School in Mobile, Alabama, USA ......................................................................................... 2
BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................... 2
BUILDING A LIVEABLE CITY THROUGH LEISURE: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................... 2
GENERAL BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................... 7
DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT ............................................................................................................... 8
LEARNING OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................ 8
REQUIRED READINGS ............................................................................................................................... 9
Schedule for Mobile Field School .............................................................................................................. 11

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The World Leisure Organization (WLO)

World Leisure Centers of Excellence (WLCE)
Inaugural Field School in Mobile, Alabama, USA
September 6-13th, 2014

BACKGROUND
WLCE programs are organized as an international post-graduate program with research and service
elements supporting the effort. Such centers provide a unique opportunity for graduate students from
throughout the world and leisure educators, researchers and professionals to come together at one
venue to participate in and/or contribute to the offering of an English-based graduate program.
Themes of these programs can relate to enhancing global awareness, increasing environmental
sensitivity, sustainability and innovation, community development and promoting quality of life issues
through leisure and certainly provide for its students a greater awareness of living in a globalized
society.
There are currently four centres: Arizona State University (USA), Vancouver Island University (Canada),
NHTV Breda University (Netherlands) and Deusto University (Spain). Each centre has a unique focus and
educational theme.

BUILDING A LIVEABLE CITY THROUGH LEISURE: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

At the time of the field school there were three WLCE and students participated from two schools,
Vancouver Island University, Canada and NHTV Breda University, Netherlands. The initial concept of the
field school came through discussions within the WLCE to find ways to connect the centres and create
opportunities for students through international and global learning. For the purpose of this report we
will call the experience a field school keeping in mind this included:
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case study analysis of a current situation in the host community

online platform/component
required readings
participation in the congress
attendance at WLCE master classes
presentation at the congress
involvement in experiential learning
participatory research and
completion of a final report (the specifics of the final report was determined by each sending
University)

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PRE PLANNING
On two separate occasions in the fall of 2013, face to face planning took place to discuss the possibilities
of a fieldschool in Mobile. After that point all planning was done electronically and through Skype
meetings. The first planning meeting was hosted in Breda and the other in Alabama. The ideas
generated included voices from WLCE, board members and University affiliate faculty.
It was decided that the host community would present current issues in their community and from that
we would create a case study for analysis. The Mobile case study was built around the livable city
concept which was also the congress theme and the course was called Building a Liveable City through
Leisure: A Global Perspective (refer to appendix A).
It was decided that we would start small in student numbers allowing the committee to work through
the details at the first field school offering in Mobile Alabama, 2014 WLO congress. The South Alabama
University assisted us in creating an on line platform for the students to initially meet and introduce one
another with the expectation that 5 students from their University would be participating. In the end
there were no students from South Alabama that participated and the on line forum was not fully
utilized for the duration of the course.

CHALLENGE
Of course as we know the planning details of an international experience involving many partners has its
challenges but as leisure professionals it was an exciting opportunity to trouble shoot and navigate our
way through those details. More significant than the micro details were the macro questions that
initially needed to be addressed:
1. What are the credentials a student will acquire at the end of the field school experience? Is this
a University affiliated course with credits and if so how many credits should it be? Or is it for
certification and is so who will certify?
2. Who will offer the credits? Who will be responsible for marking and grading the students work?
3. What is the role of the host community and host University?
In the end it was determined that each University participating would;
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determine how the credits would be applied to their own students involved
each faculty member responsible for bringing students would mark and grade their students
work and
although group work was required for the case study analysis, written work at the end was done
individually

From an administrative perspective, the University of South Alabama had to do some significant work on
their end to create the on line course platform that guest students could participate in and although this
may create a challenge for a host University it is a worthwhile endeavor to have the on line platform in
one central spot.
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SCHEDULE September 6-13th

The fieldschool started the day before the congress and finished the day of the congress. There was an
initial teambuilding time at a local facility called Camp Grace where we connected with the Young
Peoples Book on Leisure team. (Refer to Appendix B for schedule)
While a specific schedule was provided for the week, it is important to note that at the upper and
graduate level much of global travel and learning is organic by nature and guiding the students through
how to make the linkage to their own understanding prior to coming and building upon that requires
dialogue and synergy. This happens when they talk, discuss, meet other delegates, and integrate into
the congress, the local culture and the case analysis. The travel itself to a new place on the globe is so
powerful and we cannot forget how that is embedded into the field school experience.

ACCOMMODATIONS
A hotel was recommended by the congress committee with a reduced rate for students. Most of the
students stayed there including students from the Young Peoples Book on Leisure.

STUDENT RECOMMENDATIONS/FEEDBACK:
1. Highly recommended to do this again and a number of the Canadian students are very keen and
willing to participate/assist in the next one as alumni.
2. Clear communication with dates, time commitment and expectations must be offered at
minimum eight to twelve months in advance with the additional details (specific agenda,
schedule) to be available at minimum four months in advance of the school. This is required for
travel arrangements, grants and scholarship application timelines and alignment with academic
and work requirements.
3. On line forum should be used with a minimum of two weeks access prior to start date. This will
allow for pre readings to be available, course outline review, personal bio and introduction
exchanges.
4. All students both in the school and generally attending the congress should stay at the same
hotel where possible but it should be a hotel that has a lounge or places to meet.
5. Team building ahead of time was very valuable and should be a requirement that everyone who
participates in the congress must attend.
6. Appreciated that we had many faculty involved as we had many perspective to learn from.
7. Just as this case analysis was, have a real topic, with real people who want to hear the real
feedback and it should be a requirement that a brief report of recommendations is passed along
to the host community contact at the end.



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PLANNING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Each congress field school should have (but not required) a local University involved, not only
from a local context perspective but also so that local students are encouraged and supported
to participate. If there is not a local University there MUST be a local contact who will be the
host of the case study context (lining up speakers, presenters, stakeholders, contacts to
organizations) etc.
2. It was difficult to fit in all the criteria of the field school and participate in the congress. I would
recommend that we start two/three days before the congress and have two/three days after
the congress allowing more time during the congress to attend sessions and network.
Particularly if the congress schedule is reduced, as will be in Durban 2016 to four days.
3. Team building prior to the congress is necessary to create comfort in the global learning
environment.
4. Joining up with the Young Peoples Book on Leisure was great and would be recommended to
incorporate those two initiatives together more if they are involved at the next congress.
5. Use the alumni to help promote the next school (small video of their experience, Skype them in
for info sessions etc.)

FUTURE FIELD SCHOOL INTENTIONS

1. WLCE would like to offer an online course and field school every congress and if possible during
a non-congress year one of the WLCE will organize and host a field school.
2. Although the planning will come under the umbrella of the WLCE it is not meant to be exclusive
to the students connected to those Universities. This should be a field school that supports
future leaders through global learning regardless of your affiliation to WLO or WLCE
3. Recommend that the second school be offered at 2016 WLO Congress in Durban South Africa
targeting 15-20 students.
4. The field school is also an opportunity to build relationships and a catalyst to initiate joint
research, projects, faculty and student exchanges, visiting scholars program, joint master
classes.
5. Integrate and apply a greater depth of theory supported through books, articles, journals and
appropriate citations to the final assignment.

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Appendix A
Creating a Livable City through leisure: A
Global Perspective

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Creating a Livable City through leisure: A

Global Perspective
GENERAL BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION
Mobile is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama. The population within the city limits was 195,111
as of the 2010 United States Census, making it the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama,
the most populous in Mobile County, and the largest municipality on the Gulf Coast between New
Orleans, Louisiana, and St. Petersburg, Florida. The city is not divided in rich and poor areas but all
kind of different people live together in one area.
Located at the junction of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay on the northern Gulf of Mexico, the city is
the only seaport in Alabama. The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of
the city beginning with the city as a key trading center between the French and Native Americans down
to its current role as the 12th-largest port in the United States.
Mobile as a city and the surrounding area is an interesting location when it comes to leisure. It is
connected to the Gulf of Mexico and there is a large delta that gives many possibilities for all kinds of
leisure activities in the water. Also the city center of Mobile offers many leisure facilities. As one of the
Gulf Coasts cultural centers, Mobile has several art museums, a symphony orchestra, a professional
opera, a professional ballet company, festivals, an international oriented cuisine and a large
concentration of historic architecture especially with a French influence. Mobile is known for having the
oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States. Mobile, Alabama has a warm temperate
climate with hot summers and no dry season.
As many cities in the US, Mobiles city center is characterized as a business district, which means that
during and after office hours there is not a lot of activity on the streets. Mobile aims to transform the
inner city into a more livable and vibrant area. Leisure is seen as an important element in this
transformation. Adding leisure functions to the public space of Mobile could indeed lead to more
liveliness in the central district; however, this depends on the extent to which these leisure functions
actually enhance conviviality. Some leisure spaces are better able in bringing human activity and
interaction than others. If leisure spaces are indeed aiming for more sociability, they should provide a
context for bringing people together. This requires leisure spaces to function as third spaces: places of
social interaction. Classic third spaces are public parks and squares, coffee houses, cafs or bars, or,
potentially, the main street (Lefebvre, 1974; Oldenburg, 1989; Soja, 1996). But for these places to
actually function as central urban meeting spaces, they should be able to coordinate human co-presence
and stimulate meaningful social experiences (c.f. Collins, 2004; Shove, 2013). This not only requires the
presence of hard leisure infrastructures, but also more softer infrastructures, enabling experiences,
creativity and play (Stevens, 2007). The events organized in Mobile county might be good catalysts to
initiate these things.

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To attract 3-5 million new visitors as stated by the former mayor Mike Dow in 2012, and to retain and
increase the number of local inhabitants, the inner city of Mobile faces major challenges.
In this assignment you will focus on opportunities to improve the livability of downtown Mobile and the
role of a wide range of stakeholder groups therein. More understanding of this problem can help Mobile
to become an attractive place to live and work.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT
You will conduct a case study analysis of the possibilities to rehabilitate and revitalize the downtown
leisure area of Mobile. Using your own multiple disciplinary insights of leisure studies and related study
areas (f.i. sustainable urban development, sustainable transport, city and community development,
quality of life) and relying on your various international backgrounds and knowledge, you are supposed
to critically examine the conditions and opportunities for downtown leisure revitalization in Mobile and
the (possible) role of individuals as well as public, private (entrepreneurship, small business
development), and non-profit institutions. In mixed student groups six you will investigate to what
extent Mobile offers the right conditions for meaningful leisure experiences and social interaction for a
mix of generations, and which opportunities and improvements might stimulate spaces and places to
actually function as central urban meeting areas. Within that scope one might also pay attention to the
inner city as a hospitality zone with a higher potential for public safety and quality of life aspects (see
Roundtable Summary Report, Mobile, Alabama, 2012).
To prepare and start up the assignment various readings (literature, reports) will be provided digitally by
the WLCEs before departure and your commissioner from Mobile will orally introduce the assignment.
During the conference week you will visit the World Leisure Congress to attend presentations related to
the assignment and you will visit the inner city of Mobile to collect data and analyze the current
situation. In addition, members of the WLCEs will provide presentations on themes related to the
assignment during three mandatory scheduled sessions. Based on literature, reports, desk research and
collected data and supervised by members of the WLCEs you present your findings and
recommendations at the end of the conference week to your commissioner from Mobile.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the assignment, the students should have developed the following competencies:
1.
To increase their understanding of the opportunities to transform the inner city of Mobile into a
more livable and vibrant leisure area using their multiple disciplinary perspectives and international
backgrounds.
2.
To increase their understanding of the possible roles of public, private, and non-profit
institutions in affecting the livability of the inner city of Mobile.

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REQUIRED READINGS

Literature
1.
Holmes, K. & Beebeejaun, Y. (2007). City centre master planning and cultural spaces: A case
study of Sheffield. Journal of Retail and Leisure Property 6, 29-46.
2.
Bergmann, A. (Ed.) (2008). Music-City, Sport-City, Leisure-City. A reader on different concepts of
culture, creative industries and urban regeneration attempts. Bauhaus-Universitt Weimar, Institut fr
Europische Urbanistik.
3.

Oldenburg, R. (1989). The Great Good Place. Chapter 2: The Character of Third Places. P.20-42

Reports and Plans on Mobile
4.
Water Tourism: A Regional Strategic Plan Initiative of WLO, USA, RSA, MBCVB & Regional
tourism stakeholders inputs to 2012 Coastal Alabama Regional Strategic Plan.
5.

Roundtable Summary Report, Mobile, Alabama, April 5th, 2012.

6.
Mobile, Alabama, USA 2012, Travel & Tourism Vision and Big picture goals 2012. Economic
Development Foundation and Leverage of Leisure and Livability, presented to 2012 World Leisure
Congress Rimini, Italy, Mike Dow.
7.
Other supplemental readings supplied by Mobile planning team (e.g. You Tube of interview with
consultant, additional community background articles, video from prominent community members who
we will meet during conference week, etc., Former Mayor Mike Dow and current mayor, others)
8.
Breuer, D, (Ed.) (1999). Towards a new planning process: A guide to reorienting urban planning
towards Local Agenda 21. European Sustainable Development and Health Series, 3. World Health
Organization.

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Appendix B
Schedule for Mobile

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Schedule for Mobile Field School

Daily
theme

8-10 am

10:30-12p

12p-1:30p
3:30-5:00

5:00-
7:00pm

Sun., 7th
Registration
all day

Mon., 8th
Tues., 9th
Wed., 10th Thurs., 11th
Economic
Environmental Emerging
Arts,
development stewardship
technologies culture,
sports and
recreation




Students
were
required to
meet and
prepare for
presentation
Orientation Field school
Field school
&
meeting
meeting on
teambuilding
University
Camp Grace
campus
lunch





Orientation Walkability



and
Tour of
teambuilding Mobile,
Camp Grace participatory

research
Opening



Presentation
ceremonies
to former
Mayor, Mike
Dow

Fri., 12th
Experts in
the field

Closing
ceremonies
Travel to
New
Orleans

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