Educational Highlight: University of Southern Maine

The International Childhood Enrichment Program (ICEP) is a non-profit organization that builds playgrounds in poor and conflict-ridden countries: Afghanistan and Haiti. ICEP hires local laborers to coordinate, build and install playgrounds in secure, accessible places such as schools, orphanages and health clinics. All money raised through online donations and fundraising activities goes to the construction of playgrounds.

This semester, students in Dr. David Jones’ Recreation Leadership class are raising money through various fundraising activities, e.g., bake/food sales, bottle drives, and a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Funds raised are earmarked to build a playground for an institution for people with developmental disabilities in Haiti.

ICEP also has developed Children Enriching Children, a program in which school children in the United States help to raise money for playgrounds in Afghanistan and Haiti. These students then have the opportunity to correspond with Afghan and Haitian children through a pen-pal exchange program. In the past, Recreation Leadership students have collaborated with local schools to build playgrounds in these countries.

If you would like to find out more about ICEP or want to donate money so that children will have a safe place to play please go to www.icepkidsplay.org.

Questions? Email dbjones@usm.maine.edu or phone (207) 780-4587

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Therapeutic Recreation Students Hold a Professional Conference

A major capstone experience for therapeutic recreation students in the University of Southern Maine’s Management and Supervision in Therapeutic Recreation course was to plan, implement and evaluate a professional conference for recreation therapy specialists from Maine and New England. The conference, “Looking Towards the Future: Recreation Therapy – Moving Toward Licensure in Maine and New England”, attracted over 50 professionals from Maine and New England. The conference focused on the professional licensing of recreation therapy specialists in Maine and other New England states. In addition to speakers from New Hampshire, which was recently granted licensure for recreation therapy, the conference featured Dr. Nancy E. Richeson, Ph.D., CTRS from the USM Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and Doug Dunbar from the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulations. In order to carry out this major task, the USM students collaborated with the New England Therapeutic Recreation Association (NETRA). The conference was held in the 7th floor Glickman Library Conference Room from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on May 22, 2009. Numerous professionals attending remarked that the event was as well organized and delivered as many professional conferences they have attended in their careers. They also remarked that the students’ hard work should be applauded and they should be very proud of their effort.

For more information on the conference please contact Dr. David Jones, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at (207) 780-4587 or dbjones@usm.maine.edu.