Urban Bird Gardens Final Report - Cornell Lab of Ornithology ...

Leisure: Youth
Th Three factors f t emerged d as critical iti l aspects t of f youth’s th’ leisure l i time: ti spending di time ti with ith ffriends, i d spending di
time with family, and engaging in community-focused activities.
Youth saw leisure mostly as a time to
socialize , relax, and spend time on
activities they y enjoyed j y such as playing p y g
sports, spending time on the Internet,
and listening to music.
Friends
Friends, not surprisingly, were an
integral part of youth’s leisure time.
Respondents often talked about
spending time playing sports, games,
and “just hanging out” with their
friends. Peer interactions through
after-school activities, particularly at
the partnering CBO were also
important.
Family
Family also emerged as a considerable
part of youth’s leisure time. Youth
talked about the importance of
spending time with family, including
not t only l th their i parents t and d siblings, ibli but b t
also extended family such as aunts,
uncles, and cousins. They not only
talked about enjoying this family time,
but some also commented that even
their friends sometimes too k part in
family leisure activities. For example,
several mentioned that friends
regularly came over during family
cook outs or gatherings.
Community Involvement
Youth also placed p high g value on
activities in which they could do
something positive for their
community. Youth mentioned being
involved in a range of activities
Youth saw leisure as a way of
connecting with friends, family and
their community. Note that all three
were generally equally important to
youth. y
Garibay Group │ Urban Bird Gardens Front-end Evaluation │ Summer 2009 8