2.1 How Agencies are Meeting Needs

Non-profit Sector Organizations

Depending on the nature of the population or group, those served by nonprofit organizations often have specific needs that can be met or causes and initiatives that can be supported through that Agency’s programs or events that have been designed especially for them.

Example 1: Fusion Youth Centre

Fusion Youth Centre (Ingersoll, Ontario) offers professional Recording Studio services, Video Production and ReBuildIT social enterprise programs to youth. These programs fulfill several different needs: The need for skill-building opportunities for youth aged 12-18, a need for funds to re-invest in youth-centered programs, and the need of the local community to have refurbished computers to purchase.

Example 2: YMCA Calgary YMAP Program

The YMCA of Calgary Alberta offers the YMAP (YMCA Achievement Program) in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Free of charge to newcomer high school youth and young adults (new immigrants, refugees, International students and second generation Canadians) from more than 50 countries, YMAP meets the needs of young people when it comes to language-learning, employability skills, financial literacy and health and wellness through community service experiences, field trips and volunteer opportunities, (YMCA Calgary, 2024).

Private Sector Organizations

In the private sector, recreation-related businesses serve their clients by offering leisure, sport and amusement-based recreation activities and experiences, often aligning their offerings with current recreation trends in the community.

Example 1: The Factory Indoor Adventure Park

The Factory (London, ON) Indoor Adventure Park is a massive indoor entertainment complex boasting a “20,000 square-foot trampoline park, arcade, virtual reality, zip lines, and so much more”. (The Factory, 2019).  Additionally, the Factory offers corporate events, kids’ summer camps, PA Day programs, birthday parties and class trips, likely in response to an expressed need in the community for such services.

Example 2: East Park Golf Gardens

East Park Golf Gardens (London, ON) offers indoor and outdoor leisure activities, including an 18-hole golf course, mini-golf, a batting cage, a water park (complete with wave pool and water slides), an indoor rock-wall, a summer day camp, Go-Karts, an arcade and more (East Park, 2024). Designating itself “London’s place to play” (East Park, 2024), co-owner and facility Manager Alon Shatil has changed and evolved East Park’s offerings over the years in response to constituent needs and wants.

Public Sector Organizations

From recreation programs offered through a municipality’s Parks and Recreation department to in-house therapeutic recreation programs offered to those living in a publicly-funded Long-Term Care home, public sector recreation answers the needs and requirements of those whose tax dollars fund their programs with a holistic view of serving the constituents through varied, quality programs.

Example 1: City of London Recreation & Sport

City of London Recreation & Sport (London, ON). Offering programs and courses year-round in everything from aquatics, fitness, technology, arts & crafts, dance, skating, sports, music and drop-in programs to leadership training, First Aid training, writing, cooking and Senior’s programs (City of London, 2024), London’s municipal recreation and leisure options are plentiful. Varied enough to meet the recreational needs of stakeholders of all ages, London prides itself in being “A respected and inspired public service partner, building a better city for all” (City of London, 2024).

Example 2: Dearness Home Adult Day Programs

Dearness Home Adult Day Programs (London, ON) offer drop-on programs for Seniors in order to “give caregivers a break” (Dearness, 2024, :20-22) while enriching the lives of the clients through “fun and friendship” (Dearness, 2024, :22-26). By offering safe, structured Seniors Day Programs, Dearness Home is meeting the needs of tired family members by easing the caregiver fatigue and burnout often experienced by those caring for an elderly family member at home.