Assignment 2: Analysis of the YMCA, AAA Travel and Insurance, and the ARC.

Our team has decided to further analyze the following three organizations: The YMCA, AAA Travel and Insurance, and the ARC. Each of these three companies exhibits a different form of leisure service that was discussed throughout the semester. Throughout this blog we will further discuss several aspects of these three companies. A few key topics that will be addressed will be the goals and purposes of each agency, how the company is funded so that it can go about achieving its goals and purposes, who the agency serves and how it is unique and distinguished among other agencies its type. Additionally, we will focus on the positive and negatives of each company and will determine whether or not each company is fully achieving their purpose. By further expanding on these topics, one will be capable of attaining a greater understanding of the different forms of leisure services.

The goals and objectives of AAA Travel and Insurance (tourism and hospitality industry) are mainly to provide a relaxing, worry-free, and overall enjoyable vacation for their customers. The YMCA's (nonprofit organization) goals are to provide leisure for people who share their values and instill good will as well as health and wellness. The Arc (campus recreation) goals are to provide health whether it be physical or mental to students. Their goal is also to provide relaxation to students who are stressed out by schoolwork. Therefore, relaxation is a common goal for all of these agencies because the YMCA and the Arc provide many relaxing activities such as yoga. Health may be considered another common goal between these three industries because those traveling may partake in activities such as skiing. All in all, all of these industries' main purpose is to satisfy all of their customers.

AAA Insurance and Travel is funded by fees that the customers must pay in order to use the service. The YMCA is funded in a variety of ways such as fundraising efforts, membership fees, and they may apply for a government fund. Also, the YMCA's taxes are waived. The Arc is funded by the university as well as students' tuition. Therefore, the only similarity in funding between these recreation programs is the YMCA and AAA Insurance and Travel both obtaining funds from customer fees.

Different leisure service delivery systems serve different groups of people. The AAA Insurance and Travel agency serves those looking to travel. They serve people whose ideas of leisure may consist of getting away from home and travelling. A lot of times they serve people traveling in groups like families. Since traveling is expensive, they most likely serve people in the middle class who can afford their services. The YMCA on the other hand is a non-profit organization that serves people from all classes. It serves all people of different races, age groups, and ethnicities. It has recreation for adults and for kids. It is similar to AAA Insurance and Travel because its family oriented agency and focus on developing strong family relationships. It’s a place to grow in family values and become actively involved in the community. The arc on the other hand is not so much family-oriented. It’s a student facility intended for use by those enrolled at the University of Illinois. It provides recreational activities and intramural leagues for students. It serves the recreational needs of the students on campus.

The key program elements of AAA Insurance and Travel are its needs to keep up with the trends. They need to constantly be following what the newest hotspot to travel to is. They also offer a variety of different places to travel to for people to experience different types of leisure such as hiking in Colorado or laying on the beach in Jamaica. The key elements to the YMCA on the other hand are its ability to serve such a wide range of people. It has services for children, teens, and adults of classes. It has child-care facilities and different recreational facilities for teens and adults. There are also over 2500 locations so they are readily available to all. The arc does not serve as wide of a variety of people. Its key program elements are the different recreational activities it offers. It is able to focus on a specific group and therefore can target their recreational needs. The facility includes work out equipment, a track, a gym, a pool, and much more all for the needs of the students.

As with any leisure service provider, each has its strengths and weaknesses. In the instance of AAA, they are known for their friendly customer service and helpful advice regarding travel arrangements (especially domestic). Moreover, they offer various travel and dining publications to better serve the needs of their customers. Yet, AAA's main focus is not on its travel programs so it may present as an lack of opportunity for Tourist majors. At the same time, their decentralized style of operations, consisting of many individual clubs all over the nation may mean that opportunities for advancement is more confined to your individual club. Similarly, the YMCA strengths are that they have developed such a vast network and influence in the international community. As a result, they are recognized as a secular organization that aims to help the homeless, troubled youths, and the general community. A major weakness is the lack of employment opportunities offered by each individual YMCA, as each YMCA offers a selective range of services. Finally, the ARC is an example of the forefront of campus recreation. It's vast resources available for students and the size of its facilities are not only very beneficial for an university this size but also for potential applicants looking for a wealth of different leisure service opportunities. Yet, a weakness may be the lack of opportunities for advancement in the ARC. Though most of the job opportunities are for student workers, the upper level management positions are relatively few.

Overall, each of the three mentioned agencies successfully fulfills their goals/purposes. AAA Travel and Insurance have represented the inerest of its members for more than 100 years. They reach a broad range of people, and provide benefits for their members. They recognize the needs of their customers, and have developed their company accordingly. The YMCA is a worldwide movement who now has more than 45 million members from 124 national federations. They were founded more than 150 years ago, and are still changing their foundation to accommodate the needs of communities. They have created numerous sports and activities, promoting positive involvement. The newly opend ARC at University of Illinois has been receiving positive feedback not only from students, but also members of the community. It gives students a more accessible option for physical health with their premiere facilities.

After further explanation of these three companies, one can fully understand the pros and cons associated with each company. Each company has a lot to offer, and they all appear to be fulfilling their purposes in adequately providing the people they serve. As one learned, each company has different forms of making a profit, different goals and plans, and different characteristics which separate it from other agencies of its type. However, all of these organizations operate around the same central idea; they all provide a form of leisure service. Leisure service providers are a very important part of our society today. As shown in the blog, each service provides elements that a crucial to maintaining health, good values, and positive community relationships.

AAA Insurance and Travel (Tourism Industry)

Marieta Bangeova

Introduction
The American Automobile Association (AAA) assists in insurance and travel and it is the largest leisure travel agency organization in North America. AAA's travel division puts together vacation packages that perfectly suit the customer's needs and budgets. They assist in services such as booking air, hotels, and car rentals. AAA has more than 1, 000 full-service offices, and their services may also be accessed online.Background

AAA was founded on March 4, 1902 in Chicago, Illinois as a response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles. After several years, the industry expanded its services. In 1905 the first road maps were published, and in 1917 AAA began printing hotel guides. In 1926 they released the first three editions of their TourBook guide, which provides in-depth travel information. In 1979 the AAA Diamond rating system for hotel accommodations was adopted. Today, they continue to offer these benefits as well as their travel agency services.

Careers

The two careers available in the travel department are the Travel Counselor and Auto Travel Counselor. An Auto Travel Counselor, Wanda Bellitto, at an Edwardsville, IL location explained that these positions deal with planning and selling accommodations for travel agency customers. They are also expected to advise travelers about their destinations such as the weather conditions or attractions. They spend most of their time behind the desk talking with clients, completing paperwork, and contacting airlines and hotels to make arrangements.

Trends

Vacation spot trends are constantly changing depending on factors such as the economy, world issues, or the weather. Wanda Bellitto explained that the main trend she has seen recently is families staying closer to home. However, when families have been traveling abroad, Alaska has been a popular destination. Within the United States, Bellitto states that World Disney has been the most visited location this year. She also discussed that the travel to Mexico has significantly declined due to scare of the swine flu.

Definition of Leisure

The definition of leisure varies between the age group of the individual traveling as well as their location. Wanda Bellitto defined leisure as, "resting, relaxing, and downtime in general." One may considering leisure laying on the beach in Jamaica while another may consider leisure hiking in Colorado. No matter where the customer vacations, AAA is committed to making their customer's trip smooth and relaxing.

Conclusion

After observing people working in the AAA office, it is clear that they are committed to their customers. Their variety of services from air flights to hotel reservations truly makes a customer's vacation care-free. One con concerning the agency is that aside from the tourism division, they are also extremely insurance orientated, which obviously does not fit into the definition of leisure or a tourism industry. Another negative aspect may be the fact that they only offer two employment opportunities. However, the travel agent positions are the most vital aspect that makes the industry run. All in all, travel agencies such as AAA are tremendously beneficial for people looking to travel. Whether one considers leisure scuba diving in Hawaii or riding roller coasters at Six Flags, AAA works with their customers to find the ideal location for their leisure activities. Therefore, if one is looking to travel in the upcoming future, I highly recommend visiting the AAA website or one of their offices.

THE YMCA

Introduction

The YMCA is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States. There are currently over twenty-five hundred YMCA located within the country. The YMCA serves different people of all age groups, races, ethnicities. It provides several different sources of recreation to children and adults. YMCA is the nation's largest provider of health and well-being programs. In addition, the YMCA provides the leading amount of child care throughout the country. Each YMCA is usually equipped with indoor basketball/volleyball courts and some outdoor recreational space.

Background

YMCA stands for Young Men's Christina Association and was founded in 1844 in London. The idea of organizing the YMCA came about through George Williams. Initially it was a place where bible studies were held and prayer groups were located. This was a unique place because it was very welcoming of different religions, and at this time, there was a clear separation between different religions. The initial idea of the YMCA was brought about because of all the negative social relationships that were developing within several cities at the end of the Industrial Revolution.

Employment Opportunities

The YMCA offers several job opportunities. One is able to choose from a variety of full-time and part-time jobs. Within these jobs are several different categories of job options. For example, they offer business positions, child care positions, teaching and coaching positions, and several more. Also, YMCA believes that its people deserve the best. Therefore, they offer competitive wages and different benefit packages.

Current Trends

Over the past few decades the YMCA has focused on the trends present in society. They have responded accordingly in an effort to coincide with societal trends. In the 1980's and '90's there was a lot of emphasis placed on building character. This was done by building the morality of the population they serve. The YMCA began to focus on the core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

Definition of Leisure

The YMCA committed to touching the lives of all the millions of lives they touch throughout the year. There definitions of leisure differ between the different age groups to which they cater to. For children and the youth, the YMCA focuses on developing optimistic and positive values and stress to children the importance of motivation for learning. For families, they focus on developing strong family bonds and positive relationships within families. When considering the individual, the YMCA's meaning of leisure is creating a better spiritual, mental, and physical well-being.

Synopsis

The YMCA is one of the United State's largest non-profit organizations. It offers services to people of all different age groups and provides several different forms of leisure activities. Also, the YMCA offers several job opportunities for full-time to part-time to summer camp help. There are several benefits to working with such an organization. The YMCA has developed a great reputation throughout the nation and working for them would be a positive contribution to society. After researching the YMCA through this project, I came across several positive features of employment at YMCA. Therefore, I do not know of any cons of working for this organization. The YMCA promotes great moral values and Christian values among the population it serves. It is a great place to grow in family values and community relationships as its members can become actively involved with the whole YMCA community. The YMCA is truly a great place for leisure and recreation opportunities.

Xsport Fitness

Introduction

Xsport Fitness is a private membership recreation service providing a health club, spa, salon, and tanning salon all in one. It restricts its use to members of the facility only. The club is commercially owned and used for profit. They provide an enjoyable, uplifting, and clean atmosphere to exercise and participate in indoor recreation in order to allow members to acquire the healthy lifestyle they desire. Most facilities have basketball courts, racquetball courts, tennis courts and swimming pools for the use of their members.

Background

Xsport Fitness is one of the fastest growing fitness chains in America. With over 25 locations in four different states it serves a wide variety of people. The facilities are open 24/7 365 days a year which make them readily available for the members use. They exist solely for the member’s recreation to provide them with the best health equipment, excellent trainers, indoor recreation facilities and education programs.

Employment Opportunities

Xsport Fitness provides multiple full and part time employment opportunities. An application can be found on their website for the various positions. These positions include aerobics instructors, massage therapists, spa employees, and management. They also provide different benefits for their employees that include growth opportunities, medical benefits, free memberships, and employee discounts.

Current Trends

Xsport has to deal with constant growing trends. Health is a huge trend in America. It is more and more common to find people training for marathons than it was ten years ago. As a fitness center, Xsport needs to keep up with issues like this. They must have trainers readily available to help their members train for different athletic events and keep up with the growing health concerns.

What Leisure Means To Xsport

Xsport is all about its members. They want their members to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle and strive to provide this for them. The dedication and passion their employees show helps them present a supreme leisure delivery system. The leisure they offer includes their spa services, health club equipment and recreational courts. They truly exist to serve their members. Their private membership allows them to focus on those that are serious about their health and helps provide them with an exclusive indoor recreation health facility.

Conclusion

Xsport Fitness is a private membership recreation organization that restricts its use to members and their guests. Members must pay to participate in their recreational activities and therefore the use is usually restricted to the middle class and up. The agency provides many benefits to its employees that would probably attract many people inquiring to work there. It provides major health benefits which are a huge trend in Leisure Delivery today. Another benefit is that the employees work with exclusive members that have a strong desire to be there to improve their health. Those who are not following this trend and are not particularly interested in health and indoor recreation would not receive as many benefits and therefore would probably not gain much from a career in this agency. After my experience visiting and researching Xsport Fitness I’ve learned that is an ideal place for those interested in private indoor recreation. Between the basketball courts, salons, spas, and excellent career oppurtunties this private membership organization is an perfect example of a modern leisure-service system that exists today.

The Champaign Park District

The Champaign Park District is a local recreation service group serving the community of and surrounding Champaign. Collectively, the park district belongs in the public agency part of the leisure service delivery modes. The park district has a history of providing a variety of programs and services to the public. Currently, the park district offers programs aimed to promote the cultural arts, sportsmanship, competition, nature, and leisure.

Background
Champaign Park District (CPD) was established in 1911 and made a government entity in 1955 to serve the public of Champaign. While the CPD has always looked over the various parks and trails, only in 1967 was CPD given responsibility for recreation services for the community.

Art Exhibit Room Designed by the CPD at one of their facilities. (above)


Upcoming Art Exhibit. (above)

Currently, the CPD consists of five elected commissioners serving uncompensated 6 year terms overseeing approximately 70 full time employees and over 400 part time, seasonal, or temporary employees. Furthermore, the CPD, through reciprocal agreements, now serves over 68,000 residents residing in Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul, the University, as well as school district 4.

Employment Opportunities
CPD uses online applications to screen for potential employees. Prospective employees can use this to apply for different positions by creating an online account and filling out an extensive form. Moreover, the website also has frequent updates of job openings. As of 11/23, the position openings include ballet instructor, adult and sports program leaders, fitness instructors, and event managers. A few positions have deadlines for applications while many do not. One may also apply for jobs that are not currently listed also. The link to this web page can be found here.

A good opportunity for those hoping to eventually work for the CPD may be to take on an internship or volunteering position to gain valuable experience. There are many leadership positions available in the several types of positions. Some of them are designed to give you experience in parks and recreation, cultural arts, and advertising. These may serve as your way to "get a foot in the door" of the CPD.


Current Trends and Issues
Through their 2004 survey, the CPD has identified several trends and issues that requires attention. Specifically, those in the survey responded that their current needs for a "wide range" of services and facilities are not being adequately met. Presumably, the public has desires for more varied services and facilities than they do now. Also, CPD has found that maintaining park paths and bathrooms should be on their list of priorities as results from the survey showed that bike trails, walking paths, bathroom facilities are continuously among the most valued by the public. Finally, much of the public has voiced their desire for the historic Virginia Theater to be renovated in the 2004 survey. As a result, CPD has recently received a major financial contribution for this purpose.

CPD's Recent Efforts for Funding. (above)

CPD's Definition of Leisure and Benefit to Public
The CPD's definition of leisure would most likely be characterized by the view that having inclusive and innovative programming along with a focus on the culture and health of the individual would most serve its purpose. CPD puts much of its attention to hearing what leisure would mean to its community and tries to provide it while being fiscally responsible. As a result, a major benefit the CPD gives to the community it serves is its ability to provide cohesion to the diverse public through its wide range of services.

A career in the CPD would be very nice. Although not as lucrative as others, a job in the CPD does seem to offer stability. In the very least, it would be a good stepping stone for one's future job in a similar field. A negative of a career in this agency is lack opportunities for advancement from within. Moreover, the barriers to mobility within the CPD, such as moving from sports management to parks, is also a negative.

All in all, my experiences with CPD has been extremely positive. Through visiting a few of its facilities along the years and its web site, I've gained an appreciation for the job that the CPD board and its employees have done. Among the various programming that I have attended, I especially enjoy the availability of the Leonhard Recreation Center sponsored by the CPD. A gymnasium that can be used for basketball, volleyball, and many other sports, it offers many sports programming for the public. As can be expected from the CPD, Leonhard always has helpful staff members on hand to ensure that its open gyms are dependable, sports leagues are managed, and its facilities maintained. It certainly fits into the leisure delivery system through the wealth of programming it provides and the vast parks and public lands that it controls.

Assignment #1: The ARC

The Activities and Recreation Center, better known as the ARC, is a student facility here at University of Illinois. It provides activities for individual students as well as intramural leagues for student sport teams at the university. It is a newly opened facility that is taking campus recreation to another level here at Illinois.




In 1971 the Inturmural-Physical Education Building was opened at University of Illinois. In 2005, this building went under a complete renovation that lasted over 3 years in order to produce what is now the largest campus-recreation center in the nation. The project was made possible by a referendum voted on by students and passed by the University. The purpose of the referendum was to provide more recreation opportunities, reduce overcrowding, address space issues, and meet the needs of University of Illinois students.





The ARC provides several employment opportunities, especially for students. Jobs are available in several different departments within the center including: Adventure recreation, aquatics, ice arena, wellness services, facility management, event management, personal training, and more. Professional, graduate, and intern positions are also available at the facility. In order to apply for a position, one must attend an informational meeting, submit written and online applications, and follow up with a personal interview.



The current trend in student recreation is to provide a vast variety of activities. Because of this, the ARC offers amenities to a wide-range of individuals as well as many clubs, teams, and leagues. The large 340,000 square foot facility helps prevent over-crowding, which is a major issue in campus recreation.

The ARC’s definition of leisure is to creating opportunities to help students save time, relieve stress, and lead healthier lives. They aim to provide premier facilities here at University of Illinois in the most convenient way for students. The center offers free access to students with a simple swipe of a student ID card.



I go to the ARC almost every day, and yet through this research I have found out services I never even knew were available. The variety of activities the ARC has to offer also becomes beneficial for careers in the agency. Potential employees can get a look into multiple departments within the facility, and network with fellow employees and staff. Through recreation improvement committees, staff members also can develop leadership skills. The student recreation agency is an essential part of college leisure. Being able to keep up with recreation trends is an important part of student recreation, and is definitely something to consider for those who consider a career in the agency. Overall, the ARC fits into the leisure delivery system because it gives students a place to spend their free time. Whether it is lifting weights, playing sports, running, or taking advantage of the free wireless internet; there is something for most every student on campus.


Written by: Cody Lindsey

What leisure means to us....

Leisure means to us a myriad of things. Sometimes we wish it to be an outlet when we are restless while at other times it serves as a way to relax, find peace of mind. Sometimes leisure means doing something new and gaining new experiences when we are tired of the mundane. Whatever it may be, we believe that our ways of leisure say a lot about who we are