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Article: Social capital: how parks and recreation help to build community.(Research Update)
- Article from:
- Parks & Recreation
- Article date:
- December 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 National Recreation and Park Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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They come from all over your community. Players, coaches, referees, families and friends join together each fall Saturday for youth soccer games. The parks and recreation department has worked hard to ensure the benefits of participating in this program, including the new skills gained, the teamwork, the joy of competing with and against others, and the new friends made. Yet the benefits of such a program move beyond the participants to the families and friends watching these games. The spectators meet and greet one another, talk about the weather, the game and community events. As they connect with one another at many levels, they are in the process of building the social ...