The Hillel Ruskin Memorial Scholar Lecture Award seeks to perpetuate and recognize the contributions of the namesake of this award by sponsoring a scholarly lecture focused on advancing concepts related to leisure, leisure education and leisure policy development. The Hillel Ruskin Memorial Scholar Lecture Award is presented at the biennial World Leisure Congress.

The Hillel Ruskin Memorial Scholar Lecture Award was conceived at the IX World Leisure Regional Conference held in Malmo, Sweden in 2005. Subsequently, the first award was made at the 2008 X World Leisure Congress in Quebec City, Canada.
 

2012 Recipient of the Hillel Ruskin Memorial Sholar Lecture Award

Brenda Roberston

Former Professor
Recreation Management & Community Development
Acadia University
Canada

Dr. Brenda Robertson served as a leisure studies professor at Acadia University in Canada for 30 years prior to retiring July 2012. Her interest in the area of leisure education developed in the 1980’s reading the work of Jean Mundy and Forest McDowell. Her PhD research focused upon understanding why certain individuals engage in delinquent activity as leisure. As a scholar practitioner she has developed leisure education models, initiatives and resources; facilitated program delivery to a variety of disenfranchised groups; taught academic courses and workshops with a leisure education focus; conducted and published related research; as well as being an advocate for leisure education presenting her work throughout North America as well as in Europe and Africa. Specific settings in which she has worked include youth centres, correctional facilities, schools, treatment centres, rural communities, and universities.  It is her belief that leisure education is necessary for a healthy satisfying lifestyle and is a lifelong process of personal development. Highlights of her leisure education work include the creation and implementation of 7 leisure education delivery models; development of a leisure education text simply entitled The Leisure Education Manual; and having the opportunity to work with scholars from other countries including the late Hillel Ruskin. Recently, she has become a dedicated advocate for leisure literacy in public schools. She describes leisure literacy as culturally defined knowledge and skills required by individuals in order to take responsibility for personal positive leisure functioning. This was the focus of her Hillel Ruski

n Memorial Scholar Lecture in Rimini.

Criteria for Selection

• Scholarly record for a number of years as evidenced by publications and scholarly presentations;
• Public service and leadership as evidenced by professional presentations, consultation, and professional leadership;
• Commitment to the profession through service at global, national, regional, state/provincial, and/or local levels; and
• Research expertise as evidenced by research projects, research publication and/or grants.

Selection Procedures

Applications will be evaluated on:

• Impact of their research and scholarly contributions to the professional literature;
• Relevance of their scholarship to leisure, leisure education and as practice; and/or
• Impact of their professional leadership.

Application/Award Procedures

The nomination file should include the following:

• Name of the individual, title, organizational affiliation and full contact details;
• A written statement of not more than 1,000 words that addresses the nominees scholarly efforts and/or other professional contributions, referencing the impact that the nominees contributions have made to the professional literature and/or professional practice; and
• The nominees curriculum vita.

Recognition/Benefits to the Recipient

Each award winner receives a framed certificate and presents a featured scholarly lecture at the biennial World Leisure Congress