2022 WLO Board of Directors Annual Meeting takes place in the framework of the Forum “Talking About Leisure” co-organized by SESC and WLCE USP in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

The WLO Board of Directors hosted its 2022 Annual Board meeting from November 3rd to 5th in a hybrid format. WLO Board members attending on-site also participated in the parallel Forum “Talking About Leisure”, co-organized by Brazilian partners SESC and WLCE University of São Paulo and celebrated in the same facilities at SESC Guadalupe (Pernambuco, Brazil).

For one week, members of the organization had the opportunity to experience first-hand SESC’s brand new facilities in the state of Pernambuco, in the coastal town of Sirinhaém. In addition to their participation in the academic forum (“Talking About Leisure”/”Falando do lazer”), where they debated and discussed on several issues such as leisure and social transformation, and leisure and personal development, a variety of activities and technical visits were also organized.

WLO Chair Prof. Joanne Schroeder, WLO COO Dr. Cristina Ortega, and WLO Board members Dr. Arianne Reis, Dr. Miklos Banhidi, Dr. Antonio Bramante, and Ms. Maria Luiza de Souza contributed to the different panels of the forum enriched with a multicultural approach involving academics and professionals from the Latin American region. Additionally, the WLCEs were represented by Dr. Ricardo Uvinha, representative of the WLCE University of Sao Paulo, who was part of the organizing team, as well as by Dr. Carolin Lusby, co-representative of the WLCE University of Sao Paulo and WL SIG Travel and Tourism Chair.

The Forum was broadcasted online in Brazilian Portuguese and English and gathered over a hundred viewers online.

In the proximities of SESC Guadalupe, located one kilometer from the coast and its impressive mangroves, the WLO delegates and conference’s attendees discovered and learned about the work of the shellfish farmers. This activity is the result of SESC’s inclusive approach focused on innovative ecological itineraries within the Environmental Protection Area of the Coral Coast.

In Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, the participants explored the largest open-air urban technology park in Brazil, Porto Digital. Porto Digital is one of the main technology and innovation hubs in Brazil and represents the new economy of the State of Pernambuco. Located in the historic downtown Recife, Recife Antigo, its performance encompasses Creative Economy, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), as well as the future of cities through digital fabrication and the Internet of Things (IoT).