Cornelis Westland Humanitarian Award

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The Cornelis Westland Humanitarian Award seeks to perpetuate the efforts of former World Leisure Secretary General Cor Westland. He was a sincere and authentic man – with a huge heart.

Cornelis (Cor) Westland (1918 – 2008) served as Secretary General of WLRA from 1984 to 1996. Westland’s professional and personal journey was remarkable. Born in The Netherlands in 1918, Westland graduated from the Royal Military Academy and later earned a bachelor of physical education from the Academy of Physical Education in Amsterdam. He served as an officer in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army from 1940 to 1951. During this period of time, he was a prisoner of war.

From 1951 to 1953 he was a member of the faculty of the Royal Military College. In 1953, he immigrated to Canada and began his professional work with leisure and recreation with the YMCA. From 1966 to 1970, he served as a recreation consultant with Fitness Canada and from 1970 to 1976 as Director of Recreation Canada. Following, from 1976 to 1984, he was an associate professor in the Department of Leisure Studies, University of Ottawa.

As Secretary General, his work was central in the establishment of the World Leisure International Center of Excellence graduate programme (WICE) initially offered by the Christelijke Hogeschool Noord Nederland, Leeuwarden, Netherlands. He provided leadership to a variety of national and international conferences including the WLRA Symposium on Leisure staged at the UN in 1982 and the World Congress on Play in Human Settlements. Westland offered many keynote presentations in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands and Norway.

First elected to the Association’s Board of Directors in 1977,Cor also served as its Vice Chair prior to assuming his position as Secretary General in 1984. As an author of numerous books and articles, his publications include Recreation Development in Canada; Fitness and Amateur Sport in Canada; and Playing, Living and Learning in Canada.

The Cornelis Westland Humanitarian Award seeks to recognize an individual or organization that has made significant and sustained contributions to the world wide leisure movement, advancing human concerns.

Award & Benefits

Free registration to attend the 18th World Leisure Congress, Breda, The Netherlands.
Acknowledgement of her/his contribution to a large world-wide audience in the Awards Ceremony.
The World Leisure Journal will provide temporary free/open access to selected articles published by the recipient.
The winner of the Award will be part of the story line of the Awards in the WLO, and it will be promoted by WLO in the following means: a dedicated space in the WLO website and announcement in the WL News – Newsletter, together with an interview. Furthermore, all these communication actions will be fostered through the WLO various social media channels and specifically disseminated by leisure media strategic partners.

APPLY FOR THE AWARD

Eligibility Criteria

Significant contributions as reflected in serving as an originator or promoter of a significant leisure project with worldwide implications;
Leadership to the leisure movement on a worldwide basis; and
Significant policy or legislative acts leading to model programs, funding and/or partnerships that advance leisure with worldwide implications or significant scholarly or research contributions which advance and clarify issues, problems, trends, concepts or philosophical perspectives that gain worldwide attention. The individual and/or organization should reflect the same qualities as evident in Cor Westland’s leadership and personality reflecting his deep concern for advancing the wellbeing of others through leisure.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on:

Impact of his/her contribution to the leisure movement on a worldwide basis;
Relevance of their contribution as a way of solving contemporary issues, problems and concerns and as new contributions advancing professional ideas and practice;
Impact of their leadership; and
Personal leadership qualities as reflected in their consistency with Cor Westland’s legacy.

Application/Award Procedures

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 leisure world wide; and
The nominees curriculum vita.
Nominations are due on the
Nominations are due on the 23th May, 2025.
Please send nominations in pdf format via email to World Leisure Secretariat: secretariat@worldleisure.org
Applications are evaluated by a selection committee drawn from World Leisure Board of Directors and the Chief Operating Officer.

WINNERS

2014 Ian D. Legaree

Ian Legaree is the Director of Sport, Recreation and Youth for the Government of the Northwest Territories (NWT). He has worked in northern Canada for nearly 30 years in recreation, sport, community and leadership development. He has also played roles in a range of national and international projects including the Arctic Winter Games, the Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (NWT Program) and the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association.

His Arctic Winter Games experience includes 14 editions of the biannual celebration of circumpolar sport and culture beginning in 1986 (Whitehorse, Yukon) as a mission staff member, a Host Society board member in 1990 (Yellowknife, NWT) and as Technical Director for the Games since 1993. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada) and Confederation College (Thunder Bay, Canada) and is a certified Level 3 coach in swimming. His volunteer experience includes over twenty years of coaching and officiating in swimming including assignments at the Canada and North American Indigenous Games, Defi Sportif, World Cup (Edmonton) and various national championships. He also volunteers with the Yellowknife Community Foundation to assist with their charitable works and in 2010 was the Chair of the Board of Inquiry for the NWT/Nunavut Registered Nurses Association.

Ian and his wife Shawna Lampi-Legaree, artist and business owner, have three adult sons. When they are not involved in community projects they can be found traveling the north and the world investigating various historical, cultural and social treasurers.

2012 Francis Lobo

Francis Lobo is the Honorary Professor in the School of Marketing Tourism and Leisure at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. He is an Indian, born in Uganda and now a citizen of Australia. He has had a long and distinguished teaching career in leisure and sports management studies. He obtained his doctorate at the University of Western Australia and completed Masters’ degrees in the United States and Australia. With undergraduate studies done in the United Kingdom, India and Uganda, Dr Lobo is uniquely qualified to teach and speak internationally. He has been an invited speaker in several countries that include the United States, the UK, Canada, India, China, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Sweden and The Netherlands. He has conducted study courses, spoken at national and international forums and mentored students from around the globe. He has authored books, written articles in journals and chapters in books. He was a past Director of the World Leisure Organization, having previously served as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the World Leisure Journal. In 2000, Dr Lobo was awarded The Frank Stewart Award for outstanding contribution to the Parks and Leisure Industry in Australia over many years. He attained the status of Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Northern Iowa in 2006 and was conferred with a Senior Fellowship of the World Leisure Academy in 2010.

Presently, Francis is President of the American Leisure Academy. He continues to be a member of Editorial Boards of several leisure and related journals. Francis Lobo’s current research interest is the relationship of leisure, happiness and development. Recently, in August 2012, he presented two papers at the 2nd International Sociological Association Forum of Sociology held in Buenos Aires. As a member of Research Committee 13 which deals with the Sociology of Leisure Dr Lobo presented at the Presidential Session on: Leisure happiness and development: A contemporary Australian perspective. In a joint session with the Research Committee on Ageing, he presented on: Ageing, leisure and happiness: Maintaining wellbeing in later life. He hopes that leisure when properly conceived will be a vital force in enhancing the happiness of humans.

2010 Dicken Yung

Dr. Yung was recognized as an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the worldwide leisure movement, advancing human concerns. A former Justice of the Peace, Dr. Yung has held various senior management positions in the British Hong Kong Government, including Deputy Secretary for Municipal Services, Principal Assistant Secretary for Staff Management for the Civil Service, Commission for Recreation and Culture, Principal Education Officer. From 1991 until his retirement in September, 2008, Dr. Yung had been Professor and Director of Asia Pacific Professional and Education Programs of the University of Oregon Continuation Center, USA. Dr. Yung earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, an MA from the University of 232 Leeds, both in the United Kingdom, and other postgraduate qualifications from the University of Otago, New Zealand, University of Hong Kong.

For over 40 years, in a voluntary capacity, Dr. Yung founded several charities in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong Sports Association for the Mentally Disabled, Hong Kong Special Olympics, Hong Kong Recreation Management Association and the Association for Scientific Studies of Mental Handicap. He was also a Founding Member, Vice Chairman and Program Chairman of Hong Kong Sports Association for Disabled Persons, and Hong Kong Physically-handicapped and Able-bodied Association for decades. Since its establishment some 30 years ago, Dr. Yung has been President of Hong Kong Recreation Management Association.

Dr. Yung has served for four terms on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics International and for two terms as a Board Member of Hostelling International (USA). He has served as a member of the World Leisure Organization’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.