Vice chair of the World Leisure Organization, Dr. Ricardo Uvinha, was in Tehran last week to attend the First Leisure Conference of Iran at Milad Tower’s Conference Hall.
“Leisure is a new phenomenon that needs to be developed in countries according to their particular circumstances,” he said, reported by Persian language daily ‘Shahrvand’.
“All countries need to share their experience concerning leisure time and activities as every country has its own means and ways of defining leisure based on its cultural background and traditions; the WLO is a platform that aims to facilitate that,” he noted.
Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Mahmoud Goudarzi, who was present, said 56% of the youth spend their leisure time with family as per a recent nationwide study by the ministry.
“However, they spend only an average of 25 minutes talking to each other which is mainly due to the rapid advancement in communication technologies,” he said.
Noting that the decline in communication between people, family members in particular, could give rise to social harm, he said, “Governments do not have the authority to deal with leisure-related issues on their own and need public assistance.”
He singled out physical exercise as a major activity that could improve the quality of leisure time among people, and said the time people allocated for this purpose increased from 12 minutes per day on average in 2009 to 16 minutes in 2015. Around 7-12% of the people took part in physical exercises at the beginning of the Rouhani government (2013), which has now increased to 21%, or 16 million.
The increase was in light of the support and leeway given to NGOs and associations active in the field. Such institutions were shunned under the previous administration.
1000 NGOs in Youth Affairs
The well-known actor and director Rambod Javan, head of Iran Leisure Society and organizer of the event referred to the establishment of 1,000 NGOs active in leisure activities and youth affairs. The number is projected to reach 1,500 by the end of June 2017.
The creator of the popular TV reality show “Khandevaneh” (a mix of the words laughter and watermelon in Persian) also announced opening of a leisure center in the near future.
“The Dabir-ul-Mulk House in Tehran’s Municipal District 12 is planned to be converted into a center where leisure activities will be designed for the youth to fill their free time,” Javan explained, stressing the vitality of leisure time and its proper management.
Founded in 1952 as a non-governmental association, the WLO believes that improving the quality of life does not occur by chance but through the joint efforts of policymakers, leisure professionals, and public and private sector program providers. It promotes its cause through holding forums and programs with states around the world.
Uvinha expressed hope and readiness for more future collaboration between the Islamic Republic and the WLO.
