Recreation moves online, into homes during pandemic

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This article was published 17/04/2020 (1934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A community programming coordinator in Ste Anne is redefining recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic to help families stay occupied around home.

Sarah Normandeau, recreation services manager for the Town of Ste Anne, said the arrival of COVID-19 in Manitoba in March quickly upended her plans for the next few months.

Spring is normally a busy time for recreation programmers like Normandeau. She was looking forward to another season of planning summer events, applying for grants, and preparing for Dawson Trail Days, the town’s signature summer festival, held over the Labour Day weekend.

“All that came to a halt,” Normandeau said.

In a matter of days, minor sports leagues and fitness classes were cancelled, art workshops were postponed, playgrounds were placed off limits, and arenas, libraries, community centres and schools were closed.

“All of us rec professionals…we were cancelling more than we were creating,” Normandeau said.

With no programming to coordinate, she began to wonder if she might lose her job.

But Normandeau realized a pandemic didn’t have to spell the end of recreation. It simply meant instruction would have to move online, and activities would have to take place around the home.

If anything, the need for recreation had increased, as families suddenly had more free time than ever before.

So, late last month, Normandeau launched a Facebook group called Rock the Rec. In four days, 600 people joined. As of yesterday, that number had grown to 872 members from across Manitoba and around the world.

“We’re just trying to focus and rethink recreation in a virtual way,” said Normandeau, an RM of Ste Anne councillor who became the Town of Ste Anne’s recreation director in 2017, after working in professional photography and human resource management.

“We’re trying to connect in any way that we possibly can.”

The page is a virtual forum where members can share fun hobbies and pastimes, arts and crafts projects, recipe ideas, and more.

The goal is to keep families active and engaged while cooped up at home.

“I had the idea but it’s really all of the participation on the page that’s making the page so alive, it’s pretty cool,” Normandeau said.

Administrators post a daily challenge and members contribute plenty of other activities to try, such as teddy bear bingo: parents load up the minivan and drive the kids around town to see who can spot the most stuffed animals perched in living room windows.

A chef who joined the group posts virtual cooking classes and kitchen activities. The local gym has also been adding home workout suggestions. Older children have begun reading storybooks to younger children, and disc jockeys have organized talent shows.

Normandeau said Rock the Rec is about “bringing connectivity in a time of uncertainty.”

She hopes the vibrant online community reminds parents they’re not alone, and reduces feelings of isolation during a difficult time.

“Everything around us right now is so negative, and when you go on this page, it’s just like the good news page. Nobody is posting about COVID-19.”