| Abstract: | As human society entered the twenty-first century, leisure activities increasingly got more attention. The community is the closest place for residents to get relaxed, community leisure thus naturally becomes the important issue of community building. Community residents’ leisure participation is also increasingly dependent on the development of community leisure organizations. How to build up an inclusive community leisure organization has become a valuable research topic.
This research study takes Xizhou Community as an example to investigate its multiple and comprehensive experiences of community leisure organization development. The purpose of this study is to discover development and management of community leisure organizations, and to discover the role and effect of community leisure organizations within the community. The main research questions include the development process, organization and management, as well as the role and effect of community leisure organizations. Qualitative methods were conducted by using in-depth interviews to collect research data, including the community leaders and residents. Narrative analysis and interpretation was followed. The study found that the community has been able to develop such a vibrant and rich community leisure organization, because they strongly rely on the "grass-roots autonomy" management and operation mode. It includes communication and inclusion, basic roots, spontaneous management, continuous disturbance, institutionalization, resources development, brand building, looking forward to the future, and sustainable relay, etc. As a result, these community leisure organizations play the social role of "community participation", "multi-learning platform", "community talent pool", "creative development base", "flexible public relations group" and "second home". They also generate the effect of "changing the living habits", "diversified education and training", "lubricating group emotions", " community identity cohesion ", "finding community problems", "enhancing innovation breakthrough" and "realizing the dream of living". Through the perfect operation of these community leisure organizations, not only the community residents find a greater family ownership, but also the community achieves its "rural life leisure" ideal. |
