TRENDS

Gateway to the Future

Part Three

"Gateway to the Future" was held in September 1993 and sponsored by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association's Future and Trends Committee. The intent of the conference was to prepare the audience to understand the trends of the future. Gateway brought four internationally known speakers to address the future of global economy, communities in the 21st century, government and leisure. Presenters on the first day were Dr. Hazel Henderson. David Pearce Snyder, Ted Gaebler and Dr. Ken Balmer. Dr. Henderson is the author of five books, the most recent is Paradigms In Progress. David Snyder is a social forecaster who edits the "Lifestyles Section" of Futurist Magazine. Ted Gaebler is co-author of the bestselling Reinventing Government. Dr. Balmer is President of RETHINK (West) and past president of the Canadian Parks/ Recreation Association. Dr. Balmer wrote the summary of the two days of discussions included in this article.

"Gateway to the Future" ended by generating more than 2,000 suggestions about how to "get the ball rolling" towards each of the vision elements or themes identified for the year 2003 — Champion of the Wellness Imperative; A Major Catalyst and Advocate for the Environmental Movement; Programming and Facilities Accessible to All; Excellence in Government Management; and Leaders in the Public Sector Movement toward Partnerships and Strategic Alliances (see May/June Illinois Parks and Recreation). Working groups at the conference clustered and evaluated the suggestions and provided a summary during a final plenary session. The tables below contain initiatives worth considering.

44 • Illinois Parks & Recreation • July/August 1994

Illinois Parks & Recreation • July/August 1994 • 45