We talked to WLO member Fabián Vilas Serna, coordinator of the Entertainment Team of the Permanent Forum of Free Time and Recreation, and director of the Centre for the Promotion and Research on Play, Recreation, Cultural and Community Work Recreándonos (Uruguay).
In one sentence: What does leisure mean to you?
From our reality and cultural framework, we talk about “Recreation”, not about “Leisure”. Recreation is a cultural phenomenon of societies and communities, as well as a right.
What leisure projects, research and/or activities are you involved in?
I am the Director of the Collective Centre Recreándonos, which is devoted to the study and promotion of Play, Recreation, and Community Work. Our office is located in the city of Montevideo (Uruguay). I am also the Coordinator Permanent Forum of Free Time and Recreation, a group formed by professionals from all Latin America. I also do consultancy and counseling work for production and work Cooperatives, Teams, and social and business Organizations. At the moment I am conducting a research on human groups, subjectivity and daily life, within the consultancy firm GROPPO.
How did you hear about WLO?
Through a communication/call for the World Leisure Congress in São Paulo in 1998.
Why did you decide to become a member of WLO?
Because I think it is an organization that, by joining together people and organizations from all over the world, it open doors, and makes it possible to generate and exchange knowledge.
What kind of synergies would you like to develop through your WLO membership?
I would like to develop synergies for the articulation and exchange of expertise and knowledge, while taking part in academic production spaces, and supporting actions of political-institutional nature.
