World Leisure Organization

This article was written for Uncover magazine - Meaningful Leisure Experiences. 

Authors: Joanne Schroeder is chair of the World Leisure Organization and Cristina Ortega Nuere is Chief Operating Officer of the World Leisure Organization.

Global engagement and strategic partnerships 
A cornerstone of the World Leisure Organization’s current strategic direction is its dynamic expansion of institutional and regional engagement. By cultivating meaningful partnerships and leading strategic events across continents, WLO continues to position leisure as a powerful catalyst for sustainable development, innovation, and social transformation. These efforts are deeply intertwined -  field-based programmes inform global discussions, and high-level events reinforce local initiatives - creating a feedback loop that advances the organisation’s mission on multiple fronts.

In Africa, WLO has strengthened collaborations with universities, local governments, and civil society organisations, most notably through the Leisure Experience Research Opportunity (LERO) in Cape Town. This fieldwork-based initiative brings together students and researchers to co-design inclusive recreation programmes that enhance health, foster youth leadership, and build community resilience in underserved neighbourhoods. The LERO programme has also become a focal point in WLO’s event strategy, offering a participatory platform for engagement with public-sector actors and reinforcing leisure’s role in local governance and well-being.

In the Middle East, particularly Qatar, WLO’s influence has grown through its strategic involvement in the Qatar Travel Mart (QTM). In 2024, WLO curated the entire conference programme, addressing over 20 key topics within leisure-related industries and facilitating dialogue between global experts and national stakeholders. This initiative highlights WLO’s ability to shape academic and professional discourse at the intersection of leisure, national development, and regional identity. The QTM also exemplifies how WLO’s strategic events serve as incubators for policy innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

In Asia, WLO’s S+R+D (Study, Research, and Development) programme in Thailand emphasises experiential learning and sustainable tourism. Students and early-career professionals engage directly with rural communities to explore the intersections of leisure, environmental education, and socio-economic development. These immersive experiences are often showcased at regional conferences and workshops, strengthening WLO’s educational mission and reinforcing its commitment to youth empowerment and community-based learning.

In Oceania, the partnership with the World Leisure Centre of Excellence (WLCE) at the University of Otago represents a model for academic-practitioner synergy. Through research-driven fieldwork and student-led projects, the Otago WLCE has contributed significantly to leisure knowledge production in the South Pacific. Projects in the Cook Islands and Vanuatu, centred on co-created tourism and cultural respect, embody WLO’s values of equity, sustainability, and decolonial practice. The Otago Field School Symposium has emerged as a key regional event, enabling scholars and practitioners to exchange insights and promote inclusive leisure practices rooted in local realities.

World Leisure Congress
Notably, the biennial World Leisure Congress in Europe - WLO’s flagship event - brings global voices together to address pressing societal challenges through the lens of leisure. The upcoming 2025 edition in Breda, the Netherlands, themed ’Leisure for a Better Society,’ will explore issues such as inequality, climate change, and mental health, reinforcing the organisation’s mission at a global scale. Complementing the Congress, the World Leisure International Field School offers a unique learning experience that blends hands-on fieldwork with participation in the congress. This programme plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of leisure professionals and this year centres on ‘Redesigning Leisure: Creating Access and Inclusion for Everyone.’ The programme combines site visits, collaborative projects, and social activities, where students and experience experts work together to assess and improve accessibility to Breda’s leisure venues.

Event strategy
These regional engagements are not isolated efforts but are dynamically interwoven with WLO’s globally coordinated event strategy, which plays a vital role in sustaining and amplifying the impact of its work. Far more than opportunities for visibility, WLO’s strategic events are deliberately crafted as immersive, participatory learning environments that foster meaningful dialogue, co-create knowledge, and seed long-term collaborations across sectors and geographies. Whether through academic congresses, practitioner workshops, or field-based symposia, these gatherings bring together diverse stakeholders - from students and researchers to policymakers and community leaders - who collectively examine leisure’s evolving role in addressing contemporary societal challenges.

In synergy, WLO’s regional programmes and global events form a cohesive and mutually reinforcing ecosystem of action, learning, and advocacy. Regional fieldwork and local initiatives generate grounded insights that inform high-level discussions, while strategic events offer a platform to elevate local voices and embed their lessons into broader policy and research frameworks. This integrated approach reflects WLO’s bold, inclusive vision of leisure as a transformative force - one that bridges the local and the global, and champions community empowerment, youth leadership, cultural preservation, and sustainable development as core pillars of its mission.

A unifying vision
‘Leisure for a Better Society’ is more than just a congress theme - it is WLO’s guiding vision. As we strive to align leisure practices with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, WLO works across disciplines to ensure that leisure contributes to environmental sustainability, social justice, inclusive education, and cultural participation.

In this sense, WLO’s network acts as an ecosystem:

• World Leisure Centres of Excellence (WLCEs) at universities across five continents lead research and education initiatives.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs) connect professionals around specific themes.
• Partnerships with governments and institutions ensure that our work has policy relevance and societal impact.

The experiences presented in this edition - from Cape Town to Doha, Thailand to New Zealand - offer concrete examples of this global vision in action. Whether through sport-based development programmes, sustainable tourism practices, or youth-led learning experiences, these stories showcase how leisure can inspire new ways of living, working, and learning - more equitable, more sustainable, and more joyful. The Otago WLCE’s contributions serve as a particularly illustrative case: its field-based model brings students into direct collaboration with local stakeholders, enabling real-time, participatory learning. This not only benefits the host communities but also cultivates a mindset of intercultural respect and planetary responsibility among future professionals.

Looking ahead
As we look toward the future, WLO is focused on:

• Strengthening regional hubs and institutional partnerships, particularly in China, Latin America, South-Africa, Middle East and Asia.
• Expanding our educational offer through training, mobility, and capacity-building.
• Facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration between culture, sport, tourism, recreation and well-being.
• Promoting youth participation through platforms such as the World Leisure Youth Ambassadors and field-based learning programmes.

With the support of our growing global community, WLO is committed to building a world where meaningful leisure experiences are accessible to all - advancing well-being, strengthening resilience, and unlocking human potential across borders. By advancing this vision through evidence-based research, capacity-building initiatives, and cross-sector collaboration, WLO continues to position leisure as a driver of equitable development, cultural vitality, and sustainable progress on a global scale.