Uppeldi og menntun - 01.01.2014, Page 89

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 23(1) 2014 89
koLBrún Þ. PáLsDÓTTir
meaning and role of leisure in contemporary society. Furthermore, they acquire an
overall view of the activities that occur in the free time of people of all ages, and
the cultural and nurture-related role of leisure activities. At the end of year 2013, 119
students have graduated with a BA degree in Leisure Studies and eight have completed
an M.Ed. degree.
In the fourth article, Arni Gudmundsson traces the history and professional under-
pinnings of work in youth centres. The first youth centre in Reykjavík was established
in 1957, and its aim was to empower youth by providing a setting that supported var-
ious leisure activities under the guidance of experienced staff. In the first decades, the
emphasis was on preparing young people for work in society by offering instruction
in various types of arts and crafts work. In the 70´s the first Icelanders went abroad to
educate themselves in leisure pedagogy. They imported the ideals of social pedagogy,
which aims at nurturing the whole person and helping individuals to achieve their
personal goals.
The Perspectives articles are intended to raise awareness and discussion of the
importance of leisure studies as a field of study and practice in Iceland. Societal changes
have called for a new profession of leisure-time pedagogues who support persons in
making good use of their leisure-time, as well as creating spaces of unstructured time
for children and youth in formal and non-formal settings.
abOUt tHE aUtHOr
Kolbrun Th. Palsdottir (kolbrunp@hi.is) is assistant professor in Leisure and youth studies
at the University of Iceland. She earned a BA degree in philosophy in 1997 and a
master´s degree in education in 2001, both from the University of Iceland. Kolbrún
defended her Ph.D. thesis in education at the University of Iceland in 2012. Her
research interests include leisure-time pedagogy, ethics and professionalism and
formal/informal learning.