This book provides a conceptual and practical framework for understanding the role of leisure education for community development with a special emphasis on special populations. It will also serve the reader as a foundation for developing models and programmes for leisure education within community settings.

1: Educating the Community for Developmental Opportunities in Leisure, Jay Shivers, University of Connecticut, USA 2: Leisure Education, Serious Leisure and Community Development, Robert A Stebbins, University of Calgary, Canada 3: Community Development Through Leisure Education: Conceptual Approaches, Atara Sivan 4: Leisure Education, Quality of Life and the Community Development: Toward a Systematic and Holistic Coping and Resilient Model for the Third Millennium, Joseph Levy, York University, Ontario, Canada 5: Mobility for Action - Advocacy and Empowerment for the Right of Leisure Play and Recreation, Arnold H Grossman, New York University, USA 6: Global Edutainment: The Role of Leisure Education for Community Development, Wolfgang Nahrstedt, University of Bielefeld, Germany 7: Community Vision and Resources: Commitment, Capacity and Collective Effort, Arnold H Grossman 8: Leisure Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, Jay Shivers 9: The Role of Leisure Counselling for Special Populations in Facilitating Successful Adjustment to Life in the Community, Michael J Leitner, California State University, USA 10: Serious Leisure for People with Disabilities, Robert A Stebbins 11: Leisure Education, Quality of Life and Populations with Special Needs, Atara Sivan 12: Active Living for People with Disabilities: Towards the Concept of Equality of Well-Being and Human Authenticity, Joseph Levy 13: Community Empowerment, Poverty and Leisure Education, Elisheva Sadan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel 14: Establishing a Model for the Rehabilitation of Children with Special Needs, Sam Raz, Jerusalem, Israel 15: Youth at Risk and Leisure Education, Hillel Ruskin 16: Practical Approaches to Leisure Education for the Elderly, Debra Markus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel 17: Concluding Remarks, Atara Sivan and Hillel Ruskin