Vision
REC-O (Dalhousie Recreation Orientation) is where Recreation Therapy and Recreation Management programs at Dal really start to build community. This overnight camping experience offers a unique opportunity to build meaningful connections with fellow students, faculty members, and recreation professionals. It also helps create lasting memories and supports successful transitions into university life for students each year.
As REC-O continues to provide this valuable experience, the cost of delivering the program has become an increasing challenge.
Over the past 5 years, costs have risen significantly for transportation, lodging, food, and other essential components of REC-O. As a result, student fees have increased from $150 in 2022 to $230 in 2026 – that is a 65% increase over four years. The students who run REC-O fundraise, but these efforts just can’t keep up with rising costs and we have to pass them along to students. For some students, these costs can create a significant barrier to participating in an experience designed to help them feel connected, supported, and prepared for their academic journey at Dalhousie.
We want to take this burden off of students. We want to provide this foundational experience of building life-long friendships and getting ready for new student lives without the pressure of having to pay for it. Your contributions will help ensure that future students can access this transformative experience regardless of financial circumstances, and create a lasting legacy that strengthens student connection, belonging, and success for generations of Recreation students to come.
Story
Each year, for 26 years, REC-O has been an important part of the student experience for every Recreation Therapy and Recreation Management student. Organized by students, supported by faculty, staff, volunteers, and recreation professionals, and loved by many, REC-O brings together new students and the recreation community before the real work begins. Students have opportunities to build friendships, connect with faculty and learn more about the fields they are entering. REC-O is a place where new students met their close friends, developed a sense of belonging within their program, and felt more confident beginning university.
The impact of REC-O extends well beyond a single weekend. Students who attend often go on to become volunteers and leaders in the program and the community, returning along with faculty, staff, and professionals to help make REC-O great for other students. This cycle of participation, leadership, and mentorship has helped sustain REC-O for more than two and a half decades.
But REC-O needs your help. At its core, REC-O is about community, and it creates opportunities for students to connect with one another, learn from those who have come before them, and begin building professional relationships that can continue throughout their careers. We are looking to you as part of our community to help us offset ballooning costs. Your support for the REC-O Legacy Fund will help preserve this tradition and ensure future students can continue to benefit from this long-standing tradition.
Strategy
The REC-O Legacy Fund will launch with this projectDal campaign as an opportunity to engage our broad network of students, alumni, faculty, staff, recreation professionals, families, and community members who have been connected to REC-O over the past 26 years. Many former participants have gone on to become REC-O leaders, volunteers, and recreation professionals, creating a community that continues to support students long after their own REC-O experience. Our long-term goal is to transition the REC-O Legacy Fund to Dalhousie’s regular giving platform, creating a sustainable source of support that helps keep REC-O accessible and allows one generation of Recreation students to invest in the success of the next.
Through storytelling, alumni engagement, social media, email outreach, personal networks, and this year’s REC-O reunion event, we will celebrate the impact REC-O has had on students while inviting supporters to help sustain that impact into the future.
Impact
Funds raised through the REC-O Legacy Fund will be used to increase the accessibility and long-term sustainability of the REC-O program. Our ideal goal is to eliminate participant fees altogether for REC-O.
100% of money raised will support the core costs required to deliver REC-O, including camp bookings, transportation, food, program supplies, and equipment. These resources are essential to providing a safe, engaging, and meaningful experience for incoming students. If we can cover them through the legacy fund, REC-O will be FREE for students.
By helping subsidize participation fees, donor contributions will help ensure that all students can participate in this required component of the Recreation programs regardless of their financial circumstances. Reducing financial barriers will allow more students to benefit from the friendships, mentorship opportunities, professional connections, and sense of belonging that REC-O is designed to foster. As the fund grows, it will also create opportunities to enhance the student experience while maintaining the high-quality programming that has become a hallmark of REC-O.
Please reach out with any questions about our campaign. Email Luc Cousineau, PhD, Program Director, Instructor, & Internship Coordinator, Recreation Management, School of Health and Human Performance, at Luc.Cousineau@dal.ca.