The knowledge and professional training in leisure: an analysis performed in the field of public policy

Abstract

This study aims at identifying and analyzing the know-how needed to professionally engage in the making, implementation, development, and evaluation of leisure and sports public policies. In order to conduct field research, the work done by Secretaria Municipal de Esporte e Lazer from Belo Horizonte was analyzed, an entity responsible for local sport and leisure public policies. A qualitative approach using both bibliographic and field research was employed. The field research was conducted in two different stages, the first one being an immersion in the field of study; the second, a nine semi-structured interviews with eight public policy analyst and one manager. It was verified that difficulties and problems experienced in the field only aid professionals to identify gaps on their training that, in the analyzed context, were primarily related to issues of management. Ultimately, it was observed that the handling of sports and leisure public policies encompasses four pillars, namely: specific know-how on the area (sports and leisure); knowledge of politics and public policies; grasp on management; and knowledge of the context and the subjects involved in the policies.