December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26

tion and Chief Equity Officer Autumn
Saxton-Ross, Ph.D., states,
" To harness the full power of our
parks for good, to be inclusive and
welcoming, we must intentionally
learn, and then work against, the
ways in which they have been and
can still be used to exclude " (tinyurl.
com/2k9hxses). Cultural competency
is not only about developing
tolerance and an understanding of
race and ethnicity, but also being
inclusive of marginalized groups.
Cultivating diversity, equity and
inclusion competencies has a significant
impact on one's ability to
manage staff and effectively provide
community programs and services.
An Environmental Focus
Environmental education programming
by park and recreation agencies
has been on the rise since 2011,
according to Recreation Management.
Sarah Bodor,
director of policy
and affiliate relations at the North
American Association for Environmental
Education, reviewed the
Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook
(youthoutdoorpolicy.org), a bipartisan
policy
initiative
comprised
of lawmakers across the United
States
" The
framework
(tinyurl.com/y3tk4dsr).
is
organized
around three areas of opportunity
to strengthen youth engagement in
outdoor education and recreation
- outdoor learning environments,
outdoor access and connectivity
and systemic environmental literacy
and education, " says Bodor.
With agencies' efforts to " go
green " and the charge of " reconnecting
youth to nature, " staff will
likely demonstrate mindfulness regarding
sustainability issues and environmental
education, with an eye
toward garnering additional professional
development in this area.
Youth Development
Quietly, parks have become social
service providers offering nontraditional
programs that reinforce what
youth should be learning in school
and at home. " Delivering social
services is raising the profile of
public parks and recreation, changing
our image from fun and games
to a provider of socially relevant,
essential tools for our community's
well-being, " states J. Wynns in
a 2008 issue of Parks & Recreation.
Educational programs, workforce
exploration, civic engagement and
multicultural
activities
provide
youth essential building blocks for
social and academic development
and contribute
to their overall
growth. Recreation providers need
to demonstrate awareness around
the developmental needs of participants,
especially school-age children
and youth considered at risk.
Cultivating Collaboration
Due to changing demographics, providers
are seeking agencies to collaborate
with to diversify programs and
services, share in grant applications,
and establish partnerships. John L.
Crompton, Ph.D., university distinguished
professor of recreation,
park, and tourism sciences at Texas
A&M University, takes a close
look at collaboration and sharing of
amenities and resources for delivering
services in " More Public-Private
Partnership Models " (tinyurl.com/
5xar2apb). Examples include the
use of private facilities to host recreation
programs during business
downtimes. Other opportunities
include working together to restore
natural resources and expanding existing
public facilities. The ability to
collaborate and secure supplemental
resources is a critical skill for today's
recreation provider.
Professional Development
Developing specific competencies
for job efficiency and effectiveness
is accomplished through avenues,
such as licensure, certification, education,
mentoring by seasoned
staff, observation and hands-on experience.
As agencies continue to
evolve to meet constituents' needs,
identification of preferred competencies
by faculty and practitioners
is important. Faculty and practitioners
working together will ensure
the availability of employees who
are prepared, possess program- and
service-related competencies, and
are sensitized in the areas to which
the profession is trending.
Dr. June N. Price-Shingles is Professor of Recreation
Administration at Chicago State University and COAPRT
Visitor (jprice24@csu.edu).
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PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | DECEMBER 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
27
http://tinyurl.com/2k9hxses http://tinyurl.com/2k9hxses http://tinyurl.com/5xar2apb http://tinyurl.com/5xar2apb http://www.youthoutdoorpolicy.org http://tinyurl.com/y3tk4dsr http://www.soccer5usa.com
December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023 - Parks & Recreation
