December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47

CONFERENCE
2023
ANNUAL
and long-distance hiker, made clear
that everyone in the audience was
already prepared to help and guide
transgender kids in their programs
because " trans kids are just kids. You
already know everything you need to
know when it comes to helping them
because you've already done it with
other kids. Just making sure they can
trust you and feel comfortable and
knowing that you're in their corner
is enough. "
The panelists reminisced about
some of their own experiences with
youth sports as they were growing
up and made it clear, especially in
a post-COVID-19 world, just how
important
building
youth
connection, community
and self-confidence.
Exploring the Exhibit Hall
Excitement grew as attendees eagerly
awaited the opening of the exhibit
hall on Tuesday morning. Nearly 500
vendors filled the hall during the first
two days of the conference. Park and
recreation professionals spoke with
experts on services, equipment and
products, finding opportunities to
enhance their agencies' operations,
facilities, programming and services.
Playground structures and challenge
courses brought out the inner
child in attendees as they sampled
slides, scaled ropes and swung from
monkey bars. From door prizes
to cash giveaways, the exhibit hall
generated buzz, excitement and
even tail-wagging fun with the help
of service dogs from Patriot PAWS,
an
organization
that
provides
sports are for
service dogs to veterans and people
with disabilities. Another lively
area was the NRPA Sports Demo
Zone, where attendees experienced
sports and equipment from USA
Pickleball, Quickball, Soccer 5
USA and Move United. Attendees
embraced discovery, new experiences
and curiosity as they listened to
speed
sessions,
attended
presentations, visited the NRPA
member booth, and networked with
vendors, organizations and colleagues
from across the country.
Learning and Engaging
Through Education
Sessions
From hour-long Talks to interactive
Sandboxes and 20-minute speed
sessions, education was offered in
a variety of formats and on topics
spanning from NRPA's Three Pillars
to operations, research, career
development and more.
One example of the education
poster
provided included the session " Local
Food Access: Justice, Wellness
and Community in Parks, " during
which speakers discussed the Urban
Food Forest at Browns Mill in
Atlanta, the largest public food forest
in the United States at 7.1 acres
in size. The speakers represented
community partners that collaborate
to sustain the forest, including
j. olu baiyewu, urban agriculture director,
and Amina Robinson, community
outreach and engagement
fellow, from the City of Atlanta
Mayor's
Office of Sustainability
and Resilience, as well as Christian
Joy Clark, HABESHA, Inc. garden
manager, and Charles Greenlea,
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
agroforestry manager. " A food forest
is an assortment of edible trees,
shrubs and plants designed to replicate
the ecosystems found in nature, "
explained Robinson. Located
in a food desert, the urban food
forest increases food access and
supports equity by growing healthy
foods for community members and
serving as a space for nutrition education.
As Atlanta has the highest
level of income inequality of the
major U.S. cities, the food forest
provides a local resource to help
address food insecurity. The speakers
emphasized the importance of
forming partnerships when pursuing
similar projects and initiatives,
as well as the broader mission to
Attendees networked with nearly 500
vendors who filled the exhibit hall during
the first two days of the conference.
48 Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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