July 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Cultivating Agency Success Through
Strategic Collaboration
By Kris Johnson, M.S., CTRS, and Alex Engelhardt, MBA, CTRS, CPRE
W
In
ith the acute labor shortage affecting park and recreation
departments nationwide, coupled with the upcoming enrollment
cliff in higher education - an expected 10 to 15 percent
drop in traditional incoming college students projected to occur
within the next two years (tinyurl.com/3r9788er) - collaborative partnerships
offer a unique solution to the challenge of recruiting and retaining
students and part-time and seasonal employees. Aurora (Illinois) University's
Therapeutic Recreation Department and Fox Valley (Illinois) Special Recreation
Association (FVSRA) have formed an award-winning collaboration that
has created a culture of leadership, grown the recruitment and hiring pipeline,
and provided educational opportunities in a true win-win scenario.
Experiential Education
Several occupational and educational
trends led to this successful
partnership.
higher
education,
the fast-approaching enrollment cliff
combined with well-documented
student struggles to stay engaged has
created an opportunity to change
the way course material is delivered.
Growing support, backed by
evidence-based research, shows the
value of experiential education in
student learning and leadership development.
On the flip side, FVSRA
has experienced the same challenges
hiring and retaining part-time, frontline
workers as many park and recreation
agencies across the country.
Aurora University and FVSRA
created experiential
learning opportunities
that have become the
hallmark of their partnership. In
almost every therapeutic recreation
class, students are planning, implementing
and evaluating weekly
in-person and virtual programs, as
well as special events for individuals
with developmental disabilities
at FVSRA. These learning opportunities
connect classroom theory
to real-life experiences while building
leadership skills and offering
networking opportunities with professionals
in the field. They feed a
basic human need: the desire for
meaningful life experiences. Students
graduate with résumés wellPark
and recreation agencies can find
seasonal and part-time employees and
provide students with meaningful life
experiences by partnering with local
colleges and universities.
16 Parks & Recreation | JULY 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
versed in professional development
experiences that give them a significant
differentiation in the job market.
Overall, the immersive curriculum
acts as a recruitment tool for
the university, and students stay excited
and engaged in their learning.
One such program developed
during the coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic, called Spartan Pals, has
continued due to popular demand
from both university students and
adults with developmental disabilities
served through FVSRA. Each
semester, five to six small groups of
university students work together to
deliver eight 30-minute therapeutic
recreation programs through a
virtual format for 15 to 20 FVSRA
participants. Thus, some of the typical
accessibility barriers experienced
by people with disabilities, such as
transportation or cost, are foregone.
The program was initially developed
to combat the isolation that accompanied
the COVID-19 pandemic but
has continued because it contributes
to the quality of life, learning and
engagement of both students and
participants, who form meaningful
social connections. Spartan Pals has
increased FVSRA program opportunities
for individuals with disabilities
with the additional resources provided
by Aurora University students,
allowing for maximum utilization of
staffing resources.
From Student to Employee
The partnership with Aurora
University also has created a hiring
pipeline for FVSRA. Because of
http://tinyurl.com/3r9788er
July 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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