March 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49

fied Park and Recreation Professional
test preparation course,
emotional
intelligence,
skills and facilitator trainings.
* Partnering with state and national
associations to obtain additional
learning opportunities for
staff and to network with other
professionals.
* Providing mental health and holistic
support for all staff before,
during and after a crisis.
* Leading the employee engagement
experience, managing internal
communications, creating
an employee newsletter, and obtaining
no-cost benefits for staff.
* Connecting with other organizations
- such as financial institutions,
an employee assistance program,
mental health services and
social security - to provide personal
development opportunities.
The CPD leadership recognized
an issue within training, development
and employee engagement.
They took a bold approach, using
vision and teamwork, to solve the
gap and went well beyond supporting
their employees. The CPD
Workforce Development Department
continues today, focusing on
training, professional development,
employee engagement, communication
and mental health support
for all of the district's 3,000 employees
and 2,000 seasonal staff.
Cleveland Metroparks is another
agency that is doing some great
things related to creative innovation.
During the past year, they
started a new program to harness
the power of virtual reality (VR)
through a partnership with University
Hospitals Seidman Cancer
Center. In meeting with current and
former Seidman patients, Cleveland
Metroparks identified a unique opportunity
to " bring the parks to the
people. " While VR cannot fully
career
re-create the experience of visiting
an outdoor space in person, the
technology shows great promise
in empowering patients to access
green spaces virtually that may otherwise
be inaccessible for a variety
of health or mobility reasons.
Through a generous donation,
Cleveland Metroparks began capturing
camera footage from its 18
park reservations and along the
Lake Erie waterfront and installing
it onto VR headsets. Specific
sensory experiences - such as
sitting under cherry blossoms,
kayaking along the Cuyahoga
River with views of Downtown
Cleveland in the background, and
hiking and biking the more than
24,000 acres in the Cleveland
Metroparks - were developed to
digitally capture the scenic natural
resources available around the
park district. Other area hospitals
have used it for a wide variety of
purposes, and this program continues
to expand as some hospitals
have shown interest in providing
these experiences to caregivers to
relieve stress. The use of VR technology
in these hospitals provides
users with an accessible new path
to experience the park district.
These are just a few examples of
how Cleveland Metroparks identified
opportunities and adapted accordingly
for the best interest of the
organization. According to Brian
Zimmerman, CEO for Cleveland
Metroparks,
" Our
for innovation are not led by any
dedicated department but are the
result of a strong, forward-thinking
leadership team across all divisions
that is collaborative and engaged in
the community. "
Opportunities for
Innovation
As you can see, innovation can
come in different ways. It can stem
from keeping an open mind to an
issue or problem, can be an opportunity
that arises to better serve
your community, or presents a better
way of doing business. Some
park and recreation agencies have
explored formal innovation teams.
However, some have implemented
innovation in a less formal but effective
manner. The common denominator
is strong leadership that
desires
creativity and innovative
thinking from its people. The key
to making this all work is that the
entire team responds to the challenge,
and that becomes a win-win
scenario for all concerned.
In our world of parks and recreation,
innovation is a product,
program, service or business strategy
that's new or fresh and ultimately
useful to our organization
and community. Innovations don't
have to be major breakthroughs in
technology or a brand-new business
line; they can be as simple as
upgrades
to your
organization's
customer service, internal process
changes for efficiency, or just
simple adjustments added to an
existing program delivery. We all
have competition in some form or
fashion, and innovation can help
us engage with our own team and
separate from our competitors.
The American Academy for Park
opportunities
and Recreation Administration has a
task force committee on career development
that has been focused on this
and many other related topics. The task
force is seeking more examples of innovative
park and recreation approaches,
best practices, and success stories on
building a culture of innovation and
creativity. If you would like to share
any examples or best practices, reach
out to them at info@aapra.org.
John Prue, CPRP, is Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Program Analyst for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | MARCH 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
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March 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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