November 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49

Working in parks and recreation for a
rural community has its many unique
strengths and benefits.
owner of your local " ma and pa "
shops and ask them what their
successes and struggles are. Work
with them to figure out how parks
and recreation can benefit them
and how they can benefit from
what you are trying to accomplish.
Doing this adds even more
purpose to the work you do, and
you begin to gain partners who
will advocate for your work.
Staff Shortages and the
Absence of Self-Care
With limited funding, there usually
isn't a ton of money to go
around to bring in sufficient staffing
to get everything done that
needs to get done. That means
it is crucial to maintain the current
staff you do have. Two key
concepts that I have learned to
maintain your staff are making
sure their jobs are easy and prioritizing
good
communication.
By " making sure their jobs are
easy, " I am not saying that work
should be a breeze and staff get
to lie around during their shift.
But do they have proper equipment
that works? Do they have all
the proper training to get the job
done right and in a timely manner?
Do they have your support to
be innovative? Do you have policies
in place that are streamlining
the work instead of impeding
it? These ideas require a major
financial investment, but these
investments will help keep your
current staff and help attract new
staff to fill those empty positions.
Lastly, the number one issue I
hear about rural parks and recreation
is the absence of self-care.
Working in parks and recreation
in a small town can be difficult,
as it is nearly impossible to escape
your job or position. In my town
of 7,000 residents, I cannot tell
you the last time that I was able
to go to the grocery store without
running into someone who wanted
to talk about registering their
child for one of our programs
or about an upcoming community
event. With the town being
so small, it doesn't take long for
personal contact information to
get out, which leads to people
messaging you late in the evening
wanting to vent about the baseball
game that night. It is very difficult
to find time and space to take a
breather and relax. Some ideas
that I have found helpful for selfcare
and avoiding potential burnout
in a rural community include
setting boundaries, establishing
expectations, finding a hobby and
unplugging from technology. Implementing
some of these ideas
can create that little separation
you may need to unwind and get
energized to continue doing what
you do.
Working in recreation for a
rural community has its many
unique strengths and benefits that
any park and recreation professional
would love to be a part of.
Along with all the benefits, there
are distinctive oppositions that
require professionals to do more
to overcome. However, no matter
if you are working in a community
of 50 residents or hundreds
of thousands, we as park and recreation
professionals do the work
that we do to better the quality of
life in our communities, promote
healthy living and encourage environmental
conservation. With
those motives, we rural professionals
can overcome our struggles
and ensure rural communities
can have fun, too!
Michael Patton is Recreation Director for
Ephraim City, Utah (michael.patton@
ephraimcity.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | NOVEMBER 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
49
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT STEVENS
November 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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