October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17

new staff has become a challenge
for park and recreation agencies
during the past few years. This program
makes a dent on both fronts.
While we work on formalized relationships,
organizations seeking
additional diversity can do several
things:
* Create an internship specifically
targeting these colleges and
universities. Advertise in their
school newspaper and reach out
to the internship coordinator.
* Have you or your staff speak at a
school to share all of the opportunities
for employment in our
field/your organization.
* When you advertise employment
opportunities, share them with
these schools.
* Reach out to the alumni associations
to share opportunities.
* Contact the financial aid office
of these institutions to share opportunities.
*
Have a table at freshman orientation.
*
Set up a table (with permission)
outside of the Student Union to
share hiring opportunities.
* Reach out to the student recreation
program and post fliers
and job opportunities at the recreation
facilities.
* Put job opportunities
in
the
recreation staff break room, or
wherever the student employees
will see it.
It's time to grow and cultivate
our staff using different methods.
We are all struggling with the
Great Resignation and the national
lifeguard shortage. There are still
tens of thousands of vacancies in
recreation and park departments
around the country. What we have
been doing isn't working. There is
a quote that says, " The definition
of insanity is doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting
a different result. " The only way to
change our results is to try something
different.
What different
methods will you try to take steps
toward having your staff reflect the
communities you serve and will
soon serve as America becomes
more diverse?
Tracey Crawford, CTRS, CPRP, is
Executive Director at the Northwest
Special Recreation Association and CoChair
of the Academy's JEDI Committee.
Seve Ghose, CPRE, MOL, is Community
Services Director for the City of Fort Collins
and incoming JEDI Committee Chair.
Roslyn Johnson, CPRP, is Director of
Recreation and Parks at Baltimore County
and Co-Chair of the Academy's JEDI
Committee.
Resources
Full listing of the 105 Historically
Black Colleges and Universities:
tinyurl.com/nykt8k4j
Full listing of Hispanic-Serving
Institutions: tinyurl.com/4xbv3jtj
Full listing of Hispanic
Association of Colleges and
Universities Member HispanicServing
Institutions: tinyurl.com/
hn4h657b
Full listing of Tribal Colleges
and Universities: tinyurl.
com/5n97t3w3
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PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | O CTOBER 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation
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October 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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