October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19

namese, to name a few.
The greatest
challenge for
the
City of Tukwila is knowledge -
truly knowing what our community
needs and not making assumptions
about what will work best for the
community and, for that matter, the
numerous smaller communities that
make up our city. With the NRPA
Parks as Community Wellness
Hubs grant dollars, our hope is to
lead by learning.
This involves conducting research
via surveys and focus groups to accurately
learn from our community
how we can deliver more effective
nutrition and wellness programs.
For example, currently the city distributes
food only. We don't know for
sure if what we are delivering is adequate
for community needs. Focus
groups will allow us to get that rich
anecdotal information, especially
when we conduct them in languages
spoken in the community. We will be
able to determine the specific needs
of various communities, as well as
how to best deliver and communicate
the services and resources based
on information gathered.
Additionally, centering our
work within the community, our
hope is to have more equitable
outcomes. We plan to recruit community
members in the delivery
and communication of these services,
tapping youth through job
training opportunities.
The youth are well-placed to be
excellent advocates. Their multilingual
capabilities ensure we are
able to meet community members
Member Benefit: Check Out
the New NRPA Connect
N
RPA Connect is an online networking
platform that makes
it easy to communicate with an experienced
network of nearly 60,000
peers ready to share best practices,
make connections and answer your
questions. The new NRPA Connect
is here! You will notice a more personalized
homepage where you can
see your community activity, upcoming
events and new contact suggestions.
Here are some tips to get the
most out of using NRPA Connect:
New Resource Library - Check
out the updated and organized
resource library. With more than
4,000 resources to search from, the
library holds the information you
are looking for to help you serve
your community.
Favorite Resources - Save your
favorite resources that you find in
the library. When you want to save
a resource, you can click on the blue
" Action " button and " Add to Favorites. "
You'll find it saved under
Learn > My Favorite Resources.
Schedule a Post - Want to ask
a question or share some exciting
news, but aren't
quite ready to
share? Now you can schedule your
posts in advance.
Update Email Preferences -
In your Connect profile, under
" Community Notifications, " you
have the option to customize when
you receive emails and choose different
options for different communities.
Join
a Network - Networks are
member-exclusive communities.
With a diverse set of networks, you
can engage with like-minded professionals
who face the same challenges
and opportunities as you
do every day. Many have monthly
phone calls and meet in person at
the NRPA Annual Conference.
Request a Contact - You can
request contacts from other professionals
on NRPA Connect to
make connections and build your
network. Search the member directory
to find peers to connect with.
Visit connect.nrpa.org to learn
more. Don't know your NRPA
login or have another question?
Contact customerservice@nrpa.
org.
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | O CTOBER 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation
19
where they are with someone
they know and trust. This also
builds ownership of programs
within
the community. What's
more, these youth ambassadors
also will be able to provide critical
feedback on what works and
what does not work within their
specific community, encouraging
stewardship and buy-in.
Tukwila is a preview of the direction
that our country is going.
By implementing a wellness hub in
such a diverse community, we can
become a model not only for best
practices, but also for best equitable
practices
for other organizations
nationwide.
Tiffany Johnson is Parks and Recreation
Manager for City of Tukwila (tiffany.
johnson@tukwilawa.gov).
NRPA
CONNECT
http://connect.nrpa.org
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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