October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
NRPA's Equity in
Practice Initiative
Our two-year journey and how we're preparing for the future
By Shalini Mirpuri
P
ark and recreation professionals operate at the intersection of differences
in race, gender identity, religion, class, geography, age
and ability, and remain on the frontlines of many of today's most
pressing challenges. Quality parks and recreation opportunities
are essential to advancing individual and community health, environmental
and community resiliency, and overall well-being. As trusted local leaders
with a mission to make their communities better places to live, learn,
work and play, park and recreation professionals are in a unique position
to champion efforts that advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and
enable every community member to find themselves in the outdoors.
Despite the vital role park and
recreation professionals
serve in
their communities, across the profession
there remain gaps in understanding
how systemic racism,
unfair power structures and a lack
of
cultural
humility
undermine
quality park and recreation spaces,
programs and services for Black,
Indigenous, people of color and
low-income communities.
At NRPA, equity is at the center
of what we do. Our mission is to advance
parks, recreation and environmental
conservation efforts that enhance
the quality of life for all people.
NRPA's Equity Pillar has been a driving
force behind our programs for the
past six years. With the approval of
our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, NRPA
transitioned its DEI efforts away from
initiatives implemented by a handful
of staff and into a consistent, committed
effort - both internally and
externally - supporting individual
growth and organizational change
in the field. Because of this, we are
broadening our focus outward and
making strategic investments to advance
DEI across the industry.
What We've Learned
Park and Recreation agencies
are increasingly prioritizing
DEI efforts.
To guide this journey, NRPA began
with a survey in the winter of 2020,
titled " Equity Practices in Parks and
Recreation, " to assess the state of equitable
practices in the field, identify
gaps and inform our future offerings.
We learned that 40 percent of affiliates
and 30 percent of agencies were
looking to establish DEI activities
within the next year. We also found
that one-third of park and recreation
agencies already had formal DEI activities,
and another third planned on
launching DEI initiatives in the near
future. Even agencies that do not
have formal DEI programs in place
still promote DEI practices through
their policies and activities.
The most common DEI activity
among park and recreation agencies
is the development of hiring
practices and policies, followed by
an expressed commitment to DEI
in foundational documents, such as
vision and mission statements. However,
more than 65 percent of survey
respondents identified their biggest
challenge to advancing DEI efforts
is difficulty developing staff capacity
and competency around DEI.
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | O CTOBER 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation
47
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022 - Parks & Recreation
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 1
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 2
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 3
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 4
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 5
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 6
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 7
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 9
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 11
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 13
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 15
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 16
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 18
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 20
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 21
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 23
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 25
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 26
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 27
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 29
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 30
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 31
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 32
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 33
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 34
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 35
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 38
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 39
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 40
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 43
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 44
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 45
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 48
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 49
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 50
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 51
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 52
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 53
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 54
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 55
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 56
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2025
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2025
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com