October 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8

PERSPECT I VES A MESSAGE FROM NRPA' S LEADERS
Placing Equity at the Center of Our Work
By now we are all well-versed in NRPA's Three Pillars: Health and Wellness, Equity, and
Conservation. When developing the NRPA Strategic Plan for 2021 to 2023 (nrpa.org/StrategicPlan),
the NRPA Board of Directors and staff members took a deep, intentional look at those
pillars that underpin our work to assess and define the importance of each. During this process,
it was determined that we must place " Equity at the Center. "
By making this pillar a major focal point of our work, we acknowledge the importance of
equity in advancing the health and wellness benefits of parks and recreation, fostering more
resilient landscapes and communities through conservation, and ensuring all people in all communities
have access to parks and recreation. According to the strategic plan, " Putting equity at
the center of our work means we are committed to constantly learning, creating supportive and
co-beneficial partnerships, and sharing our failures and successes. "
In the spirit of " constantly learning, " NRPA has recently put together the Equity in Practice
Resource Library (nrpa.org/EquityResourceLibrary), which consists of a set of vetted and
carefully curated resources - including articles, books, technical resources, podcasts, videos,
webinars and more - that support individual learning of equity concepts across park and recreation
functions. Also, if you haven't explored it already, the guide Equity in Parks and Recreation:
A Historical Perspective is a great place to start.
Partnering with other community stakeholders is vital to ensuring the benefits of parks and recreation are distributed
equitably. For example, one way that park and recreation professionals advance health and well-being is
by participating in the larger public health system as Community Wellness Hubs - trusted gathering places that
connect every member of the community to essential programs, services and spaces. To assist park and recreation
professionals in developing this model within their own communities, NRPA created a resource, Elevating Health
Equity Through Parks and Recreation: A Framework for Action, which provides guidance on how to apply an equity lens
to system-wide operations, programs and services. Additionally, the Community Engagement Resource Guide addresses
how to meaningfully partner with community members themselves when planning projects to ensure the spaces
and programs we provide address the needs of all segments of the community.
The Equity in Practice Resource Library contains dozens of other helpful resources from groups, like the
Government Alliance on Race and Equity, the Management Center, and more. While NRPA has developed this
collection of resources for you, we also have done our own fair share of learning along the way - and this is
just the start.
One thing I've found in delving into equity conversations and practices is this: the more you do it, the easier it
comes. If you are new to this realm, it can feel intimidating for fear of doing it " wrong. " In truth, the only wrong
way to approach this work is to avoid beginning your journey of learning and trying. As the strategic plan states,
we are committed to sharing both our failures and our successes, each of which is inevitable. By committing to
understanding new, diverse perspectives and embedding the spirit of equity into your everyday work, you play a
vital role in advancing equity within your community and beyond - and we will be here to support you every
step of the way.
CAROLYN F. MCKNIGHT-FREDD
Chair, NRPA Board of Directors
8 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G

http://www.nrpa.org/Strategic-Plan http://www.nrpa.org/Strategic-Plan http://www.nrpa.org/EquityResourceLibrary

October 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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