September 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10

PERSPECT I VES A MESSAGE FROM NRPA' S LEADERS
Helping Communities Grow Together
In her 2014 TED Talk, titled
" How to overcome our biases?
Walk
boldly toward them, "
which focused on advancing
equity and diversity, Vernˉa
Myers, an inclusion strategist
and cultural innovator, proclaimed:
" It's not about perfection
- it's about connection. "
Making connections is at the
heart of our work as park and
recreation professionals, whether
it's connecting community members to health and
wellness programming, with their local environment,
or to each other. That's one of the key reasons our
theme this year is " Where Community Grows. "
Myers, who will be delivering the 2023 NRPA
Annual Conference keynote in Dallas, shared another
quote during her TED Talk that stressed the
importance of relationship building: " It's the empathy
and compassion that come out of having relationships
with people who are different than you
[in which] something really powerful and beautiful
happens, " she says. " You start to realize that they
are you, that they're part of you, that they are in
your family. And then we cease to be bystanders
and we become actors, we become advocates, and
we become allies. "
We like to say that difference meets on the playground.
Parks and recreation is central to communities,
and professionals within the field work at the
intersection of these differences. By building and
making connections with and between community
members, you are serving as their advocate and ally
and you are helping communities grow together.
Given that making connections and building
relationships are fundamental to our work, park
and recreation professionals already have the opportunity
and platform to ensure all members of
our communities can benefit from our essential
services. However, while being aware of diversity,
equity, inclusion and access principles and taking
individual action are important first steps, those
alone are not enough to enhance quality of life for
all. We must work together to integrate the prac10
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tices, policies and programs that help us serve all
members of our communities fairly.
This is the purpose of NRPA's Equity in Practice
(EiP) initiative. In 2021, we surveyed park and recreation
leaders to better understand what diversity,
equity and inclusion practices agencies already had
in place and where NRPA could help to fill the gaps
(nrpa.org/DEIReport). Through this survey, we
learned that our members were looking for support
in four primary areas: (1) targeted support for smaller
agencies, (2) building member capacity and competency,
(3) best practices and peer networks, and (4)
trusted resources.
Based on this information, we developed numerous
education opportunities and resources, including the
EiP Resource Library, peer networks, monthly online
learning events and the EiP Certificate Program
(tinyurl.com/bdhky2dx). Through the EiP learning
series, we aim not only to assist park and recreation
professionals on their individual learning journeys, but
also to strengthen the impact we can have together.
Speaking of coming together, the NRPA Annual
Conference provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity
for park and recreation professionals to learn, grow
and connect with peers from across the country.
This opportunity for connection and relationship
building is unparalleled, with professionals representing
urban settings, rural communities and everything
in between. Each year, I am overwhelmed
by the knowledge, joy, enthusiasm and compassion
that our membership shares with each other. In my
eyes, it's one of the best examples of making connections
and building relationships, and it shows
just how incredibly generous and committed this
profession is.
I look forward to seeing you in Dallas, where we
will have countless opportunities to bond over our
similarities, learn from our differences and make
connections that serve ourselves, our profession
and our communities.
KRISTINE STRATTON
President and CEO
https://nrpa.org/DEIreport/ http://tinyurl.com/bdhky2dx
September 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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