September 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 42

NRPA Quick Guides support park and
recreation professionals' efforts to
advance equity in their communities, no
matter where they are in their journey.
EQUITY:
Where To Start
NRPA " Quick Guides " share simple ways to advance equity
By Autumn Saxton-Ross, Ph.D.
I
n 2021 and 2023, the NRPA Research team surveyed park and recreation
leaders about their agencies' diversity, equity and inclusion
(DEI) practices, taking inventory of park and recreation agencies'
DEI activities, the professional development opportunities provided
to staff, and the challenges organizations face in their efforts to promote
DEI practices. The results, detailed in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in
Parks and Recreation report (tinyurl.com/m898c3y6), serve as a guide for
NRPA's Equity in Practice (EiP) work. Four themes emerged in 2021 and
were shown to continue to be relevant in 2023: targeted support for smaller
agencies, building member capacity and competency in DEI, best practices
and peer networks, and trusted resources.
Join the NRPA
DEI Network
NRPA's DEI Network is a community of
park and recreation professionals who
collaborate to support DEI initiatives
within their agencies. Members share
documents and take part in discussions
on NRPA Connect. Additionally, the network
hosts discussions via Zoom on the
second Tuesday of every other month.
To learn more and join the DEI Network,
visit tinyurl.com/96f29k7v.
A notably different comment
came up in the 2023 survey:
" NRPA provides a lot of tools and
resources currently...[that may] outpace
the progress of the average park
and recreation agency. I think a sliding
scale of resources for those in the
beginning stages versus those that are
more advanced would be appropriate.
Not that the work isn't needed, but
agencies may be dismayed or turned
off if they feel they have to take drastic
steps to 'catch up' and thus may make
no change at all. Baby steps are better
than no steps at all. "
This response was similar to one
of the most common questions we
42 Parks & Recreation | SEP T EMBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
receive from members - " Where
should I start? " - and is asking
for us to
better meet members
where they are, especially those
with limited capacity or those who
are just starting. In response, we
committed to creating " how tos, "
brief toolkits that focus on implementation
and inclusion in common
recreational programs.
NRPA Quick Guides
Led by members of the NRPA
DEI Network and the wonderful
Becky Herz of Orangevale (California)
Recreation and Park District,
we are happy to introduce
NRPA Quick Guides. These " how
tos " recognize that DEI is hard
work. It takes time, the approach is
rarely the same, and it requires us
to confront uncomfortable topics
and change. If that isn't enough,
the work - and those leading it
- may be met by others who don't
understand " why " and lack full
agency support.
Quick guides are designed for all
park and recreation professionals,
http://tinyurl.com/m898c3y6 http://tinyurl.com/96f29k7v
September 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2024 – Parks & Recreation
