August 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 62

NR PA I n A ct i o n

Congress Spotlight

C

Education Sessions that Connect Communities

ONNECTING COMMUNITIES is the theme at the 2010 NRPA Congress and Exposition, and the
following education sessions are just one way in which NRPA will enable you to connect and share
with the leaders in the field, discover how to succeed in your current initiatives, and plan your
long-term outlook for the future.
Combating Gang Violence by
Combining Communities
Combating Gang Violence by Combining Communities instills a sense of unity
amongst youth by breaking down gang
territory alliances through recreational programming. The program aims to
improve/enhance recreational opportunities, build critical thinking/ethical decision making skills, teach the value of
community service.

Community Benefits of Public
Art Programs
Receive an overview of a public art program - how it was started, the challenges
faced, the solutions found, and the evolution
of the program over five years. Discuss the
community benefits, various fund raising
efforts, and examples of public art events.

Healthy Communities:
Strategies and Tools to
Reposition Parks and Recreation
The health care issue is front and cen-

ter. The IPRA, Indiana University Healthy
Communities Surveillance and Management Project, and GreenPlay LLC, are
demonstrating that public parks and recreation are a catalyst in creating healthy
communities. Hear about the collaborative
research that creates and validates direct
methods for building healthy communities.

60	 Parks & Recreation

SEPTEMBER 2010

What Are Parks Worth to
Communities: Beyond Fees
and Programs

Building Resilience For Healthy
Families and Communities
in the Military

Parks contribute great value to communities, including some values that are not
often measured such as air and water
quality, tourism impacts, health benefits,
and others. Mecklenburg County, NC and
Charleston County, SC more comprehensively measure their value and use it to
build credibility in their communities.

Service members and returning wounded warriors have unique recreation requirements. Gain information about the
current military environment; challenges facing today's Service members and
their families; how recreation opportunities can restore confidence and build
resilience; the importance of recreation
inclusion; and the benefits of implementing recreation opportunities that impact
military readiness.

Renewed " Lungs " for Cities:
Mobilizing Urban Communities
for Health
Examine Marvin Gaye Park in northeast
Washington DC, an area struggling to
overcome the effects of drugs, violence
and chronic disease, and how, through advocacy, community engagement and partnerships, is experiencing an urban parks
renaissance, using park-based health programs to improve the communities health.

Building Livable Communities
Through Parks and Recreation
Leisure is important for community livability.
Case studies from South Africa and Canada
provide evidence that collaborative efforts
between park and recreation professionals and community leaders are required
for the successful provision of leisure programs and services culminating in the enhancement of the economic, socio-cultural
and environmental wellbeing of residents.

www.NRPA .ORG

Food Service Programs:
How Your Community Addresses
Hunger and Nutrition
Park and recreation agencies serve as
USDA food service program sponsor
sites, coupling food distribution with exercise, recreational activity and nutritional education. Many park and recreation
agencies have the ability to expand their
summer and before/after school food programs with assistance, strategic planning
and technical support.

Creating Play Opportunities
Through Innovative School and
Park Partnerships
As population densities grow across
America, leaders are seeking new and
innovative ways to create more accessible play opportunities for their community, often with less space readily available.
August 2010 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2010 - Parks & Recreation
