December 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22

HEALTH & WELLNESS
Healthy Communities as
an Equitable Investment
By Teresa L. Penbrooke, Ph.D., CPRE
T
here is a lot of focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
these days, thank goodness. Equity is not a separate thing we
should " do " - it is a cultural concept and value that needs to be
integrated into all organizations, personal ethics, training, plans,
communications and engagement strategies. We need to nurture inclusive
spaces and environments in our communities to ensure that all people and
employees, no matter race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national
origin, citizenship, veteran status, age, physical or mental disability,
or any other defining characteristics, can benefit.
It is helpful to start with ideas
for which roles we as individuals,
employees and community leaders
can really play. We also need to
better tell our story to the decisionmakers
in our communities and the
public we serve, so we can provide
equitable service to all residents,
improve preventive health and
social engagement,
equitably
manage the public
dollars we
receive, and show an appropriate
return on investment for our work.
Today, there are a lot of equityenhancing
resources available for
parks and recreation. For example,
NRPA has released a suite of
resources centered on equity: an
equity
statement, a story map,
Equity Action Plan, and the Elevating
Health Equity Through Parks and
Recreation: A Framework for Action
resource (nrpa.org/Equity). Here
we delve into some concepts that
can help us blend NRPA's Three
Pillars of Equity, Health
and
Wellness, and Conservation in our
communities.
How We Can Take
Appropriate Action
1. Set expectations. Ensure there is a
lens of equity applied at all levels
- individually, organizationally
and extensively across all services
provided to the community. After
working with various DEI topic
experts around the country, some
organizations have adopted an Equity
Pledge that helps set expectations
internally and externally. The
figure on page 23 shows a sample
Equity Pledge with emphasis on
four " A's " : allies, advocates, accomplices
and apprentices. The pledge
requires open minds and hearts to
identify and admit any ignorance
while asking for clarification on
anything needed. We need to first
ensure that we check our own biases
and become allies, so that we
can then advocate and become
an accomplice in creating an improved
community. However, regardless
of how much training and
knowledge we gain on this topic,
we will all forever be apprentices.
Acknowledging this fact allows us
to have open conversations, build
trust, apologize when we mess up,
and better work together.
This map of Mesa,
Arizona, identifies
and addresses gaps
in equitable service,
using walkability as
one key indicator.
22 Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
2. Do the work. After setting expectations
and checking our internal
biases, we need to foster
an environment
that addresses
internal and external needs,
shortcomings, " elephants in the
room, " and operates and serves
© MESA 2022
http://www.nrpa.org/Equity
December 2022 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022 - Parks & Recreation
