January 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 54
NRPA Update
Member Spotlight: Ben Johnson
D
on't tell Ben Johnson there's nothing for kids to do at Louisville
Metro Parks & Recreation in Kentucky (see page 16). The assistant
director of recreation bristles at the suggestion that his department
is lacking in programming for youth, not to mention adults and
seniors. In his 10 years with Louisville Metro Government - eight and a half
in the Office of Youth Development and the past year and a half with Metro
Parks - he's developed programming at 12 community centers, two art centers, two senior centers and one year-round pool, and he's preparing to take
on four more pools this summer. Johnson also takes pride in building strong
connections throughout his community between residents, municipal leaders,
police and kids. Below, he gives us a taste of the sort of commitment it takes to
facilitate effective, impactful programming.
Parks & Recreation magazine: Talk
a bit about the community centers
under Louisville Metro Parks.
Ben Johnson: Our 12 traditional
community centers offer a wide array
of programming for all age groups.
We truly cover the spectrum from A
(Adapted Leisure programming) to
Z (Zumba). We are very intentional
in saying we have community centers
and not recreation centers because
when most people hear the term " recreation center, " they only think of a
place for youth. While we offer a lot
of recreation programs, we also have
age- and gender-specific programs,
programs for seniors, art-based programming, job-training programs,
health and fitness programming, etc.
52 Parks & Recreation
P&R: Community relations - in
particular, between residents and
the police - have featured heavily
in recent news. In what way do you
feel community centers help to foster positive relations between community members and, possibly,
between residents and municipal
leaders including police?
Johnson: Our division has a great
working relationship with the police
and we are trying to make sure that
spreads throughout the community...
We asked for and have seen officers
just stop by the [community] centers
from time to time. Officers have participated in our Fun Day/Field Day
activities with more than 400 youth
from across the city - even running
(in uniform!) in a
race. We are currently looking to revive a
conversation series at
the community centers geared specifically toward teens. We
did this years ago,
not in response to an
incident, but because
we thought it was a
good idea. Obviously
now is a good time to
bring that back.
| J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G
P&R: What do you say to folks who
are looking for ways to keep their
kids occupied during out-of-school
hours, and why do you feel park and
recreation programs are well-positioned to encourage positive activities and attitudes in youth?
Johnson: Persons who say there is a
lack of programs for youth are terribly misinformed...Our community
centers are uniquely positioned to provide positive, constructive activities
because we have very few limitations.
We are not singularly focused on one
part of the community, education,
sports, job training, an age group,
race, ethnicity, etc. We are open to and
willing to work with any and all.
P&R: What advice would you give
to other park and rec professionals
looking to foster better community
relations at their agencies?
Johnson: Be open. Be honest. Be
fearless.
At this year's NRPA conference
there was a button that was a red circle with a line through it that said,
" But we've always done it that way! " I
have that sign up in all of our centers
- we have to get away from that type
of thinking, personally, professionally
and as a community. We have to be
open to new ideas (or bringing back
old ones) while being honest about
what we can or cannot do...Lastly, it's
OK to be wrong, make a mistake or
even fail. There are occasions when
that is the best way to learn. We have
to model some of the behaviors we
are trying to teach. I wonder if sometimes the " fear of failure " might not
be more accurately described as the
" fear of success. "
- Samantha Bartram, Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine
January 2015 - Parks & Recreation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2015 - Parks & Recreation
January 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 1
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