July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 15

Leveraging the Local University
to Create New Programming
By Jennifer L. VanSickle, Ed.D.
A
t Garfield Park and Bethel Park in Indianapolis, youth camps
are happening during spring and fall breaks without the use of
park employees and at no cost to the park. How does this happen?
And how can you make this happen at your park?
Service learning and experiential
learning have become a prominent
educational methodology in colleges
and universities. These often include
projects conducted with community
partners that allow students to develop
professional skills and apply
course concepts while providing a
program or service to a community
partner. Partnering with a university
can offer student learning opportunities
while creating low-cost programming
for your local park.
But how do these partnerships
come together? And how do
you approach a faculty member
to create a mutually beneficial
relationship that will lead to lowcost
programming at your park?
Steps to Partnering
First, find an ally. Look on your
local university's website for a faculty
member in sport management,
recreation management or physical
education/kinesiology. If the university
does not have a sport management
or recreation program,
look for an Office of Community
Engagement or Service Learning.
These offices are responsible for
helping
faculty
set up partnerships
with local organizations for
the benefit of community members
and the institution. However,
remember that faculty must plan
their classes well before the start
of the semester. So, if, for example,
you are interested in a spring
break program, you should reach
out to faculty in mid-fall, around
September or October, to start a
conversation. This gives you several
months to discuss ideas and
create action plans before starting
a project. Also, remember that faculty
and students have limited time,
are typically only available during
the academic year, and programs
offered during holidays and university
breaks are off limits.
Once you have found an ally, the
two of you must create a mutually
beneficial goal. Look for ideas or
programs that benefit both parties.
Take time to determine your wants,
needs and desires. For example,
consider gaps in your park programming
that could be satisfied by
a group of college students or think
of programming identified by your
constituents that you are unable to
provide. Share your thoughts and
ideas with the faculty member and
listen to their views until you come
up with a goal that meets everyCreating
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15

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July 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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

July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 1
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 2
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 3
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 4
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 5
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 6
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 7
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 8
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 9
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 10
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 11
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 12
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 13
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 15
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 16
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 17
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 18
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 19
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 20
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 21
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 22
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 23
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 24
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 25
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 26
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 27
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 28
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 29
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 30
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 31
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 32
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 33
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 34
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 35
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 36
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 38
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 39
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 40
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 41
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 43
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 44
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 45
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 46
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 47
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 48
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 49
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 50
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 51
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 52
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 53
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 54
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 55
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 56
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
July 2022 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
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https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
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https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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