June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 67

NRPA Update
How Will You Celebrate
OUT is IN?

July is Park and Recreation Month, and this year, going outside is in style
By Roxanne Sutton

ight now, I am sitting outside. This isn't something I normally do while
writing, but given this year's Park and Recreation Month theme, it
seemed appropriate. Park and Recreation Month officially starts in less
than a month, and this July, we're looking for everyone to encourage their communities to go OUTside, get INspired, change their OUTlook and get INvolved
with community parks and recreation.
This year's theme, crowdsourced
and voted on by NRPA members, encourages community
members and park and
recreation professionals
alike to do something
outside every day
that would normally be done inside. Whether that's eating a meal, hosting a
meeting, taking an exercise class or
writing something for work, we bet
you can find one thing you can take
outside every day in July.
For park and recreation agencies, Park and Recreation Month is
the perfect time to show the impact
you make in your communities.
Challenge your communities to go
OUTside and INto your park and
recreation areas throughout July and
then demonstrate the importance
of your work. Do your health and
wellness programs help reduce obesity? Do your community gardens
bring people together and feed the
underserved? Do your green spaces
help improve the environment? If
the answer is yes, brag about it -
especially to community leaders. If
you're not sure, consider Park and

Recreation Month a great time to
start tracking your initiatives or get
involved in NRPA programs that can
help you, such as 10 Million Kids
Outdoors and Commit to Health.
Here are some ideas for engaging
your community this year during
Park and Recreation Month:
Host an OUT is IN event. Bring
back some retro outdoor games
and take lots of pictures. Brand
your event materials with the
" OUT is IN " theme.
Have your local government officially declare July 2014 as Park
and Recreation Month and invite
local leaders to your events. The
template proclamation can help.
Encourage your community to
participate in our #JulyOUTisIN

Social Media Challenge every day
this July (you can participate too!).
There will be great prizes!
Use Park and Recreation Month
as a time to contact media outlets
about the impact you make in the
community. Use some of the template press materials to help in
your outreach.
Share information about
Park and Recreation Month
on your social media channels using #JulyOUTis IN.
Hang up the official Park and
Recreation Month poster where
everyone can see it. You received a
copy in your May Parks & Recreation
Magazine, but you can print more
from the materials online.
You can find resources for all these
ideas on our website at www.nrpa.
org/july. Don't forget to share your
great events and observances with us
- we're always impressed with how
you take the theme and make it your
own every year. Share with us on
Facebook, Twitter (@NRPA_News)
and Instagram (@NRPA).
Sitting outside to write this article has been great, and I don't really
want to go back inside. Thankfully,
we have the entire month of July -
31 days - to find an excuse to get
outside every day!
Roxanne Sutton is NRPA's Senior Marketing
and Communications Specialist (rsutton@
nrpa.org).

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June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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