June 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 74

N R PA U P DAT E

Member Spotlight: Patrick Wesley
By Vitisia Paynich

or nearly two decades, Patrick Wesley has devoted his career to
parks and recreation, and currently serves as assistant director at
Shreveport Public Assembly & Recreation in Louisiana. Over the
years, Wesley has also volunteered his time and expertise to NRPA, working with the staff across multiple program areas, including OST/Commit
to Health and Healthy Aging in Parks/CDC Arthritis work.
Parks & Recreation
magazine
recently
spoke with Wesley to
learn more about his
most meaningful health
and wellness programs,
why youths see his
agency as a safe space
and who has served as
his role models throughout his career.

Parks & Recreation
magazine: How did you get your
start in parks and recreation?
Patrick Wesley: I initially started
in higher education, working in
student affairs at a local community college in Shreveport and transitioned to parks and recreation
administration. I've been working
for the city of Shreveport for a little
over 19 years. The higher education
experience, dealing with student
development, helped me transition
into parks administration.
P&R: Of all the health and wellness
programs you have worked on over
the years, which is the nearest/
dearest to you? Why?
Wesley: My youth programs and
therapeutic recreation programs are
most dear to me, because I see kids
start from the development stage,
learning the fundamental skills of
athletic programs or recreational
72

Parks & Recreation

programs. With my therapeutic recreation programs, we're dealing with
special needs populations, and just
seeing the smiles on their faces and
[watching them] enjoying their programs and activities are invaluable.
P&R: Do you believe the kids who
participate in your programs see
your agency as a safe space?
Wesley: We have 16 community
centers located throughout Shreveport, and we are the true safe havens that kids can come to and just
participate in leisure and recreation
activities, athletic events and programs. We're seeing a difference.
A lot of times, the media does not
highlight much of the good our
youth are doing on a day-to-day basis, but we see thousands and thousands of kids who are participating
in our afterschool programs, athletic and recreation events, and special
events; volunteering in our parks
by picking up trash; exploring our
conservation movement - and it's
making our communities a lot better here in Shreveport.
P&R: Do you think offering health
and wellness programs, especially
during the summer, helps kids
make better choices about their
own health and well-being?
Wesley: Yes, most definitely. Probably one of our most popular

| J U N E 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

programs that we facilitate in the
summer is called our Safe Summer
Basketball League for kids ages 10
to 24. They play on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m.
to almost midnight. One of the
caveats of the program is that we
use the sport of basketball to bring
kids into our safe haven. Prior to
playing in their league game, they
are required to attend a mandatory
30-minute life-skills workshop before they can get onto the basketball
court. For this workshop, we bring
in the police department, fire department and several social service
agencies to talk to them about life
skills, making good decisions and
the consequences of making bad
decisions. We say, 'No workshop,
no jump shot!' We have thousands
of kids participate, and we average
about 70 teams per summer that
participate. And before they know
it, the summer is over and they've
gained this invaluable experience
and knowledge that they possibly
wouldn't have had in a regular basketball league. The feedback on this
program is that it has been well-received by participants and parents.

P&R: Is there someone who
served as a mentor or role
model throughout your
career? If so, tell us about
that individual.
Wesley: My mentors are my parents, who built that foundation for
me to be successful as a recreation
professional.
- Vitisia Paynich, Freelance Writer for Parks & Recreation magazine

June 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2018 - Parks & Recreation