November 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 43

Nonstop Learning

rom the time you arrive at Conference, even before attending the first education session, learning begins in the casual conversations with new colleagues or
old friends. No matter where you are in your career - a college student looking for that first park and rec internship, young professional just starting out or
a seasoned veteran - or your learning style, there's something for everyone who attends.
Repeat attendee, John Koehler, director of community recreation for the
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Community
Recreation Department, describes his
Conference experience this way: " Every
time, I come back (this is his third Conference) I have to buy new socks because
they are knocked off over and over by
the locations, accommodations, socials,
exhibit hall and education sessions! "
Learning through play was the theme
running through this year's education
offerings, and the Program Committee
went to great lengths to ensure there
were a number of fun, unique options.
For example, attendees of the " Partners
in Play: Exploring Creve Coeur Park "
Off-Site Institute, learned about public-private partnerships while experiencing the amenities of the park. " We didn't
just talk about going outside to a park, "
explained Heidi Miller, center supervisor
for the city of Allen, Texas, " but, instead,
we actually went and played at a park! "
Many of the traditional lecture-style
sessions were also interactive, with the pre-

senters allowing time for Q&A from participants and/or small, peer-to-peer group
discussions. New this year was the Creativity Lab where attendees could participate
in individual, small and large group activities, games and exercises to help spark
innovation, guide creative problem solving
and provide engaging discussions.
Additional interactive education could
be found in three separate areas on the
show floor - the Learning Playground,
Glass Room Sessions, and the Learning Labs. And, there was a Technology
Solutions Center that offered 20-minute
sessions on the latest and greatest technology or software product solutions to
help integrate agency operations.
Often, with so many interesting sessions happening at the same time, choosing which to attend was difficult. The
NRPA Conference App was a great tool
for such a situation, because, as one attendee noted, " It allowed me to see PowerPoints from the other great sessions
that I was not able to attend. "
For those unable to make it to St.

Learning Playground

Louis, NRPA Live provided virtual access to a selection of sessions each day.
Now that Conference 2016 in the books,
online access to the handouts from many
of the educational sessions are available
and the time spent reviewing them may
be applicable toward CEU requirements
for renewal of Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) credentials.
If you didn't make it to St. Louis this
year or just want to refresh your memory post-event, check out www.nrpa.
org/conference2016. Planning is already
underway for next year's Conference
in New Orleans and proposals for education sessions are being accepted now
through November 18, 2016, at www.
nrpa.org/proposals. Proposals for Speed
Sessions will be accepted in early spring
of 2017. Visit www.nrpa.org to keep
abreast of developments leading up to
New Orleans, and we look forward to
seeing you in The Big Easy!

Glass Room Session

Creativity Lab

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 |

Parks & Recreation

November 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2016 - Parks & Recreation