GP RED News You Can Use - Pandemic Lessons and More...

August 2021/ Volume 9, Issue 2

About

GP RED is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2008.

GP RED’s mission is to fill the gaps in Research, Education, and Development for health, recreation, land management, and allied educators and professionals. We help the professionals who help communities thrive by providing innovative management strategies and knowledge.

eNews Staff

Editor: Robby Layton, PhD

GP RED Staff:

Donna Kuethe, CPRP, Executive Director

Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE, Director

Amanda Walker, MA, Research & Education Manager

Robby Layton, PhD, FASLA, Senior Research Associate

Jana West, Administration

Alaina Brandenburger, Marketing

John Rainey, Designer

Yara Vielehr, Social Media

Becky Dunlap, Tech Support

Initiatives

Healthy Communities Research Group (HCRG)

Operation Recreation Response (ORR)

REDLine Survey

Research Briefs

GP RED National Think Tank

Active Living Conference

SHIFT Summit & Awards

Emerging Leaders Program

Organizational & Leadership Development Workshops

Safe Routes to Play

USFS Children’s Forest Corridor Project

Whole Measures for Parks & Recreation

Youth Engagement Strategies Workshop

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings from New Hampshire – As the summer unfolds, I can’t help but think, “What a difference a year makes!” As great strides are made towards recovery from the global pandemic - families and friends reunite, travel resumes, events that were cancelled last year are being reinstated – some adapted or changed – but returned. Others are promising to come back in 2022. There is a sense of optimism and relief, while still being cautious as yet another variant takes hold and cases rise in areas where vaccination rates are low. However, the overall effect of the recovery is much the same as any recovery from a traumatic event. If nothing else there is an appreciation of the “little things” that we missed and are so grateful for – being with the people in our lives, hugs, going out to eat at a restaurant, watching a movie in a movie theater or a performance at a concert venue. We swear that we’ll never take those things for granted again. As in all major events in our lives, there are many lessons to be learned from the experience. This issue features an article entitled “Never Let a Good Pandemic Go to Waste.” It explores the positive lessons that parks and recreation departments learned during the pandemic and can apply to better deliver services.

Our major focus right now are on plans underway for the SHIFT Summit October 18-20 and Emerging Leaders Program to be held in Grand Junction, CO. The 2021 SHIFT Summit theme is Ensuring Access to Nature – For Human Health and the Environment, with a focus on advancing equitable access to preventive health through nature and the outdoors. Please join us!

GP RED Staff and Operating Board members continue to work on business and strategic planning so that the organization can effectively and efficiently fulfill our mission. “…to fill the gaps in Research, Education, and Development for health, recreation, land management, and allied professionals. We help the professionals who help communities thrive by providing innovative ways to connect, convene and collaborate.” The Operating Board and staff held a planning retreat to refine our direction, priorities and sustainability as we grow as a dynamic organization.

GP RED is fortunate to have individuals with vast knowledge, diverse experience, and much talent serving on its Operating and Advisory Boards. Their passion for the organization is key to the continued to success and is much appreciated.

Best wishes to all for a great summer filled with the appreciation of all those “little things” that may have been taken for granted prior to the pandemic.

Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP

Executive Director, GP RED

The following article by GP RED Operating Board member Chris Nunes and

GP RED Executive Director Donna Kuethe was published in April of 2021 in

KPRA (Kansas Park and Recreation Association) Today.

Reprinted here by permission.

Never Let a “Good” Pandemic Go to Waste

It’s hard to look at a global pandemic and think of it in positive terms. However, challenges are opportunities for growth. About a year after the world of Parks and Recreation as we knew it came crashing down while COVID 19 expanded its reach, Parks and Recreation professionals have become experts in all things Pandemic related – social distancing, mask wearing, sanitation procedures, health screenings and much more. Our outdoor facilities have shown increased usage, and many of the ways we have learned to reach our customers during lockdown have resulted in the potential to reach more people. The wake of the Pandemic affords professionals to take lessons learned and implement these on a move forward basis. Professionals need to “seize the day” to turn challenges into opportunities and make our services more efficient, effective, and more relevant to our communities. Our delivery of recreation services may be changed forever and for the better.

The Active Living Conference has been held annually since 2004 and brings together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners to focus on the importance of creating healthier communities for all. GP RED took on the role of organizing and supporting the conference in 2021, which was held virtually for the first time to adhere to public health safety measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference was held from April 6^th to April 9^th and was a resounding success thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, especially Co-Chairs Gina Besenyi from Kansas State University and Nicholas Boer from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and GP RED staff members Teresa Penbrooke, Amanda Walker, Becky Dunlap, and Donna Kuethe. Several members of GP RED’s Operating and Advisory Boards also contributed greatly to the success of the event, including Janet Bartnik, Chris Cares, Chuck Flink, and Lisa Wolff.

The virtual format allowed many people to attend who might not have been able to in previous years due to cost and/or travel requirements. While this conference is one that many people make a point of attending every year, nearly half of the participants were attending the conference for the first time this year. Long-time attendees as well as newcomers were generally happy with the event, noting that the presenters did a good job of adapting to the online format, and the ability for the audience to engage through the chat function allowed for active participation and dialog. People also appreciated the ability to watch recorded versions of sessions that they could not attend. What everyone missed most, of course, was the spontaneous and informal interaction that occurs in between events at an in-person conference. Nonetheless, participants noted that the opportunities for networking through the conference’s Whova app worked well. The general consensus seems to be that a hybrid conference that blends virtual and in-person aspects would be desirable in the future.

GP RED will once again manage next year’s conference, to be held March 7 – 10, 2022 at the Natcher Conference Center on the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, MD. Mark your calendar, check our website frequently, and stay tuned for more information!

If you would like to sponsor or help create the 2022 ALC conference, email AmandW@GPRED.org

As usual for GR RED events, a post-conference survey was conducted. Ratings of the conference were very positive, with a majority of participants indicating they are likely to attend again next year. The results indicate the virtual conference was a great success, with suggestions on how to continue to evolve the Active Living Conference to meet the needs and expectations of attendees in the future.

Sample comments included:

“I would not have been able to attend this year if it wasn't virtual.”

“I really liked the chat feature during the keynote/plenary and oral presentations. This allowed for some discussion among those in the audience without being too obtrusive. It also allowed lower barrier-to-entry to discuss and ask questions for those of us who might be a little intimidated by a room full of super smart scholars in-person.”

GP RED offers PREPP with CU Denver

School of Public Affairs Institute

In response to industry needs, GP RED has been working closely on the development of the Parks and Recreation Emerging Professionals Program (PREPP), now open for enrollment through CU Denver School of Public Affairs Institute. The PREPP is designed to fill a niche for those who want to move ahead into upper levels of administration, need a strong basis and competencies in management and planning, and who are interested in a flexible, yet rigorous, program developed for working professionals. With more than 400,000 people employed in state and local parks and recreation positions across the U.S., this unique combination of curriculum will be an important addition to the educational opportunities in the parks and recreation (P&R) field. Participants complete 3 sequential series of 4 courses each, for a total of approximately 180 hours of class time. Program can be completed in approximately 15 months. The program is online with class time one night per week, as well as additional learning and study. Each series culminates in a student portfolio and the final series is capped with a self-directed project that incorporates the total learning.

The PREPP is ideal for:

Current P&R staff who have at least 3 years of full-time experience working for a public P&R agency, and a high school degree, bachelor’s degree or higher.
People with a bachelor’s degree or higher who want background and training in P&R planning and management to start working or further progress in the field of P&R.
People who enjoy offering programs or facilities for the public, but want more of a business, governmental, and introduction to executive-level competencies needed to move up or be the best they can be in their field.
Individuals across the United States are eligible.

Attached is the initial Program Overview and course outline. The first course session for Cohort #1: Orientation will start on Weds, September 29^th and then meet weekly on Weds (with a few breaks) for 15 months.

APPLY NOW!

New Research Briefs Now Available from GP RED

Several new publications are now available in GP RED’s Research Brief series:

Research Brief #12 - What Is A Park? A Proposal for a Working Definition within the Parks and Recreation Field reveals how the evolution of the word “park” in English has led to ambiguity and confusion in the way it is used among park practitioners and researchers and proposes a standardized definition for use among park professionals.

Research Brief #13 is a three-volume series that presents a component-based method of measuring parks and greenspace and illustrates how it can be used to assess parks and park systems on variety of performance metrics.

Research Brief #14 examines the challenges faced by the parks and recreation field and related disciplines due to a shortage of adequate and appropriately trained and qualified applicants to fill positions. A committee of 45 professionals weighed in on the current state of education and development of new talent. The Status of Education Needs for Parks, Recreation, and Related Professionals–2021 provides historical context, findings from the committee and other insights and observations related to potential next steps to raise the level of expertise and expand the talent pool of future practitioners.

Click on the links below to read these articles, or go to our Research Briefs page.

Tune into GP RED Presents

GP RED’s continuing series of videos now includes well over a dozen episodes covering a range of timely topics of interest and urgency to parks and recreation professionals and others. Tune in via GP RED’s YouTube channel to see interviews with experts from around the nation.

The SHIFT Summit is a national gathering of hundreds of land managers, researchers, practitioners, funders, educators, retailers, and conservationists, along with outdoor recreation, health, military, and nature therapy professionals who share experiences, evidence, and ideas for enhancing the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. The Summit is based on sound science combined with experiential, health, stewardship, and land management aspects to balance equitable reciprocity and access to and ensure the survival of the places, flora, and fauna that we all need to exist and thrive. SHIFT Awards will also be presented for organizations and individuals who are excelling in our collective work.

Operating Board:

Chris Cares, President

Robby Layton, PhD, FASLA, Treasurer

Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, CPRE

Janet Bartnik, CPRP

Chris Nunes, PhD, CPRE

Lora Polowczuk, MPH

Lisa Wolff, MSL, CPRP

Advisory Board:

Daniel Betts, MBA, MS

Jo Burns, MS, CTRS

Justin Cutler, MPA, CPRE

Maureen Dougherty, PhD

Chris Dropinski, CPRE

Charles A. Flink, FASLA

Leslie Fritz, CPRP

Seve Ghose, CPRE

Sheema Hai, CPRP

John Henderson, JD, CPRP

Eric Legg, PhD, CPRP

Darin Loughrey

Alexi McHugh

Sylvie Rokab, M.A.

Lakita Watson, CPRP

Debbie Woodbury, CPM, CPRP, MPA

Contribute

Please share your own success stories, research and resources.

Send submissions to the Editor at: info@gpred.org

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Phone: (303) 439-8369 | Email: info@gpred.org

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