Open Space Radio: Parks and Recreation Trends

The June issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on today’s bonus episode of Open Space Radio, we’re diving deeper into one of this month’s feature stories, “Homelessness and the Global Pandemic,” which explores how the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) is supporting people experiencing homelessness, among other vulnerable populations, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining us on the show is Executive Officer & Chief of Staff at RAP, Anthony-Paul (AP) Diaz.

The Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society (PRPS) is celebrating the selfless work of parks and recreation through Park and Recreation Professionals Day on July 17 – during Park and Recreation Month. This day celebrates the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to provide the high-quality programs and facilities we desire and expect in our parks and public spaces. We’re joined on today’s episode by Tim Herd, CEO of PRPS, to learn more about the day, and how you can celebrate.

We often get to have conversations with park and recreation professionals who are doing incredible work in their communities. Many times, the guests who are gracious enough to join us on Open Space Radio are people who are already established in their careers. It’s not every day, though, that we get to chat with college students who are studying the field of parks and recreation and who will soon embark on the exciting journey of entering a new career in the field.

The May issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on today’s bonus episode of Open Space Radio, we’re diving deeper into one of the feature articles, “Collaboration in the Time of Pandemic.” We’re honored to be joined by the author, and executive director of NOVA Parks, Paul Gilbert, as well as Jane Rudolph, director of Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Kirk Kincannon, executive director of Fairfax County Park Authority, to discuss their collaborative response to

This year, on April 22, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but due to COVID-19, many celebrations have had to change. On today’s episode, we’re joined by three dedicated and creative staff members of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department in Ohio to talk about the virtual Earth Day celebrations they have planned so their community can learn more about the environment around them and how to protect it.

April 4, 2020, marked the 150th birthday of the iconic Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers had to get creative in order to bring the celebration to people virtually. To kick off the celebration, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department launched a virtual concert series that will bring some of the historic past outdoor concerts and performances held in the park to people everywhere to enjoy for free.

The April issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on this bonus episode of Open Space Radio, we’re diving deeper into the feature article, “Can Parks Help Save Fireflies?” We’re joined by the author, and editor-at-large for Parks & Recreation, Richard J. Dolesh, as well as Michele White, an NRPA conservation program manager, to talk about the current threat to the firefly species. And, whether you call them fireflies or lightning bugs, one thing is certain: they need our help.

One in three young people in the U.S. reaches age 19 without a mentor of any kind. This includes the nine million at-risk youth who are missing the critical support and connections that mentoring can provide. But, park and recreation agencies are closing this gap by offering one-on-one and group youth mentoring programs and helping at-risk youth gain access to quality mentors.

As the gatekeepers of many of our nation’s public gathering spaces, park and recreation professionals are seeking answers to key questions about the outbreak of COVID-19 as they prepare strategies around response and prevention in the coming days and weeks — especially in communities that are starting to document confirmed cases. To help answer some of these questions, we’re joined by three park and recreation leaders from across the country who are actively addressing issues related to coronavirus

The March issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and on this bonus episode of Open Space Radio we’re diving deeper into one of the feature articles, “St. Louis: A Path Toward Equitable Design.” The article showcases the framework plan for the Chouteau Greenway in St. Louis — a $250 million greenway development that spans 15 miles and 20 neighborhoods, with the goal of connecting communities and unifying different populations.

On today’s episode, we chat with Angelou Ezeilo, founder and CEO of Greening Youth Foundation, about the lifelong pursuit of inclusion and equity in conservation and environmental stewardship, and the need to cultivate the next generation of diverse environmental leaders.

On today’s episode, we sit down with Kristine Stratton, NRPA President and CEO, and Neelay Bhatt, Vice President at PROS Consulting Inc, to discuss their presentation at the Agents of Change Summit this week, where they'll be sharing how park and rec professionals are agents of change in their communities — particularly how they influence and change health behaviors and how parks are a solution to many of our most pressing health and wellness challenges, like obesity, mental health issues and substance

Today’s episode is a deep dive into how one impossible situation can inspire multiple opportunities within a community. We hear from Jessica Patterson from Groton Parks and Recreation in Connecticut and Officer Heather McClelland from the Groton Police Department. What started as a way for Jessica to cope with her mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s has turned into multiple programs and cross-department partnerships that are enriching an entire community and making it safer.

The February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and we recently had the opportunity to chat with Jamie Sabbach about her article, “Leading With Courage,” for this month’s bonus episode. Jamie is the president and CEO of 110% Inc. and Amilia Consulting USA, and she joined us to talk about true courageous leadership, as well as explain why it is so important to the field of parks and recreation.

On today’s episode, we’re going back to the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, where we met with Julianne Mills, a program manager for Disabled Sports USA, a leader in community-based adaptive sports focusing on one goal since 1967: To improve the lives of wounded warriors, youth and adults with disabilities by providing sports and recreation opportunities. We chat about why adaptive programming is critical to ensuring all people have access to quality park and recreation offerings.