Preparing the Next Generation of Diverse Leaders in Parks and Recreation — Episode 145
Release Date: 10/24/2023
Introducing Guardians of Greenspaces — Episode 168
Open Space Radio
Happy Earth Month! On today’s episode, we’re excited to share a collaboration with NRPA’s new podcast, Guardians of Greenspaces. is a podcast focused on conservation from a park and recreation maintenance lens. Hosted by Rukmini Kalamangalam, a program specialist on NRPA’s community and environmental resilience team, Guardians of Greenspaces uplifts voices of experts in the field and will drop weekly for the next 10 weeks. We recently caught up with Rukmini to learn more about this new podcast and how it will bring value to maintenance staff working in the conservation and...
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Celebrating Women’s History Month in Parks and Recreation — Episode 167
Open Space Radio
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we’re celebrating the incredible women in parks and recreation who are shaping the profession and making a difference in their communities. Women have long played a vital role in parks and recreation – but it has historically been a male-dominated industry. Today, the leadership and presence of women in the profession continue to grow. In fact, within NRPA’s membership of more than 60,000 park and recreation professionals: 47 percent of members identify as women 48 percent of 2023 NRPA Annual Conference attendees identified as women 53 percent of...
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Youth Sports: If She Can See It, She Can Be It — Episode 166
Open Space Radio
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore the critical role that parks and recreation plays in advancing sports opportunities for all youth — especially girls. Providing these opportunities is more than just fairness; it’s about giving girls the opportunities and support they need to succeed, both on and off the field. Participation in sports is linked to increased self-esteem, better academic performance and higher career aspirations for girls. Sports also have the power to build confidence, foster leadership skills and create lifelong connections. However, girls often face barriers...
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Mentoring: A Positive Impact for All — Episode 165
Open Space Radio
Pictured: Teen Leaders in the HYPE program at City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities participate in an exercise to overcome obstacles. Photo courtesy of Blythe Brown. Did you know that 74 percent of adults who were mentored as youth say their mentor contributed significantly to their success in life? Now, consider that more than 1 in 3 young people in America are growing up without a mentor. Fortunately, park and recreation professionals are addressing this gap by bringing more mentoring opportunities to youth across the country. And, NRPA is in their efforts to build...
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Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Inspiring Park and Recreation Stories — Episode 164
Open Space Radio
It’s our final episode of Open Space Radio for 2024! Did you know we released 15 episodes this year and talked with 27 amazing community leaders for a whopping 758 minutes of conversation (more than 12 hours!) about the power of parks and recreation? Thank you to everyone who joined us on the show to share their story this year and to everyone who tuned in to an episode. We truly love amplifying these stories through our platform and appreciate you trusting us with that! On today’s episode, we’re reflecting on some of our favorite moments from the year, as well as chatting about what...
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Sustainability and Environmental Resilience in Parks — Episode 163
Open Space Radio
Sustainability and Environmental Resilience in Parks — Episode 163 On today’s episode of Open Space Radio, I’m excited to share our collab episode with GovLove Podcast, which we recorded live back in October at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference. This was our first live episode recording — with an audience. So, besides the obvious nerves that came along with that, it was such a fun, enriching conversation and it definitely won’t be our last! I was honored to co-host this conversation alongside Ben Kittleson, manager at Raftelis and co-host/producer of GovLove. is a production of...
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From Newcomer to Seasoned Professional: Navigating the NRPA Annual Conference — Episode 162
Open Space Radio
We are getting very excited to travel to Atlanta (in just one week!) to connect with thousands of our closest park and recreation friends at the . And on today’s episode, we’re talking with someone who is local to the Atlanta area and might have some insider tips if you’ll be joining us next week. Jamiah Flagg, CPRP, is the operations coordinator at Douglasville Parks and Recreation in Georgia, and after sharing a with us about her 2023 conference experience, we knew we wanted to chat with her further since this year’s conference is right in her backyard. We discussed what receiving...
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Roving Leaders: Decades of Empowering Youth in D.C. — Episode 161
Open Space Radio
On today’s episode, we welcome a superstar of out-of-school time programming! The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is making a huge impact on youth in the DC area through its weekly after-school group mentoring program, Roving Leaders. Among countless initiatives and opportunities that are part of the program, top of mind this time of year is the fact that Roving Leaders visit with students in schools outside of program times. They are truly going the extra mile. DPR’s Roving Leaders program has been around since the 1950s, building relationships of trust...
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NRPA Annual Conference Tips for First-Time Attendees — Episode 160
Open Space Radio
In less than 40 days, thousands of park and recreation professionals from across the country will gather in Atlanta for the . This is, without a doubt, the best park and recreation conference you can attend — it’s filled with tons of amazing opportunities to learn, build your network, and of course, have a little fun with your peers. As we get closer to the conference, we know there are probably some professionals out there who are attending for the first time and have a lot of questions. Cort recently asking for previous attendees to share their best tips for first-timers,...
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From Access to Action: How We Can Thrive Like a Meadow — Episode 159
Open Space Radio
On today’s episode of Open Space Radio, we’re excited to chat with someone very influential in the outdoor recreation industry who is doing a ton of good work to raise awareness about protecting our environment. Not only that, but he is also a leader when it comes to making the outdoors more equitable and accessible. José Gonzáles is the founder of Latino Outdoors, an organization working to bridge the gap and create more inclusive and accessible outdoor experiences and opportunities for Latino Communities. He also currently serves as the equity officer at East Bay Regional Park District...
info_outlineEarlier this month I joined nearly 9,000 other people who are passionate about parks and recreation in Dallas at the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference. It was a week full of inspiration, networking and fun — and for me, a chance to celebrate not only all the good work happening in local parks and recreation, but also see the culmination of my NRPA colleagues’ hard work in putting on what was a truly incredible event.
One of my biggest highlights of the week was connecting with Chris Bass, CPRP, Director of Parks and Recreation for Douglasville, Georgia, and the incoming Board President of the National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society (NRPEMS), and Thamara Velasco, CYSA, a recreation assistant in Douglasville, chair for public relations for NRPEMS and recipient of NRPA’s Young Professional Fellowship.
I really enjoyed our conversation about all the good work going on in Douglasville — who was a National Gold Medal Award Finalist this year — as well as the important work Chris and Thamara are doing to connect and support diverse and underrepresented park and recreation professionals as part of the NRPEMS.
This was truly one of my favorite parts of this year’s conference, and it was such a joy to sit down with Chris and Thamara to learn more about them and soak in some of the passion they have for parks and recreation – I was inspired after this conversation, and I hope you are too.
Tune in to our full conversation below. You’ll learn:
- How NRPEMS is building community for park and recreation professionals of diverse cultures and backgrounds
- Why it’s important to have a network focused on diverse professionals in our industry
- How NRPEMS has been beneficial for Chris and Thamara in their careers
- What being part of NRPEMS and being park and recreation professionals serving their community means to Chris and Thamara
- How to get involved with the NRPEMS, and much more!
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