Outside The Box
Where winning programs thrive
By Clarence Thomas, Jr.
Photos: Smyrna's Parks and Rec department
LaTanya Sandifer wanted to make a difference in her community, so after careful consideration, the Macon-Bibb County Department of Parks and Recreation’s Program Coordinator settled on providing Middle Georgia residents with an annual event advocating a healthy and sustainable way of living. And that’s how her community’s Earth Day celebration began.
Sandifer is one of many recreation officials now enjoying the benefits of “thinking outside the box.” She believes this is the way successful recreation departments and organizations will move forward. “Parks and education versus parks and recreation is the future,” she says. “A more technologically and educationally advanced society--especially youth--will cause [recreation officials] to be more flexible and open.”
Delving Into Diverse Programs
The number of non-traditional programs across the country supports Sandifer’s notion. An Internet search for best practices throughout the nation included a Minnesota-based outdoor recreation program titled Project Get Outdoors. The 6-year-old community-outreach initiative targets low-income and minority youth, and is designed to connect participants with nature by their experiencing and exploring natural resources through outdoor activities, according to its website (www.bestpracticesmn.org).
Some industry leaders say the key to getting alternative programs going is simply to offer them.
Jodi Mills, city of Smyrna Recreation Coordinator, says that programming needs to include non-sports alternatives as well. As the chair of the states’ recreation and parks association’s programming division, Mills shares her personal successes with thousands of recreation employees across the Peach State every chance she gets. One of her favorites is the Daddy-Daughter Dance, which allows fathers and daughters the opportunity to share a night of fun and creative expression.
Non-Sports Alternatives
Recalling the days of the old West, the happy days of the 1950s, the red-carpet walks of various movie-screen gems and a Hawaiian luau, the theme-oriented event has turned up chaps and spur-wearing cowboys and cowgirls; costume-clad Hollywood movie-star wannabes; grass-skirted and flower necklace-laden lads and ladies; and leather-jacketed and poodle-skirted throwbacks. Mills says that open-mindedness is the key and recreation leaders need to create programs to keep people coming back for more. “If you go into it with a positive attitude, and if you can prove that it works, it can succeed,” she suggests. Sandifer confers that personal interest, knowledge of the program, and a passion for it is the winning formula. “If it’s near and dear to your heart, you should try offering it because there are many people out there that are also interested in what you are interested in,” she says.
Sandifer’s boss, Doc Dougherty, heads Macon’s recreation department, and says because times have changed, recreation officials must change with them. He feels there is now a focus on extreme sports by today’s generation that must be tapped. “No longer can a recreation department focus on the big three--baseball, basketball, and football. Today’s most productive recreation departments include such activities as rock-climbing, fencing, computer classes, and cultural arts like music and theater,” he notes.
An All-Inclusive Selection
An all-inclusive view is important, too, according to recreation veterans. The results are non-traditional, but greatly supported programs, such as photography, tae kwon do, first aid, hip-hop dance and special-needs athletics, can be successful. “It’s easy to do the things you did last year. And you can find it convenient to keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Beckner notes. “If you don’t keep variety and diversity in your programming, you will find yourself losing participants.”
In addition to a lack of selection in some communities, the economic downturn and increased competition have caused a decline in participation in recent years. As a result, municipalities have been forced to rethink how they do business with local residents.
For example, churches and youth organizations now need to be factored into the equation when programming time rolls around. Dougherty says that since recreation departments are no longer the only game in town, it’s imperative they stay opened-minded.
But being receptive to trying new approaches is only the first step. Putting together a new program is another venture. In the end, having a good plan is equally important. Having both will determine whether or not the department will still be around later, Dougherty hints. “Recreation is about quality of life. For this reason, as well as the continual reduction of department resources, recreation departments must diversify their offerings.”
Clarence Thomas, Jr., works full-time as an Athletic Coordinator and Marketing Assistant with the Macon-Bibb County Georgia Parks and Recreation Department, and doubles as a freelance writer and public-relations specialist. He can be reached at thomas4111@cox.net.