Key findings from the NRPA 2021 Engagement with Parks Report

Key findings from the NRPA 2021 Engagement with Parks Report

September 24, 2021Team QuantumEducation3 Comments

(https://res.cloudinary.com/nrpadev/image/upload/v1631635911/docs/2021EngagementReport.pdf)

Since 2016, the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) conducts annual surveys to collect information and gain insights on how people connect with parks and recreation. The key findings from the survey are a valuable resource to park and recreation professionals, policymakers and stakeholders. The report could be used to gain insights about how people’s use and perspectives on parks have been impacted for the past year with the pandemic crisis.

Covid-19 made people realize the critical function of parks and recreation, particularly in stressful times. The limited recreational opportunities and heightened anxiety changed how people engage with parks and recreation. But even if the industry is heavily affected by the lockdown and social distancing, parks professionals, public health officials, and associations worked together to reintroduce recreation services to the communities at the soonest possible time.

The survey is done by Wakefield Research and participated by 1,000 US adults ages 18 and older between May 28 and June 9, 2021.

Survey Results

Living near park and recreation infrastructure, amenities and programming is associated with a wide range of benefits. It increases the likelihood that one will take full advantage of such benefits.

  • More than 7 in 10 U.S. residents have at least one local park, playground, open space or recreation center within walking distance of their homes
  • Nearly 9 in 10 people agree that it is important to fund local park and recreation agencies to ensure every member of the community has equitable access to amenities, infrastructure and programming
  • Four in 5 U.S. adults seeks high-quality parks and recreation when choosing a place to live
  • More than 60 percent of the survey respondents indicate proximity to a park is “extremely” or “very” important
  • Eighty-seven percent of people agree that parks and recreation is an important service provided by their local government

Park and Recreation Usage

  • Seventy-nine percent of survey respondents visited a local park or recreation facility during the past year
  • People are more likely to have visited a park or recreation facility if they live a walkable distance from such an amenity and more parks and recreation options lead to even more engagement with those amenities
  • Seven in 10 people maintained or increased park, trail, and public space usage during the covid-19 pandemic

As difficult as these times have been, park and recreation professionals demonstrated resilience, flexibility and great innovation. They empowered their communities through innovative ways to learn, socialize and have fun while staying safely at home. Covid-19 barriers like personal safety and closed facilities are the frequently cited ones that kept people from enjoyment of parks and recreation opportunities.

How People Engage with Parks and Recreation

  • Visiting parks and trails remains a favorite park and recreation activity
  • Key reasons why people go to parks: nature, family and friends, relaxation and physical activity

Parks and Recreation is Essential

The NRPA’s Three Pillars: conservation, equity and health and wellness, guides agencies and park and recreation professionals in transforming communities.

  • Conservation: Creating a nation of resilient and climate-ready communities through parks and recreation
  • Equity: Striving for a future where everyone has fair and just access to quality parks and recreation
  • Health and Wellness: Advancing community health and well-being through parks and recreation

Nearly equal shares of respondents (69%-72%) rate the NRPA’s Three Pillars as either an “extremely” or “very” important for the local park and recreation agency to focus on. The public also agrees (87% of respondents) that parks and recreation is an important service provided by the local government. They value parks nearly the same level of importance as they do other major local government services.

  • Four in 5 adults agree it is important for park and recreation agencies to engage with their communities to identify needs and desires
  • Nearly 9 in 10 people agree that it is important to fund local park and recreation agencies sufficiently to ensure equitable access

A clear and significant realization from the 2021 NRPA Engagement with Parks report is that in any situation, people highly value the programs and services offered by park and recreation agencies deliver to their local communities every day and strongly support their mission.

NRPA 2021 Engagement with Parks Full Report

Alberta's Open for Summer Plan

Key Points from the Town Hall with Alberta Health on Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan

June 9, 2021Team QuantumEducationLeave a comment

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, in collaboration with the Alberta Health representatives, hosted a Town Hall on June 3rd to answer questions and give clarifications about the public health measures of the province’s Open for Summer Plan. Concerning this, we made a roundup of key points discussed for those who missed the town hall. Or you can watch the full recording here.

Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan

The Open for Summer Plan is a 3-stage plan tied to vaccinations and a declining hospitalization rate.

  • Stage 1, the stage we are currently in, was triggered by having 50% of Albertans 12+ received at least one vaccine dose, and hospitalizations are below 800 and declining.
  • Stage 2 reopening is expected to start on June 10th (earliest possible), with 60% of Albertans 12+ having received at least one dose of vaccine and hospitalizations below 500 and declining. For details on restrictions for Stage 2 of the Open for Summer Plan and updates, refer to the COVID-19 info on Alberta’s website.
  • Stage 3, where all restrictions are lifted, will have 70% of Albertans 12+ having received at least one dose of vaccine. The earliest effectivity for this stage could be late June or early July.

The town hall mainly discussed clarifications and questions about Stage 2 of Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan. See highlights below.

  • No restrictions mean that an activity is permitted. No masking is required. But there are certain places or exceptions (for example, when not participating in sports) where masking and distancing should still be observed.
  • Masks and physical distancing are mandatory in indoor settings for coaches and trainers. But if a demonstration is needed, like in an aquatic environment, the mask could come off. Wear masks and do social distancing where possible.
  • Contact tracing will continue. The Alberta Health representatives assigned to contact tracing will find those identified as close contact, whether in the drop-in or registered program.
  • Daily health screenings are great to keep in practice in the long term to protect one another.
  • It helps to differentiate between the sporting activity and the social activity. For example, in an aquatic environment where the 1/3 capacity applies, the sports activity is not bound by restrictions. But a family should still maintain distance from other families.
  • No distinction between adult and youth in Stage 2

Capacity Limit

  • Look at the setting. If there is a fire code, use it as a capacity parameter.
  • Spectators in indoor sports are tied to the fire code capacity with masking and social distancing.
  • For multiple games in a large field, there should be distancing between parties.
  • Indoor – look at the fire code capacity
  • Outdoor – look at seating capacity (with a large group of spectators)
  • Outdoor with no seating capacity – up to 150 people for public outdoor gatherings applies

Masking and Distancing

  • For indoor group fitness classes, 3-metre distancing is required. No mask except for the trainer.
  • Indoor – wear masks if moving through spaces, recommendation of 2-metre distancing.
  • Indoor participating in fitness activity or fitness class – 3-metre distancing
  • Outdoors – masks are not required, recommendation of 2-metre distancing.

Monitoring of the primary indicators is continuous to ensure that a proper trend is in place. A formal announcement, updates, guidance documents and order associated with Stage 2 will be out to the public at the soonest possible time. For the case of the 0-11 group, the best way to protect them and to ensure that we don’t go a step backward is to get vaccinated or immunized.

In stage 3, where restrictions are lifted, public health measures will serve as recommendations and best practices. This stage doesn’t mean the COVID is all gone but that we have a high level of community protection. Indoor social distancing, sanitation and staying home when sick are still highly recommended to keep in practice for everyone’s safety.

Recreation Fishing

Make Recreation a Priority and Reap the Endless Benefits!

June 8, 2021Team QuantumEducationLeave a comment

If you still think you don’t have the time to regularly engage in recreational activities or believe that these are just all nice-to-have, then you are missing all the following amazing benefits.

Happier Life

Research showed that sport and recreation participation is positively associated with happiness. Practiced in clinical, residential and community settings, the profession of therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help people with illnesses, disabilities and other conditions to develop and use their leisure to enhance their health, independence and well-being.

Outdoor adventure activities for people with limited physical ability give participants feelings of success and improved feelings of confidence. There is no greater opportunity for people to experience self-actualization and spiritual renewal, creative expression, discovery and stimulation than leisure offers.

Stronger Family Bonds

Family bonds are improved by the sharing of leisure time. Families that recreate together tend to be closer, more cohesive and improve their chances of staying together. This is true with both parent-child relationships and married couples. Families are the cornerstone in promoting well-being and healthy development in children.

Look Better and Feel Stronger

Sports participants had significantly lower body mass index values, lower blood pressures, and lower resting pulse rates. Physical activity helps you manage a healthy weight, making you fit, less prone to injury and less likely to experience depression.

Build Self-esteem

When young people feel good about themselves, they operate more effectively and productively in our communities, families and schools. Adventure programs teach the importance of trust, appropriate risk-taking, supportive social interaction and personal challenge while creating valuable lifelong memories.

Leaders are trained, developed, and nurtured through leisure organizations such as teen clubs, camps and programs.

Relieve Stress and Anxiety

People who engage in leisure activities have lower stress levels. Positive and enjoyable recreation experiences can decrease stress and psychological tensions. These activities provide people with the opportunity to expel energy and emotion not being released in other aspects of their lives. Psychologists found that activities such as a walk in the woods boosted the immune system that lasted two or three days. Each additional mile walked or run by a sedentary person would give him or her an extra 21 minutes of life.

Meet Friends – Create Memories!

A child develops social skills, problem solving and creativity through early play experiences. The best opportunities are those that are planned and supervised. Physical activity is intellectually stimulating and enhances the learning process and the development of cognitive skills.

Lower Health Care Costs

Physically active older people typically benefit from lower blood pressure, increased muscle strength, joint flexibility, and lower total cholesterol levels than less active people. Leisure activities can create new social relationships for Seniors after the loss of a loved one.

Offer Place for Social Interaction

The social need for recreation has been identified as a means for community involvement and an expression of citizenship. A sense of community and social contact is fostered to combat urban social problems like loneliness and isolation.

JRPMchallenge

Take On a Challenge! Join the 2021 JRPM CommUNITY Challenge.

June 1, 2021Team QuantumQ_recreation InformationLeave a comment

If your motivation to get moving is losing as this pandemic drags on, this might be the perfect time to get back on track. Celebrate June is Recreation and Parks Month this year with a fun and exciting challenge. The Alberta Recreation Parks Association (ARPA) crafted a set of recreational activities that are simple, fun, and safe to do for everyone to participate and get active throughout June. Through this challenge, we can all gain a sense of #CommUNITY that supports the JRPM initiative.

The challenge runs from June 1st to 21st and can be completed individually or in a team.

Rules

Participants (individuals/teams) must take a photo of them doing the daily activities and post it on social media (Twitter/Instagram), tagging @arpaonline and using the hashtag #JRPMchallenge. For Facebook, place the entry photo in the comment section of the corresponding daily activity post.

Important: Participants must post their photo entries ON the day of the corresponding activity challenge.

For individuals:

  • Set your social media profile to public
  • Use the hashtag #JRPMchallenge in your posts
  • You can take and post multiple photos, but there will only be one entry per individual/team per day

For teams:

  • Create a social media account for the team and set it to public
  • Use the hashtag #JRPMchallenge and #yourteamname in your posts
  • If the team cannot do the activity together, they can post as individual team members. Just ensure to include #yourteamname in your posts

Prizes

Winners will receive their choice of a MEC, Sportchek or Amazon gift card!

Grand prize: $250 gift card. Participants who are eligible for the grand prize are those who completed the daily activity for the full 21 days.

Runner up prize of $100 gift card. Participants eligible for the second prize must complete between 10-20 daily activities.

Third place prize of $50 gift card. Participants eligible for the third prize must complete at least one daily activity but less than 10.

The prizes are just a bonus. The real reward is all the fun and wonderful benefits you can get in participating in recreational activities. More importantly, you have contributed to the JRPM objectives. For more information or questions about the #JRPMchallenge, visit the 2021 JRPM website or email JRPM@arpaonline.ca.

June is Recreation and Parks Month

June is Recreation and Parks Month (JRPM) – A Brief Background

June 1, 2021Team QuantumQ_recreation InformationLeave a comment

June is Recreation and Parks Month (JRPM) is a mobilization movement that provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of parks and recreation and the essential role it plays in enhancing the quality of life for all Canadians. JRPM encourages everyone to participate in recreation activities, get active, enjoy, and explore the great outdoors. The month-long initiative expanded and joined by provincial/territorial partners and recreation associations across Canada to celebrate and promote the many benefits of recreation and parks.

JRPM is in its 20th year of recognizing recreation and parks in Alberta. To celebrate JRPM, the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) is showcasing programs and promoting events to celebrate the many ways recreation and parks enhance the quality of life for Albertans. As the social mobilization continues, more municipalities, communities and organizations are all coming together to celebrate JRPM by promoting local recreational events and places to visit. They also provide unique and creative promotional resources and celebratory ideas for the public.

This year, JRPM’s theme is #CommUNITY. The battle with COVID-19 continues in its second year, putting a lot more stress on the recreation and parks sector, especially at the community level. Getting outdoors and actively provides benefits in physical and mental wellness and social connections that are more important at these particular times. This year’s theme is all about encouraging everyone to celebrate Recreation and Parks Month in community parks, recreation centres and open spaces.

Quantum Recreation yearly takes part in the collective action as well. We encourage children, families, organizations, schools and residents to celebrate the wonderful benefits of getting outdoors and enjoy the many green spaces and recreational facilities in the community. Our goal is to inspire everyone and create excitement to go out there and get involved in the JRPM initiative in a fun and Covid-safe way.