Open Space Radio

Latest Episodes:

What Are Your Park and Rec Pet Peeves? — Episode 029 Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode, we're talking about pet peeves. We know how much passion you have for your communities and careers as park and recreation professionals, but we also know that there's always that one thing that continues to irk you. On our 25th episode, we asked you to let us know some of the things that you deal with in your career in parks and recreation that really annoy you, and you answered the call.

We met up with a few of our listeners at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis to hear a little more about their park and recreation pet peeves, and while some of them are things you would probably assume park and rec professionals have to deal with, you might also learn a thing or two (we did)!

Here's a sneak peak at the pet peeves in this episode (listen to the show for more):

Samantha Marsden, Central Park Conservancy (1:08) — "Being in New York City, one of my pet peeves is when people — they do it in parks, too, of course — is when they spit on the sidewalk. Any type of bodily fluid, I can't stand it. It makes me want to gag, or puke, or something."

Brittanie Propes, Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation (2:43) — "We bring our families out [to our public parks and trails] for a fresh air experience, and you really ruin it for us when you smoke."

Nancy Desmond, Cleveland Metroparks (3:13) — "There's toxins in those cigarette butts, and it's just not good for the health and wellness of the park visitors or the nature that it affects."

Trillby Berry-Tayman, Washington Township Park (3:37) — "When the community asks for a program, I find a sponsor to cover the costs, and then my community doesn't show up."

Mark Foote, City of Chandler Parks and Recreation (5:23) — "Trying to take square millennials and fit them into our round holes. I think as recreation professionals, a lot of times we have this old-school way of thinking of taking these new kids and fitting them into our systems. We have to adapt to who these kids are."

Does Our Built Environment Impact Our Health Behaviors? — Episode 028 Oct 22, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode of Open Space Radio, we're joined by Aaron Hipp, an Associate Professor of Community Health and Sustainability at NC State University's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.

Aaron is currently conducting research on topics such as how, where, and why our public built environments impact health behaviors such as physical activity and recreation, and the effect of the environment where we spend most of our time, such as work, school and sleep, on leisure time physical activity.

On the show, we discuss how, statistically, children and people of color have the lowest rates of physical activity as compared to other demographics, and this lack of physical activity has large implications on the health outcomes of communities of color. We examine why these disparities in physical activity exist between demographics, and how parks and improved accessibility to them can be used to close this gap.

We also take a look at Aaron's work on a study through the Physical Activity Research Center (PARC), which is focused on understanding how parks are used by children in communities of color. The study focused on evaluating park use through observation, intercept surveys and community surveys.

Aaron also gives some advice on how a time and resource limited agency can perform this type of research through:

Not being afraid to move forward
A systematic/purposeful approach
Partnerships/collaborations

Tune in to the episode to find out more!

What Does It Take to Raise the Bar in Parks and Rec? — Episode 27 Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, we sit down with Becky Dunlap, a passionate park and recreation professional and advocate, to hear about how she ended up in a career in the field she loves so much without even realizing it.

Becky is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and a Project Consultant for GreenPlay, LLC, where she travels to local parks and rec around the country to help them create a vision for their communities. Becky is also the host of the podcast Becky Talks Parks, which is her passion project and a vessel to share resources, tips and tools with other park and recreation professionals (hey, we love a good parks and rec podcast).

We caught up with her last week at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis to find out why she thinks parks and rec is the perfect job for millennials, the need for the field to continue to evolve in order to stay relevant, and why park and recreation professionals should be so proud of what they do!

Universal Recreation: Meh or Magnificent? — Episode 026 Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

In our 25th episode, we invited you to send us your ideas for future podcast episodes. Lucky for us, Jessica Cannaday, CPRP, Marketing and Communications Manager with Oak Brook Park District, sent in an idea to cover universal recreation. Universal recreation is the philosophy driving Oak Brook Park District – the idea that park and recreation facilities and programs should be open and welcome to all.

In addition to an inclusive family locker room and specialty programming, the department just opened a universal playground last month.

In our conversation, we chat about why universal recreation is important and how it can improve all aspects of parks and recreation.

Resources mentioned in the show:

Parks for Inclusion: resources to improve equity and inclusion in parks and recreation
Photos of the universal playground
Email your ideas or just to say hi – we'll send you a sticker! Drop a line to rsutton@nrpa.org and cjones@nrpa.org.

Celebrating Our 25th Episode: Why We Love Park & Rec Pros — Episode 025 Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

Happy 25th episode! This is a huge milestone for Open Space Radio, and we recently hit another milestone — we surpassed 10,000 downloads of the show! Thank YOU for listening and joining us on this journey!

In this episode, we reflect on some of our favorite past episodes and discuss what we love about park and recreation professionals. The passion that park and rec professionals have for what they do is unparalleled — it amazes us every single day — so naturally, we wanted to scream it from the rooftops (or into our mics).

We're also talking about some of our plans for the future of Open Space Radio, and one of those is hearing from you, our listeners. We want to know what you want to hear on the show. Listen to this episode to find out how you can send us your ideas and feedback (hint: let us know you're listening and we'll send you a sweet Open Space Radio sticker).

And, if you're planning on attending the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference, let us know — we want you to come share your parks and recreation pet peeves with us so we can feature them in a future episode!

How Risk Play Can Benefit Kids — Episode 024 Aug 20, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode, we chat with Tom Norquist, president of the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), about how risk and adventure play is stepping back into the limelight and can help kids' independence and creativity.

Typically, when we think about play, the idea of risk or danger may be a little scary, especially if we're talking about children playing. However, this kind of unstructured, hands on, risk play is making a comeback. Taking a risk and coming out on top provides kids with a great sense of accomplishment. Taking a risk also has consequences, which can also help kids develop critical decision-making skills. Incorporating some type of risk into play can teach kids lessons and skills that they can take with them for the rest of their lives, and truly benefit their development physically, mentally and socially.

Listen to the full episode to hear Norquist's reasons for why risk and adventure play is such a vital component in kids' lives. You'll also want to hear about his own adventure playground that he built in his backyard — it's so cool that one NBC Nightly News reporter cancelled her flight back home to stay longer!

Parks and Rec Brings the Fun — Episode 023 Jul 31, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode, we're talking with Peter Kageyama, one of the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference keynote speakers. Kageyama is an author, whose book For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places was recognized in 2012 as a Top 10 Book in urban planning, design and development. He is an internationally sought-after community development consultant and grassroots engagement strategist who is passionate about bottom-up community development and the people who are making change happen.

In addition to writing and speaking around the world, Kageyama is a Senior Fellow with the Alliance for Innovation, a national network of city leaders that is dedicated to improving the practice of local government.

Check out the full episode to hear Kageyama talk about why he loves parks so much, why he thinks that parks and rec are the "fun department" and why he's so excited about speaking with park and recreation professionals at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis.

He also explains his "garden hose solution" and how we sometimes overthink the solutions to our cities' problems. He emphasizes that sometimes the good enough, or the "garden hose solution," is not only good enough — sometimes it's just brilliant!

Celebrating "A Lifetime of Discovery!" — Episode 022 Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

Park and Recreation Month is right around the corner, and we're super excited to celebrate with you all in a few days. As many of you already know, the theme this year is A Lifetime of Discovery, and we're challenging everyone to explore the undiscovered roles and offerings of their local parks and recreation. Things like STEM programming, innovative health and wellness opportunities, programs for older adults, conservation efforts, the list just goes on.

One of our newer supporters of Park and Recreation Month is the Waukegan Park District in Illinois.

Today's guest is the Waukegan Park District's Community Relations Manager, Teddy Anderson. In this episode I'm talking with Teddy about all the cool events that they're planning for Park and Recreation Month, the conservation efforts going on in Waukegan Park District, and her life growing up in and around parks — she even got married in a park!

To learn more about Park and Recreation Month, visit www.nrpa.org/july, and be sure to share all of your photos and videos of your events throughout the month on social media by using the hashtag #DiscoverJuly.

How Parks and Rec Served Over 85 Million Meals — Episode 021 Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode, we're talking about the importance of summer meal programs and the impact that parks and recreation is making in communities across the country through the Summer Food Service Program. We're joined by Allison Colman, NRPA's health and wellness program manager. Allison oversees NRPA's out-of-school time portfolio, including the Commit to Health campaign and our work on the USDA Child Nutrition Programs. We also speak with Colleen Lammel-Harmon, Chicago Park District's Wellness Manager, and Kelsie Kliner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository about what the're doing in Chicago to improve access to food in communities across the city.

As one of the largest providers of meals during out-of-school times, park and recreation agencies are making significant impacts in their communities.

Thanks to funding from the Walmart Foundation — NRPA's biggest partner in the fight against childhood hunger — we've worked to increase the capacity of our local park and recreation agencies to reach more at-risk youth, serving over 85 million meals to over 4.5 million unique children in 310 cities.

Parks and Rec is Transforming the Lives of Older Adults (and Vice Versa) — Episode 020 May 28, 2018

Show notes

May is Older Americans Month and park and recreation agencies play a crucial role in serving older adult populations.

According to NRPA's 2018 Agency Performance Review, 41 percent of park and recreation agencies have one or more senior centers and 79 percent offer programs specifically designed for older adults.

NRPA supports this work through our Healthy Aging in Parks initiative — part of which includes a grant program for evidence-based arthritis intervention programs which are funded with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These programs are remarkable. The individual grants are not large, but they are producing seriously impressive results as they allow agencies to provide new programming for their older adults.

In this episode, we speak with Mr. Joe Trevino, a 93-year-old veteran, and Irma Yepez-Perez, a Senior Management Analyst at the City of Fresno PARCS department. What we learn from them is that community is vital to our health and wellbeing and that inspiration can be found everywhere.

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