April 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 36

future leaders continued from page 33

Too often citizens take their parks and recreation
services for granted, assuming that someone will
always be there to protect and maintain the parks
and deliver the programs they enjoy. A higher level
of advocacy must be employed.

Describe advocacy in the field of
parks and recreation.
RR: Advocacy is the act or process of
convincing leaders and decision makers
to use their powers and influence to support an issue or cause by the changing
of a law, policy, or program, and in the
allocation of resources. As professionals,
we need to view advocacy as part of our
jobs to get the resources we need to do
our jobs.
JS: Advocacy is getting the right information into the hands of decision makers in a timely fashion. And maybe even
more importantly, in a format that is easy
to understand. Too often we assume that
they know what we know and speak our
language. That is not the case. It [our
message] has to be clear and concise-information that articulates your position on a particular issue, or on the field
in general, and what action you would like
them to take.

Please stress the importance of
advocacy in the field.
MY: Employees and participants are
advocates for parks and recreation. Too
often citizens take their parks and recreation services for granted, assuming
that someone will always be there to protect and maintain the parks and deliver
the programs they enjoy. A higher level
of advocacy must be employed. Friends,
neighbors, businesses, and other stakeholders should be informed and engaged
in advocating for parks and recreation.
Park and recreation agencies must provide the measurable positive impacts of
their parks, trails, and recreation programs and services. The beneficiaries of

34 Parks & Recreation A P R I L

parks and recreation can tell a compelling story from their perspective about
the value of parks and recreation.

Can you share successful advocacy
movements?
RR: Annual funding for LWCF and the reversal of the proposal to close state parks
are two recent successes. In both cases,
the importance of partnering with groups
who share similar interests was key.
MY: In 2008, I invited a physician to NRPA's Legislative Forum to meet with Ohio's
congressional representatives on Capitol
Hill. The doctor made a compelling argument for parks and recreation's role in
community health. Legislators listened intently and expressed appreciation for the
medical/health profession's perspective,
which led to favorable votes from legislators who were not previously supportive.
JS: Our organization advocated with
legislators to restore some funding to the
parks department. We did that through
board contacts, meetings with key legislators, and using available data on benchmarks, usage, and statistics. Currently,
our organization, Friends of Westchester Parks, is studying and will soon publish the economic impact that the services
and facilities provided by the parks department have on the county's economy.
We will use that data to drive home the
point that parks and recreation services
not only have a human impact, but a fiscal one as well.

How do you approach citizen
support and how important is that?
JS: Professionals cannot advocate alone.
Citizens are the key to any successful

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advocacy effort because they represent
votes. Professionals represent expertise.
Citizens can be much more active than
staff can. It is hard to go against your boss
or the municipal governing body when
you work for them. Citizens are not encumbered by that problem. Citizens become the cheerleaders, the advocates,
the influencers. Getting the right people on board is critical. Only you would
know who those folks are. You need people who see the value in what you do and
would be willing to volunteer a little time
to help. You have to ask. If you don't ask,
you will never get it! You need three people on a board to incorporate in New York
State. That is what you would need to do to
start a friends group or a park foundation.
All of you should have friends!
MY: Friends, neighbors, businesses, and other stakeholders should be informed and engaged in advocating for
parks and recreation. The beneficiaries of
parks and recreation can tell a compelling
story about the value-health and wellness, environment, education, economic,
and quality of life-of parks and recreation from their perspective. It is a powerful message that resonates in city hall, the
state legislature, and on Capitol Hill.
Mark Young, Rich Rose, Joe Stout, and
the NRPA are advocacy champions. You
can be one too.
Advocacy is indeed a " tricky business "
and if you are not currently supporting
the cause, now is time to start. We tend to
fight for something when it is taken away
from us. As professionals and citizens
alike, we need to be proactive, not reactive, in supporting parks and recreation
and we need to work together to move the
field forward.
Thomas Venniro is the Recreation
Supervisor for the Town of Chili (New York)
Recreation Department. He is the Chair
Elect of the Young Professional Network
and President Elect for the Genesee Valley
Recreation and Parks Society (GVRPS). He
is also a recipient of the AAPRA Externship
(2011) and the NRPA Young Professional
Fellowship (2010).

April 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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