December 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 42

The Opening Session Strikes a Chord

ere weeks ago, thousands of park and recreation professionals, leaders
and supporters filed into the Charlotte Convention Center's Crown
Ballroom, filling the space with an audible buzz of excitement. The
Opening General Session (OGS) was about to start.
The ballroom darkened and guests
were greeted by a video courtesy of the
City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Soon outgoing Chair of the
NRPA Board of Directors Robert Ashcraft, Ph.D., appeared on the stage and
said what likely everyone in the room
was thinking, " Wow! "
Dr. Ashcraft explained the decision
to begin with the Philadelphia video,
saying, " Not only is it a beautiful,
moving piece, it touches on the overall impact parks and recreation are
making in our Three Pillar areas of
Health and Wellness, Conservation
and particularly Social Equity. "
From beginning to end, this year's
OGS aimed to generate discussion and
thoughtful reflection about social equity.
Following Dr. Ashcraft's remarks,
NRPA President and CEO Barbara
Tulipane took the stage. She acknowl-

edged that while social equity is a difficult topic, park and recreation professional in particular must commit
to understanding and embracing it.
Tulipane said, " Let's focus on what
matters: making parks and recreation
equally accessible to all people. "
Tulipane then called two of the nation's top thought leaders on social
equity to join her on stage: Robert
García of The City Project, and Maya
Rockeymoore, Ph.D., of the Center
for Global Policy Solutions. Their noholds-barred reality checks on equity,
or the lack thereof, in present society
struck a chord with the audience.
Rockeymoore spoke about health
disparities, emphasizing, " Health happens in communities. " She encouraged
the audience to understand the connection between health disparities and
" lived experiences, " as well as the social

Thousands of park and recreation professionals packed in
for the Opening General Session, excited to kick off the 2014
conference and hear from leaders in the field.

40 Parks & Recreation

| D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

determinants of health. Directly addressing the park and recreation leaders
in the room, Rockeymoore enjoined
them to consider themselves as health
leaders responsible for quality of life.
García explored themes around social and " green justice, " and civil rights.
He reflected on the recent presidential
dedication of the San Gabriel National Monument (see page 32), which will
provide much-needed, easily accessible
open space to millions of Los Angeles
residents - particularly those of color
- reinforcing the point that easy access
to open space and parks is essential to
upholding the Three Pillars.
Incoming NRPA Board Chair Detrick Stanford, CPRP, then provided the
audience with glimpses of the future
in his message of innovation. Stanford
brought a special guest to the stage, Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National
Park Service (NPS), who shared word
of a new campaign titled " Find Your
Park, " which will raise the profile of
national and local parks as part of the
NPS centennial. Jarvis highlighted the
millennial generation's love of parks
and discussed the reauthorization of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund
and critical State Assistance Program
as expiration looms in September 2015.
Attendees were left with many messages to ponder, from the role each
individual plays in social equity and
green justice to the future of parks and
recreation. You can see videos of all
the session speakers and guests, as well
as the 2014 Gold Medal Awards ceremony, by visiting www.nrpa.org/Congress2014/Event-Resources.
- Lauren Hoffmann, NRPA's Director of Marketing and Communications

December 2014 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2014 - Parks & Recreation