September 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 45

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to grow this program in response to the high demand, " Aguirre says.
Two essential keys to mastering growing diversity are outreach in the community and a staff that is reflective of the
community's demographic makeup. Williams emphasizes
flexibility and staying open to new ideas.
" Be willing to go into unchartered territory and hope that
you are building relationships with communities all over your
city and town, " Williams says. " Do outreach. Don't listen to
the same 12 people who show up to meetings. "
" We don't know what's best for that community until you go
into the community or bring the community to you, " agrees
Jones-Taylor.
Her program's outreach in Oakland requires a diverse
group: When they knock on doors, they need Spanish, Cantonese, and English speaking staff members. It is also important that spoken and written communication reflects the
languages spoken in the community. In Oakland, there is an
ordinance that requires communications in languages with
a population of more than 10,000.
" We don't wait for the 10,000, " Jones-Taylor says. " We
know the communities who need materials in Chinese or
Spanish. We look at the Census data and ask what that community needs and what is needed to ensure a clear representation of it. "
The key, says Williams, is knowing which questions to ask
in various diverse communities. Are you serving everyone
in the community? Are you allowing new and emerging communities to recreate in a way that fosters their cultural identity? By asking the right questions and remaining open to
incremental change, every park and recreation department
can successfully serve their entire diverse population.
New York City-based freelance writer ANDREA LYNN is a
frequent contributor to Parks & Recreation.

n Oakland, soccer is universally enjoyed, but the popularity of
other activities is always changing. Types of ethnic dancing
have become popular as a recreational activity because the
entire family can be involved. " We serve 90 to 100 on a Friday
night, " says Audree Jones-Taylor. " It's inter-generational. Even if
the grandparents aren't dancing, they are there for support. " An
increase in the Indian population has led to more use of park and
recreation facilities for weddings. In Oakland's Chinatown area,
focus groups and door-to-door outreach discovered residents requesting more ping-pong tables and line-dancing classes. Now,
Jones-Taylor says, the Lincoln Square Recreation Center is full of
men playing ping-pong like crazy and more than 150 seniors participating in line-dancing. " We were able to meet that need
through the focus groups and doing the door-to-door outreach, "
she says.
In Seattle, Williams says the popularity of baseball has declined
over the years. Newer forms of recreation that attract park users
include dodgeball, bike polo, Futsal (indoor soccer), inline roller
hockey, radio race cars, and handball. Some tennis courts have been
converted for dodgeball and bike polo, while a new tennis arena is
set to accommodate the entire tennis community. In the Asian and
senior communities, pickleball is popular, and Samoan cricket is on
the rise due to the increasing Paciﬁc Islander population.

Building a More Diverse Staff
Michele R. Potter, director of Parks, Recreation, and Culture in
Gaithersburg, Maryland, believes a staff should be reﬂective of the
community it serves.
" It is an employer's responsibility to ensure that their workforce
ethnicity reﬂects the general population, " she says. " Our staff is always looking at the diversity of our participants and tries to ensure
that programs and staff reﬂect the population. "
A more diverse park and recreation workforce encourages more
diversity from participants. In Gaithersburg, there was a realization
that the hiring of a Spanish/Portuguese instructor for pre-K recreation and ﬁtness programs (including international music, yoga, and
tumbling) gave added relief to parents. " Having a Spanish-speaking
instructor has been key for the comfort of the parents when they
leave their young ones for their ﬁrst class, " she says.
Developing a staff representative of a community ethnic diversity
requires a number of steps. Oakland Parks and Recreation Department does recruiting for bilingual staff, while maintaining close relations with its personnel department. Job announcements are
produced in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Staff is recruited from the
surrounding area, and there's an intensive training program for
hiring.
Christopher Williams of Seattle Parks and Recreation advises taking the additional steps of constructing interview panels that are receptive to the idea of a diverse pool of candidates and active
recruitment to make this a reality.
Idris Al-Oboudi, recreation services manager for Manhattan Beach,
California, advises going into service clubs to recruit retired individuals, who have an abundant source of energy and experience.
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