Photo Credit: Smyrna's Parks and Rec Department
LaTanya Sandifer wanted to make a difference in her community, so after careful consideration, the Macon-Bibb County Department of Parks and Recreation’s Program Coordinator settled on providing Middle Georgia residents with an annual event advocating a healthy and sustainable way of living. And that’s how her community’s Earth Day celebration began.
Sandifer is one of many recreation officials now enjoying the benefits of “thinking outside the box.” She believes this is the way successful recreation departments and organizations will move forward. “Parks and education versus parks and recreation is the future,” she says. “A more technologically and educationally advanced society--especially youth--will cause [recreation officials] to be more flexible and open.”
Delving Into Diverse Programs
The number of non-traditional programs across the country supports Sandifer’s notion. An Internet search for best practices throughout the nation included a Minnesota-based outdoor recreation program titled Project Get Outdoors. The 6-year-old community-outreach initiative targets low-income and minority youth, and is designed to connect participants with nature by their experiencing and exploring natural resources through outdoor activities, according to its website (www.bestpracticesmn.org).