Pictured: Carolyn McKnight Fredd smiles at the podium during the Best of the Best Ceremony at the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference. Photo courtesy of Caught in the Moment.
Publisher’s note: In this blog series, we are honored to highlight the perspective of current and former members of NRPA’s board of directors, as well as members of NRPA’s strategic plan task force, to discuss their thoughts on NRPA's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which will be unveiled at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference Opening General Session on October 8 in Atlanta.
These leaders have played pivotal roles in shaping the future of parks and recreation, and they bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse perspectives to this conversation. Their experiences and insights offer a unique look at the evolution of NRPA’s vision and the critical priorities that will guide our work over the next five years.
The first blog post in this series highlights thoughts from former NRPA board chair, Carolyn McKnight Fredd, CPRP. Throughout this series, these leaders explain what they appreciate about the forward-thinking goals outlined in the plan. Their reflections highlight the importance of this vision as NRPA continues to lead the charge in advancing the park and recreation profession.
What do you think is the most important piece of NRPA’s new strategic plan?
As a member of the strategic plan task force, I quickly realized the new strategic direction was very unique to the profession and would take us in a direction that would lift us from 'nice to have services' to true community impact players.
We have been trying to articulate our value and essential nature for far too long, and this plan, if embraced and fully implemented, will change how everyone views parks and recreation. This new direction will help elevate how we think about what we do, how we relate to each other, and how we collaborate with other entities.
Ultimately, it will awaken the way community and political leaders view the relevance of programs and services and work to help prioritize funding systems to assist agencies in delivering maximum benefits and outcomes to communities large and small.
How do you think this new strategic plan and direction can help park and recreation professionals be leaders of systems-change in communities?
Many leaders will need to embrace a new mindset about the way services can be delivered and how we see our role in the service delivery or system-change process. Park and recreation leaders will hopefully feel empowered to bring the full power and weight to help reverse and prevent many of the issues plaguing our communities.
Leaders will need to think about the roles and relationships within their agencies, communities and even in the broader community. Leaders will need to think like owners and facilitators to ensure full implementation of the systems-change model. Considering the realities of climate shifts, providing access and opportunity to marginalized communities, civic and social unrest, and the economy, leadership is more necessary than ever before. It will be incumbent upon the leadership team to assist parks and recreation to expand the vision and look for creative and innovative ways to join forces to resolve community challenges and go where they have never been before.
Can you share a personal story about how you’ve seen this systems-change element of the strategic plan play out in either your organization or another organization?
A prime example of systems-change happened when nearly two-thirds of the community I served experienced flooding due to heavy torrential rains that lasted for nearly a week. Every agency in the community was impacted by the unprecedented and catastrophic flood event. People lost their homes, parks were unsafe to enter, numerous recreation facilities were nearly destroyed, food and water were in high demand and recovery would be very long and very expensive.
As a result of this disaster, parks and recreation had to lean into the situation and step up to the plate. In many ways, we were asked to assist with the childcare needs of first responders and healthcare workers. We were challenged with providing shelter for employees and the community in many of our facilities. We were able to take mobile play equipment to areas where we could gain access so young people would have outlets. We used many of the recreation facilities as staging areas. We worked with community agencies to distribute food, clothing, water and medical needs. We allowed members from the mental health community to visit affected communities to assist with depression and other emotional impacts.
I could go on and on to share the non-traditional ways we had to step up and lean in while at the same time working with local and federal officials to recover and repair damaged facilities.
What would systems change look like in your community? How can parks and recreation be a part of it? Is it already a part of it, and if so, how?
I can envision a community where parks and recreation would be an automatic go-to when building healthier, equitable, more resilient lives and infrastructure. I would expect community leaders to advance the work to provide innovative and transformational benefits while using the seven dimensions of well-being.
Imagine a community where parks and recreation would be thought of first to step up and be funded to the appropriate level, versus being the first to consider for budget and service reductions and program eliminations. Funding support would be a clear priority for government and private sector leaders versus an afterthought. So, systems are moving closer in this direction and others are probably continuing to struggle to be seen as community transformers. There would be a sincere willingness to know that without the vital role of parks and recreation, the next and best opportunities will not be realized.
What message would you want people in your community to know about parks and recreation?
People across America should know that when the systems-change model is fully engaged, parks and recreation, along with other community partners, will be the difference between joy and belonging or just eking out a basic existence and taking from one area to give to the next or loudest.
Integrated programming and services will become the basic expectation, and partners will be willing to step up alongside parks and recreation to see the needs of the community and the future ahead. Smarter decisions would be made on how to jointly use resources to get the maximum impact, and operating in silos is no longer an option or the way of life.
Partners and park and recreation leaders would function more as community owners instead of “this is one agency’s area of impact and other partners do not engage or do not understand the full weight of community impact.” Lives could be truly rearranged and changed to reverse health disparities, close literacy gaps, create social cohesion, reduce crime, swiftly bounce back from environmental disasters, learn from each event, and create new, better and stronger people, spaces and places.
A strategic plan can sometimes be challenging for folks to wrap their heads around. If you were giving an elevator speech for this new plan, what would it be?
Parks are major contributors to saving lives and changing the quality of lives for all people. When parks and recreation, along with other strategic community partners, work collaboratively together, they could drive extraordinary community change. This change would be immediately realized in saving lives, efficient use of resources, creating jobs and wealth, preserving valued and treasured landscapes, and building and sustaining the ecosystem and historical and cultural landmarks.
Envision connecting parks, recreation, the medical research and healthcare community, the local school district, environmental scientists, city “forward thinking” planners, law enforcement, sports, agricultural, and other related businesses and city departments to form a strike force or “Community Care Team” to transform the way problems are solved, and solutions are implemented.
Systems-change is a new way forward and it is the right train to drive maximum and sustainable results.
Carolyn McKnight Fredd, CPRP, is NRPA’s former board chair, former executive director at East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission, and CEO/Owner of Eagle Methods, LLC.