Connect With Similar Professionals at NRPA Network Meetings

July 25, 2024, Feature, by Cassie Paddock, CPRP, and Emmy Richards, CPRP, CPSI

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For an enhanced digital experience, read this story in the ezine.

More than 8,000 park and recreation professionals attend the NRPA Annual Conference. This means it can be hard to “find your people” and connect with colleagues who have similar interests or challenges. NRPA Networks are a great way to connect with professionals in one of six topic areas: aquatics; armed forces recreation; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); educators; leadership development; and young professionals.

Improve Yourself By Helping Each Other in the Young Professional Network

Join the Young Professional Network (YPN) for its retreat and social at this year’s conference in Atlanta! YPN is a group of members that focuses on topics most relevant to those ages 35 and younger, but all are welcome! YPN provides year-round opportunities for young professionals to connect, meeting the third Tuesday of every month via Zoom at 2 p.m. EST in addition to the gatherings at the annual conference. Each year, a “YPs at Conference” publication is created, highlighting young professionals attending the conference, outlining the events for the week and recommending sessions for YPs to check out. This publication is shared via our Facebook page and an annual conference GroupMe to assist in keeping YPs connected and give them some familiar faces they can reach out to during the week. Stay updated on Facebook @NRPAYPN for more details about our monthly meetings, the YPN Social, the YP publication and the conference GroupMe.

Learn, Reflect and Connect With the Leadership Development Network

Make sure to join the Leadership Development Network (LDN) for their network meeting at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta! Also meeting virtually the second Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m. EST, the LDN offers a dynamic platform for professional growth. This isn’t your average Zoom meeting! Through interactive and engaging educational sessions, participants can connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas and glean actionable takeaways that can be applied in their respective roles. Covering a wide range of subjects — such as community engagement, best practices, operations, program development and leadership skills — each meeting is designed to address the evolving needs and challenges faced by professionals in the field. Additionally, bonus quarterly meetings, called “Connecting Conversations,” offer a chance for more informal roundtable discussions, allowing participants to dive deeper into the subject matter and share in meaningful conversation. Professionals from all levels and sections of parks and recreation benefit by attending, and NRPA members can also utilize the LDN group on NRPA Connect.

Each of these NRPA Networks will meet in person at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference. To find out more information and about meetings prior to the conference, click here.

If you’re looking for more opportunities to connect, keep an eye out on the conference schedule for NRPA’s new Speed Networking Events and meetups for other groups, such as Hispanic Professionals in Parks and Recreation, the Ethnic Minority Society, Women in Parks and Recreation, and LGBTQIA+ and Allies.

Cassie Paddock, CPRP, is Recreation Manager at City of Schertz, Texas. Emmy Richards, CPRP, CPSI, is Parks and Recreation Manager at Town of Ashland, Virginia.