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

Welcome to 2024 and all the possibilities that a new year offers! It’s fitting that we are kicking off the new year with a Parks & Recreation magazine issue full of information on trends, technology and social media. I look at the theme of this January issue as “what’s new in our world” and, more importantly, how we can leverage what’s new to serve our missions.

In the park and recreation field, there is always something new coming our way. It is a field that touches on a remarkably wide variety of issues and topics, each one with its own set of norms, practices, knowledge and opportunities. There is just no way that any one professional can be an expert in every aspect. After all, we do everything from maintaining cemeteries to managing tree inventory, ensuring safety in our playgrounds, developing programs for people with disabilities and everything in between. One of the beauties of this field is that if you are curious about or interested in something, chances are it is relevant to parks and recreation, and we want to help you do it right.

At NRPA, in addition to keeping a watchful eye on trends, we are systematically going through areas of expertise and specialization across the field and determining how we can best deliver knowledge, training and guidance to you. In some cases, we can do this ourselves, and in other cases, we partner with subject matter experts. In fact, we are actively building out a new partnership model to support you better. NRPA is exploring educational partnerships with organizations that provide learning opportunities that fill content and subject matter expertise gaps. Two currently in development are with Move United and the National Conflict Resolution Center. Move United uses the power of sport to push what’s possible for people with disabilities, envisioning that every person, regardless of ability, has an equal opportunity to participate in sports and recreation in their community. The National Conflict Resolution Center empowers individuals, organizations and communities with the skills and resources needed to address conflict, intolerance and incivility in our society. Through these educational partnerships, members and state affiliates will have access to additional learning opportunities that support skill-building and programming guidance.

As we continue to watch and respond to trends and identify better ways to support your needs for guidance, learning and skill-building, I hope that you will reach out and share ideas for how we can continue to serve you. One such example that we heard and are responding to is the desire for guidance around technology, data and artificial intelligence, or AI. The dramatic rise in AI applications has revealed a lot of questions and opportunities. In response to this trend, we added content at the NRPA Annual Conference as well as to our online learning offerings. At its most basic level, AI is another form of automation — a way of saving time and effort in the work that we perform. Much like automation advances in irrigation systems, waste management and other operations areas, AI offers ways of freeing us up to do other things. Just like other forms of technology, it comes with a lot of questions, concerns and costs. Managing Editor Lindsay Collins takes a look at how AI is being leveraged in the field of parks and recreation in “AI: Here and Now” on page 36. Like so many other aspects of our work, we will continue to source information and guidance, as well as share learning to help you on your continued technology journey.

I hope this issue inspires you as we step into 2024 and the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead.

Kristine Stratton is NRPA's President and CEO.