EYE ON THE PROFESSION

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE PARK AND RECREATION PROFESSION

The year 1998 will be no exception. It feels good to start with a clean slate, and as we contemplate the 12 new months ahead, anything seems possible. Maybe this feeling is stronger for us in parks and recreation because generally we are optimistic by nature. Providing services that people so strongly need and accept with such pleasure gives us an edge in the optimism department. We truly are lucky to do what we do, and now is a good time to remember that once again.

THIS "Eye on the Profession" column is a new department that will appear in every issue of Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine. The main goal of the column is to strengthen communication within the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). With more than 2,300 members, IPRA experiences the same stumbling blocks that any large company deals with; keeping in touch with each other is a major concern.

While other departments focus on legal/legislative issues and topics of interest to elected officials, the magazine has lacked a column highlighting the park and recreation profession. You, the members of IPRA, pointed out this deficit in the 1996 Membership Survey.

We do listen to what you say, and we hope you will continue to let us know what you think.

It's pretty accurate to say that when the public thinks of parks and recreation, it pictures summer camps, parks being mowed, children's sports programs, and open space for picnics and impromptu softball games. That's why so often we are asked the question: "But what do you do in the winter?"

Actually, for many years this fantasy was also a reality. But not any more. Todays park districts, recreation agencies, forest preserves and special recreation associations are a far cry from those of the '50s or even the '70s. Enticing the public to play are water parks, fitness centers, small zoos and farms, natural open space, golf clubs and performing arts centers. Self-help programs in stress relief, gourmet cooking and cat psychology are advertised in program guides next to pee-wee soccer, adult softball and preschool dance.

In the park and recreation field of the '90s, who operates the mowers, plans the programs, figures the finances and spreads the word about programs and facilities? Years ago the answer would have been directors, superintendents of recreation and recreation programmers; persons with degrees in public administration and recreation programming.

That was then and this is now.

Today, the field attracts individuals from an unlimited number of backgrounds with a wide variety of credentials. In a recent issue of Get the Message (a newsletter produced by IPRA's Communications and Marketing Section), the focus was on persons with varying professional backgrounds who left the corporate world for careers in parks and recreation.

One persons background was in newspaper journalism and she now handles public relations for a park district. Another had degrees in fine art painting and art education and now is a cultural and fine arts program manager. Others are experienced in accounting, the armed forces, the music business, social work and addiction counseling, teaching, design, risk management and fire protection.

What all these individuals have in common is their desire to work closely with the public; to contribute in some way to the well-being of the community. That's a powerful incentive and one that we would do well to emphasize in future employee recruitment.

While college and university leisure studies departments provide us with many of our best professionals, there are thousands of other fledglings at those schools earning degrees in other fields. As our park and recreation agencies, forest preserves and special recreation associations grow in size and complexity of operation—and as we compete more actively for the discretionary income of our public—these other professionals will be more necessary to our business.

8 / Illinois Parks and Recreation

Park and recreation administrators and programming specialists will always be the backbone of our field. But it is time to consider how much we can gain and how much stronger our agencies can become when we use the expertise available from other professions.

The '90s are nearly over, and we have indeed come a long way in a short time. Fifteen years ago there were only two full-time park district public information coordinators in the state of Illinois. Now there are dozens. Literally no districts operated full-time health and fitness facilities. Now these state-of-the-art facilities are everywhere, with personnel specially trained in fitness psychology.

How many zoos, farms and nature centers existed 15 years ago? Not many. Today the managers of these facilities often have specialized degrees in environmental studies or animal husbandry.

Now the field employs accountants, lawyers, risk managers, computer specialists, entertainers, gerontologists, museum managers, certified preschool teachers, aquatic specialists, food and beverage managers and naturalists. You name them, we now have them in the field of parks and recreation. My feeling is that there is room for all of us and even more.

New perspectives, different backgrounds and varying points of view can only benefit us. And for Illinois, this diversity can only strengthen our state, which is already number one in the nation in parks and recreation. 

KAY KASTEL FOREST, CLA
has been the executive director of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) for 25 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation from Western Illinois University and a master's in Business from Keller Graduate School of Management.

January/February 1998 / 9