How Park and Recreation Professionals Are Agents of Change — Episode 059

On today’s episode, we sit down with Kristine Stratton, NRPA
President and CEO, and Neelay Bhatt, Vice President at PROS
Consulting Inc, to discuss their presentation at the Agents of
Change Summit this week. They’ll be in San Diego, California,
sharing how park and recreation professionals are agents of
change in their communities — particularly around how they
influence and change health behaviors and how parks are a
solution to many of our most pressing health and wellness
challenges, like obesity, mental health issues and substance use.


They will be talking with public health professionals about why
they need to be thinking about parks as a partner and solution,
and how park and recreation professionals are already tackling
many of these issues in their communities.


We talk about why it’s important to share the story of parks and
recreation — and all the things that local park and recreation
professionals provide in their communities — with various
audiences and stakeholders, as well as how park and recreation
professionals can ensure they aren’t only part of the
conversation about these societal challenges, but leading it.


Tune in to the full episode below to hear other topics we
discuss, such as:


How solutions to global problems start at the local level

How other countries are using parks and recreation to help
solve many of these problems

How partnerships differ when it comes to public health issues

How park and recreation master planning can help in solving
these problems