Becoming good sports: professionals need to exercise their power by helping community youth develop through parks and recreation.

The park and recreation profession has tremendous power. It has the power to help people grow and develop in very positive ways. However, this power comes with a price--responsibility. The profession is responsible for utilizing this power to better the lives of the citizens it serves.

People also have tremendous power in choosing to do something or be somewhere. They recreate because it is fun, enjoyable, relaxing and fulfilling. Not all human service professions have this advantage.

This notwithstanding, the profession must position itself to fully address this opportunity and responsibility. We can only maximize this power, if we align ourselves with issues and concerns that are significant to our community members. "We have a responsibility as community leaders and recreation professionals to give our citizens the best programs possible, and give them the opportunity to participate in a safe, healthy, fun and learning filled environment," says Recreation Coordinator Chris Patterson from West Des Moines, Iowa.

For example, issues facing our youth today and the overall development of youth are dominant concerns of any community in America. Youth development is a rallying issue for every citizen, public servant and corporation. The recreation profession, to make the best use of its innate potential, should align itself with the youth development movement.

Sports and recreation programs can have a positive physical and emotional impact, and be a fun and engaging way for children and youth to learn important lessons about life.

Researchers have found that participating in sports can foster in children and youth responsible social behaviors and greater academic success. Many would say we are already doing this, and in some cases this is true. However, for the profession to fully reach its potential in addressing youth issues and to fully exercise its power, it must change some of its locus and strategies.

Youth Development

Youth development can be defined in many ways. The National Collaborative for Youth (1998) defines youth development as:

   "a process [that] prepares young people
   to meet the challenges of adolescence
   and adulthood through a coordinated,
   progressive series of activities and
   experiences, which help them to become
   socially, morally, emotionally, physically
   and cognitively competent. Positive
   youth development addresses the
   broader developmental needs of youth,
   in contrast to deficit-based models [that]
   focus solely on youth problems."

This definition has several points that are consistent with the strengths of the profession. First, it focuses on building the positive assets of youth rather than just focusing on youth deficits or problems. By definition, recreation involves positive experiences; therefore, developing assets or strengths of youth is most appropriate.

Second, the definition recognizes that development is a process. Again, the impact of recreation materializes from long-term participation and exposure. There is no quick fix in recreation--rather it is the process of change that comes over extended and consistent positive participation.

Park and recreation professionals can also commit to long-term change through sports. "We truly understand the values and broad-picture role that youth sports can play in a person's life. We are not going to be here for one season and gone another. Our careers and the profession have the level of resources, commitment and training to get the job done. We often don't feel the pressures of a single coach or parent so we can see the bigger picture of improving sports for youth," says Ann-Marie Carravallah, recreation coordinator for Canton, Mich.

Third, the definition gives clarity to the areas of youth development, and thus provides direction for the profession. All areas of youth development can be and should be addressed through recreation experiences and environments. But, we must intentionally seek these outcomes through our programs and experiences.

To test this definition, NRPA facilitated a NFL-sponsored project that created Quality Sports Magnet Centers throughout the country, which focused on youth development through programming and sports. After analyzing applications for the Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Sportstowns program, NRPA discovered that many park and recreation agencies could improve upon this key component for the community.

While the 50th Anniversary Sportstown project was unfolding in 50 communities between July 2003 and June 2004, NRPA was awarded a grant from the National Football League Youth Football Fund to develop and test a youth development model for grassroots community sports. Thirty-four communities from the original Sportstown applicants were selected to participate in the Quality Sports Magnet Center demonstration project.

Following a March 2004 summit at NRPA headquarters, the magnet centers tested a model to improve the quality of youth sports within their community. An evaluation was conducted by Clemson University to ascertain the effectiveness of the model as well as the capacity of the park and recreation agencies to take a leadership role within their community.

Keys to Fulfilling our Role

Now that we have a sense of what youth development means and the role that recreation can play in terms of youth development, what changes will help the profession maximize its effectiveness in helping youth? Consequently, what changes will provide the profession the opportunity to more effectively exercise its power, and fulfill its public responsibility?

The seven key changes are:

1. Build systems for change rather than creating events and programs for change.

2. Don't focus on events and activities but locus on their outcomes and impact. There must be intentiality.

3. Focus on building community capacity for youth development as much as building programs for youth development.

4. When utilizing events or programs, adhere to the "best practices" in youth programming.

5. Embrace collaboration with other organizations, agencies and groups to truly address all youth issues and needs.

6. Be a facilitator as much as a programmer.

7. Document efficacy through assessment and evaluation.

Build Systems not Programs

We have minimal impact on youth with short-term recreation programs where there is limited coordination of goals, objectives or outcomes. We may see a sense of enjoyment and some immediate change in youths' attitude or demeanor, but these changes cannot be sustained without continuous experiences that reinforce the behaviors or skills we are addressing.

Agency staff should select a series of overarching outcomes they want to achieve through the experiences they offer youth. These outcomes should be consistent across programs and years of participation. All staff should be aware of these outcomes and adapt their programs to focus on these goals.

It is through repetition and consistency that we will begin to see significant and sustainable changes in the youth we serve. These outcomes would transcend individual program outcomes. They should be overarching goals related to youth development. The programs and events are the vehicle through which these overarching goals are achieved. Without this system in place, we are losing much of the power of what we do.

Focus on Outcomes, not Programs

Up to this point, programming has been the basis of the park and recreation profession. There is no human service profession that is better prepared to organize and implement meaningful programs. However, with the everyday pressures associated with developing programs and events, there is a tendency to lose sight of the most important aspect of the program--its impact on participants. More effort must be made to focus on the outcomes of programs as much as on the organization and management of programs. Outcomes must be in terms of change in the participants, families or communities as a result of participation, and not solely focused on the number of participants.

Community Capacity Building

Again, the recreation profession has focused on events and programs, but has not put a similar effort into developing the resources of a community to address youth development through the medium of recreation. Through community capacity building, it is recognized that the community must change to support youth more than the youth themselves. All communities have resources that can be used to provide support and opportunities for youth to develop; however, these raw materials must be mobilized.

As opposed to developing a specific recreation program, the recreation professional should build a collaborative environment for youth development involving several agencies and groups. For example, many participants in the Quality Sports Magnet Centers created positions for youth on community boards, to give them continued input into recreational needs. Agencies can also try changing community policies, building relationships with new groups and organizations, developing opportunities to empower the youth themselves, or pushing for community reforms to maximize youth opportunities and growth.

Best Practices in Events and Programs

The research is clear on the key elements to developing effective programs and events for youth. All of these elements can be achieved through any positive recreation experience. However, it does take some intentionality on the part of the professional to ensure that these characteristics are met or achieved. They include:

* Providing meaningful and supportive relationships with peers and adults. Mentoring is a key to building these relationships;

* Providing opportunities to develop soft skills (social skills, relationship building skills, etc.);

* Providing opportunities to develop hard skills (these may be academic or vocational skills, or they may involve problem-solving or decision-malting skills);

* Youth development programs must recognize the need to provide a continuum of services from the self to the family, school and community. For example, our programs are less effective if youth are returning to a dysfunctional home life. Community capacity building will allow for a continuum of services;

* Ensuring a physically and psychologically sate setting;

* Setting clear roles and expectations;

* Providing opportunities to belong. Everyone must fled a part of something--membership and ownership are ways of making youth belong;

*Providing opportunities where youth feel they are making a difference. Youth want to do things that matter to others; and

* Bringing parents, guardians or other significant adults into the program.

Unfortunately, we know much more about the characteristics of successful programs than we know about creating and sustaining such programs. This is an area where NRPA can assist communities. Based on research from the Quality Sports Magnet Centers, NRPA has created a new initiative called Sports Illustrated GOOD SPORTS[TM], presented by Dodge in partnership with NRPA.

The movement will work to enhance the quality of youth sports nationwide by addressing the role of adults in youth sports, provide a framework to expose youngsters to sport skills, and create a strategic platform to coalesce local youth sport organizations around making sports a positive and developmentally appropriate experience. Goals for this initiative encompass several key elements including:

* Teach life skills through sports,

* Empower success among youth through sports,

* Promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles through sports, and

* Strengthen communities through youth sports.

Embrace Collaboration

Collaboration is not easy and it is time consuming, so the question becomes, why do it? The answer is simple. One can build better programs, events and communities through collaborative efforts. Collaboration provides additional expertise; more ideas; shared labor and effort; additional or shared staffing, facilities and expenditures; and a synergy that can't be achieved by a single entity. Five keys to effective collaboration:

* Each collaborator must have confidence in the effort,

* There must be benefits for all collaborators,

* Each collaborator must feel ownership for the effort,

* Each collaborator must be recognized for its contributions, and

* Most importantly, there must be a trust among all collaborators--without trust nothing can be accomplished.

Be a Facilitator and a Programmer

Community capacity building and effective collaboration can only happen where there is an effective facilitator. It is equally important for a recreation professional to facilitate change as well as be the direct provider of change. In fact, the greatest positive change will result where a system of change is implemented, where the capacity of communities is enhanced, and where collaboration is emphasized. And, this can only be achieved where strong facilitators are leading.

Document our Efficacy

We know we can have an impact on youths' lives, and our collaborators know we have an impact. However, many of our decision-making stakeholders are unaware of our influence. Strong outcome and impact evaluation must become a part of our normal operation. Accountability is here to stay. Our challenge is to establish simple but respected evaluative processes. This must be done if we want to realize our potential power as well as fulfill the responsibility we have been given. Only through well-developed evaluative efforts that stand up to the scrutiny of our stakeholders, can we achieve the impact we are capable of relating to youth development.

The recreation profession has tremendous potential to be a powerful change agent for youth. We can play a major role and make a significant contribution to youth development in our communities by endorsing the strategies outlined above. It will entail some change in work emphasis, but the benefits will far outweigh the stress from modifying our traditional role. Let's exercise our power by putting these strategies to work.

For more information on the Good Sports program, go to www.sigoodsports.com.

Thanks to the 2004 Quality Sports Magnet Centers for their contributions to the study of youth development through sports. Participating agencies include:

Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Fayetteville, Ark.

Peoria Community Services Peoria, Ariz.

City of San Ramon San Ramon, Calif.

City of Paso Robles Paso Robles, Calif.

City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Rocky Hill Parks and Recreation Rocky Hill, Conn.

City of Dover Parks and Recreation Dover, Del.

Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation, Fort Myers, Fla.

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation Lawrenceville, Ga.

Columbus Parks and Recreation Columbus, Ga.

West Des Moines Parks and Recreation West Des Moines, Iowa

Iowa City Parks and Recreation Iowa City, Iowa 

Boise Parks and Recreation Boise, Idaho 

Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Indianapolis, Ind.

Town of Billerica Recreation Department Billerica, Mass.

Ocean City Recreation and Parks Ocean City, Md.

Howard County Recreation and Parks Columbia, Md.

Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department, Brunswick, Maine

Canton Township Leisure Services Canton, Mich.

Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation Lee's Summit, Mo.

City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.

City of Henderson, Henderson, Nev.

Town of Hamburg Recreation Department, Hamburg, N.Y.

Westerville Parks and Recreation Westerville, Ohio 

Bend Metro Park and Recreation Bend, Ore.

Corvallis Parks and Recreation Corvallis, Ore.

Spartanburg County Parks and Recreation, Spartanburg, S.C.

City of The Colony Parks and Recreation The Colony, Texas

Houston Park and Recreation Houston, Texas 

Metro Parks Tacoma Tacoma, Wash.

Village of Germantown Park and Recreation, Germantown, Wis.

City of Casper Leisure Services Casper, Wyo.