An Essential Service

1
An Essential Service

• Indiana Parks and Recreation Associations
• Statewide Initiative Proposal
• Presented by Steve Doniger and Chuck Lehman

2
IPRAs Statewide Initiative

• Park RecreationAn Essential Service
• How can we (individuals, agencies, state
  association) raise the public awareness in
  recognizing park and recreation as an essential
  community service?
• One-Year Statewide Initiative Proposal
• Involving all communities and park agencies
• Communication / Support network

3
The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)

• How little things can make a big difference
• The Tipping Point is that magic moment when an
  idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a
  threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire!
  
• Types of Persons
• Connectors those who know lots of peoplesocial
  glue
  
• Mavens those who accumulate knowledgedata
  banks
  
• Salesmen those with skills to
  persuadepersuaders
  
• Other points
• Stickiness Factor how to measure the message
  impact
  
• Power of Context deals with how conditions and
  circumstances of the times and places in which
  they occur forms context

4
Social Capital December 2003 Park Recreation
Magazine (page 20-27)

• How parks and recreation help to build community
• What is Social Capital
• The central premise of social capital is that
  social networks have value. Social capital refers
  to the collective value of all social networks
  who people know and the inclinations that arise
  from these networks to do things for each other
  norms of reciprocity.
• How does Social Capital Work
• The term social capital emphasizes not just warm
  and cuddly feelings, but a wide variety of quite
  specific benefits that flow from the trust,
  reciprocity, information, and cooperation
  associated with social networks. Social capital
  creates value for the people who are connected
  and at least sometimes for bystanders as
  well.

5
Social CapitalBowling Alone Robert Putnam

• Putnam warns of our plummeted stock of social
  capital
  
• From nearly 500,000 interviews over the last
  quarter century to show that we
  
• sign fewer petitions
• belong to fewer organizations that meet
• know our neighbors less
• meet with friends less frequently
• even socialize with our families less often
• Describes how changes in work, family structure,
  age, suburban life, television, computers,
  women's roles and other factors have contributed
  to this decline.
• Declining Social Capital Trends over the last 25
  years
  
• 58 Attending Club Meetings
• 33 Family Dinners
• 45 Having Friends over
• Surprising Facts
• Joining one group cuts in half your odds of dying
  next year
  
• Ten minutes of commuting reduces social capital
  by 10

6
Benefits of Initiative

• State-wide common project
• Applies to all agencies, communities
• Learn from each other
• Strengthen communication networks
• Web, articles, partners, etc.
• Efforts acknowledged through Awards

7
Organization

• Coordinate District Activities
• Communication Connections

• Internet networking
• Website Pages
• Publications and Articles
• Speakers network

• New Awards Categories
• Large to small agencies categories
• Advertise and promote awards

8
Next Steps of Action

• Present the Initiative program to all Districts
• Development of Flyer / Brochure / Logo
• Organize Committees structure
• Seek sponsorships collaborating partners
• Establish communication network
• Write articles for PROFILE on the program
• Develop new awards categories
• Expand on Speakers/Presentations Network

9
Schedule

• January
• 2004 Annual Conference
• February
• Presentation of program to Northern District
• Executive Committee Approval
• March
• Central/Southern Districts presentation
• Organize committees
• Press releases / articles
• April
• Web and ListServ networks
• Award Categories announced

• May September
• Districts Agendas and Reporting
• State-wide communication
• October November
• Award Applications due
• Speakers/Themes for Annual Conference
• December
• Awards Selection
• Year-end Reporting
• January 2005
• 2005 Annual Conference
• Celebrate Successes!

10
Discussion Questions

• What ways can we (as individuals, agencies)
  expand / communicate this essential service?
  
• How can we best work together in supporting this
  state-wide project?
  
• Who should be involved?
• What resources are available or are needed?

11
ThanksSpread the Word!

• Feedback to
• Suzanne Mathis (ipraexdir_at_aol.com)
• Steve Doniger (sdoniger_at_netnitco.net)
• Chuck Lehman (chuck_at_lehmanandlehman.com)