Enhancing the Relevance of Urban Park and Recreation Services for Racial and Ethnic Minorities

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Enhancing the Relevance of Urban Park and
Recreation Services for Racial and Ethnic
Minorities

• Michael A. Schuett, Ph.D.
• David Scott, Ph.D.
• Texas AM University
• George Wright Society Conference 3/08/06
• St. Paul, MN

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Acknowledgements

• Funding for this research was provided by a
  grant from the Renewable Resources Extension Act
  and technical assistance from the Center for
  Socioeconomic Research and Education.

Gulf Coast
Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
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Outline of presentation

• Justification and purpose of study
• Methods
• Summary of focus group research
• Conclusions and recommendations

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Justification for Research

• Population trendsEthnic and racial minorities
  are increasing their share of the population
• Outdoor recreation useEthnic and racial
  minorities have historically used outdoor
  recreation areas less than their Anglo
  counterparts

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Population Trends
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Percent change in number of ethnic/racial groups
in U.S. and Texas (1990-2000)
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Proportion of ethnic/racial groups in U.S. and
Texas (2000)
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Projected racial/ethnic composition of Texas
53
48
42
37
33
32
37
42
47
53
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Outdoor Recreation Use Among Ethnic and Racial
Groups
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Racial and ethnic diversity in National Park
visitation 2000 NPS Study(Visits in the last 2
years)
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Participation rates in wildlife activities(2001
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation)
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Participation rates in wildlife activities(2001
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation)
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Participation rates in selected outdoor
recreation activities(2000-2001 National Survey
of Recreationand the Environment)
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Participation rates inoutdoor recreation
activities(2000-2001 National Survey of
Recreationand the Environment)
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Participation rates inoutdoor recreation
activities(2000-2001 National Survey of
Recreationand the Environment)
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Purpose of the Study

• Identify the major challenges urban park managers
  face as they seek to address the needs of racial
  and ethnic minorities

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Methods

• Phone call focus groups
• National Park Service Managers and Administrators
• Municipal Park and Recreation Directors
• Academics/Researchers
• Dates November-December 2003
• Participants were given advanced warning of the
  topics to be covered

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Interview Topics

• Critical issues facing managers
• Visitation levels of urban parks
• Programs/planning features to attract visitors
• Factors preventing agencies from better serving
  visitors
• Strategies colleges/universities can use to
  better recruit and train potential employees
• Research needs

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Data and Analysis

• Total calls 6
• Total participants 30
• Data recorded, transcribed and analyzed using
  content analysis
• Reliability/validity checks on transcriptions

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ResultsKey Themes

• Develop a more diverse and knowledgeable
  workforce
• Identify, understand and meet the needs of a
  multi-ethnic society
• Conduct more collaborative research and
  dissemination of usable knowledge

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Workforce DiversityOrganizational Inertia

• I think the most critical issue is commitment
  by staff in parks and also by this
  administration. And it goes as far backsome of
  us on this phone conversation have been with the
  National Park Service for over 30 years....
  Certain individuals or the organization itself is
  unwilling to dedicate the time, the staff, the
  ability to even use non-traditional ways of
  recruiting and hiring methods to even go out and
  make any effort.

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Workforce DiversityViable Role Models

• We go to career days and our staff talks to the
  kids about the benefits of working in the parks
  and recreation field, and what the job
  opportunities are. But these kids only relate to
  their own kind. Its no use sending Anglos into
  minority schools because the kids dont perceive
  them to have an understanding of their issues.
  The reason college enrollments are mainly Anglo
  is because the faculty are mainly Anglo.

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Meeting NeedsGetting to Know Constituents

• Communities within a city are different. They
  have to be involved in design and planning
  decisions. In addition to giving the department
  direction, it makes these people feel a part of
  the processwe have advisory committees in every
  neighborhood in the city. If it has to do with
  the teenagers, we pull a group of teens together.
  If its for youth, we pull youth in, if its for
  adults we pull adults in.

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Meeting NeedsNurturing Relationships with Parks

• Were not trying to get new visitors. Were
  trying to get people to develop a relationship
  with parks and open spaces and cultural areas, so
  that it becomes a part of their life something
  that they pass on to their children.

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Meeting NeedsRelevance and Safety

• One study shows that African-Americans spend a
  disproportionate amount of their income on
  entertainment. But its pretty clearthey are not
  spending it on what public park and recreation
  professionals provide. If you provide an
  entertainment where participants feel comfortable
  and welcome, participation rates will increase.

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ResearchUnderstanding Preferences and Constraints

• We need to understand minority group members
  perceptions of the natural environment, their
  preferences for specific sites,activities or
  landscapes. We also need better information about
  the factors that constrain participation. We
  need more in-depth understanding about the people
  practitioners are attempting to serve.

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ResearchPartnerships

• I think we need to ask the managers themselves
  what kinds of information they need and will
  enable them to do their jobs better. If
  researchers and managers can work within a
  collaborative context, our research is going to
  be lot more robust and on target than if we just
  try to figure it out on our own.

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General Consensus

• Consistency across groups
• Interest and motivation is high
• Support and funding are an issue

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Recommendations
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OUTREACH

• Establish a recruitment pipeline with high
  schools and historically Black and Hispanic
  colleges and community colleges.
• Identify and seek out park managers that are
  willing to work within communities to recruit
  minority staff.

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OUTREACH (contd)

• Identify outlets that specific racial and ethnic
  minorities use to receive information and use
  these outlets to share program information.
• Increase involvement of Urban park managers with
  local communities through neighborhood
  associations, church groups, civic groups, etc.

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ACADEMIC

• Develop more courses with an emphasis in
  diversity and urban parks in recreation, parks
  and tourism curricula.
• Provide more internship opportunities for
  students in working with racial and ethnic
  minorities in urban park settings.

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ACADEMIC (contd)

• Recruit more minority undergrad/graduate students
  to enroll in recreation, parks and tourism
  programs.
• Executive training workshops Create a program
  for managers that will focus on specialized
  training in working with racial and ethnic
  minorities.

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RESEARCH

• Identify within-group differences (e.g., age,
  social class, gender, amount of time in the
  United States and geographic origin) among
  distinct groups of minorities.
• Examine the barriers or constraints to urban park
  visitation among ethnic and racial minorities.

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RESEARCH (contd)

• Increase understanding as to how ethnic and
  racial minorities use information sources to keep
  informed about park and recreation activities in
  order to capitalize on strategies that are most
  effective in procuring citizen input.
• Seek out additional sources and partnerships for
  funding research.

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Photo Credits

• Gillian Bowser
• Duane Holmes
• Scott Shafer
• National Park Service