Activating Parks & Open Spaces Through Programming

The Philadelphia November Project exercising near the Philadelphia Museum of Art

June 2015

P.O. Box 12677 Philadelphia, PA 19129 215-879-8159

www.philaparks.org

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 5 General Process ...... 6 National Park and Open Space Programming Introduction...... 7 Zombie Apocalypse Camp ...... 8 SoundSteps Walking Program ...... 10 Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Outdoor Opportunities (O2) ...... 12 Seattle Parks Downtown and Neighborhood Activation Programs ...... 14 Downtown Seattle Activation Unit: ...... 14 Seattle Neighborhoods Park Commons Program: ...... 16 Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks ...... 17 Friends of Patterson Park ...... 19 Pop-Up Park Program ...... 21 Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile ...... 23 Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile visits Philadelphia ...... 25 Neighborhood Naturalist Program ...... 26 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy ...... 28 Greenspaces Restoration and Urban Naturalist Team (GRUNT) ...... 30 Sprockets: Saint Paul's Out-of-School Time Network ...... 32 Common Themes in National Park and Open Space Programming ...... 34 Local Park and Open Space Programming Introduction ...... 36 Wooden Boat Factory ...... 37 Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education ...... 39 Nature Preschool ...... 39 Nature RX ...... 40 BuildaBridge Artolgy ...... 42 Awbury Arboretum Public Programs and Teen Leadership Corps ...... 44 Philadelphia Orchard Project ...... 46 Fit4Mom ...... 48 The November Project ...... 50 Let’s Go Outdoors ...... 52 Urban Blazers ...... 54 Common Themes in Philadelphia Park and Open Space Programming ...... 56 Marketing of Park and Open Space Programming ...... 57

Appendix of Other Programs and Resources ...... 59 National ...... 59 Philadelphia-area ...... 64

Introduction

While Philadelphia has made tremendous strides in increasing the number and quality of its parks and public spaces, many still remain underutilized and have not yet met their full potential to be vibrant centers of community life. Philadelphia is fortunate to have a multitude and variety of exciting park and open space programs, but there remains a large segment of children and adults who live, work and visit Philadelphia who do not have access to high quality programming that meets their needs.

The Philadelphia Parks Alliance, with the support of the William Penn Foundation, has had the unique opportunity to undertake a broad scan of programs in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities. It has been an inspiring and exciting process during which we have examined hundreds of programs that are activating parks, trails and public spaces that have been unused or under-utilized; are effectively engaging and or integrating low-wealth communities and communities of color; and those that have a unique structure or approach. We chose to profile 13 of the most dynamic and effective national programs along with 10 exemplary programs in Philadelphia, all of which have the potential to be expanded or emulated in communities in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities.

The profiles in this report are sketches rather than thorough case studies and are meant to motivate more in- depth study. We have focused primarily on outdoor programs or those that can be replicated outdoors. For the purposes of our study and this report, the Parks Alliance considers “programs” to be ongoing and recurring activities, as opposed to one-time events. Our selection process was informed by a park user survey in which we asked stakeholders about their programming preferences, and general impressions of public space programming availability and gaps in Philadelphia.

The Parks Alliance believes that each of the programs profiled in this report have much to teach about outdoor programming. Some of the most compelling local and national programs featured are not necessarily focused on park activation as an output; rather they address broader social and environmental goals that also result in short and long- term activation. In some cases, the program structure or concept imparts more than the actual program activities and these program elements might well be adaptable in a number of contexts.

Several common lessons emerged from our research:

 Many organizations are activating public spaces by layering different programs, activities and amenities at the same time.  Program operators are experimenting with low-cost programming including mobile, pop-up and pop-in programs that stretch limited resources.  Park activation is successfully being employed as an intentional public safety strategy in cities around the U.S.  Programming increasingly focuses on health and wellness, including physical fitness, mental health and local food access and education.  Strong board and volunteer networks enable low-budget programs to maximize their impact.  Programs that successfully engage low-income communities and communities of color prioritize investment of resources in relationship-building and increasing staff diversity; they are often free or low cost.  Program evaluation is a persistent challenge for organizations with limited resources, but when successfully implemented, evaluation can significantly increase strategic decision-making and program effectiveness.

The Parks Alliance has found that while many cities in the United States have some remarkable programs, there is little broad based knowledge, on the national or local levels, of programming offered outside of one’s own community, interest group or professional network. In fact, few cities have a single coordinated source that informs the public about open space program offerings. The purpose of the Parks Alliance’s research is to share what we’ve learned in order to raise awareness of current programming offerings, trends and best practices, and to inspire new strategic investment from public and private stakeholders in activating Philadelphia’s public spaces. We also hope that our findings will be useful to program operators, organizations and individuals outside of Philadelphia who have an interest in programming and open space.

General Process

National Park and Open Space Programming Introduction

Philadelphia area participants explore their city by canoe in national Canoemobile Program

The following sketches represent some of the most dynamic, effective and compelling programs that the Parks Alliance has learned about in our research of park and open space programming in cities, towns and natural areas across the United States. After an extensive process of online research, informal discussions with leaders in the world of parks and open space, and review of periodicals, national and local news sources, and other writings, we compiled a long list of programs of interest. Of necessity, we pared down our list, in consultation with the William Penn Foundation, and turned our focus to 13 programs that met one or more of the following criteria:

 Programs that engage diverse communities or focus on public space in a low-wealth community  Programs that activate a previously underutilized or completely unused space  Programs that connect communities to local waterways or occur in a public space on or near water  Programs with a unique approach to planning, evaluation and coordination of partner organizations and stakeholders  To our knowledge, a similar program or aspect of a program that does not exist in Philadelphia

Our selection of focus programs was also influenced by respondents’ feedback to our June 2014 Park User Survey regarding programming priorities, use, and concerns about safety and maintenance in Philadelphia’s parks, trails and open space. We believe that understanding the process of designing and facilitating programs is key to both contextualizing and potentially adapting them. As this information is not readily available to the public, we’ve included it whenever possible. Detailed budget and funding information was often not readily available.

Zombie Apocalypse Camp Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department at Ushers Ferry Historic Village Cedar Rapids, IA

Camp designed by kids gets participants active and outdoors

In Historic Usher’s Ferry Village, a 132 acre city park at the edge of the town of Cedar Rapids Iowa, children are learning how to track animals, find and purify water, cook over an open fire, build flint fires, and navigate with a compass under the guise of a zombie apocalypse attack. Participants build teamwork and leadership skills while planning for and responding to zombie attacks throughout the week, many by former camp participants who come back as volunteers. The park is a wild and abandoned natural space with fallen logs, backwater bogs, eagles, geese, and no manicured trails. The idea for a Zombie Apocalypse camp came directly from day camp participants. “That’s what happens when you ask the kids what they want in a day camp,” says Program Coordinator Ann Cejka. It is a high intensity program run as a half day, one week camp to avoid staff burnout and provide opportunities for more children to participate. Cejka says the camp tends to attract high energy kids, those with ADHD and those who don’t thrive in more traditional sports. One challenge is getting enough summer staff to maintain a 1:5 staff to camper ratio—critical for keeping participants safe and limiting liability. Adult leaders must be playful and imaginative, have good judgment, flexibility and be able to think on their feet. They go out every day with basic objectives, but adjust to participant input and what comes up during the day. For example, seeing a dead fish becomes a plotline about a zombie virus in the water and an opportunity to teach about the city water system and locating and purifying water. This unique camp allows kids to be kids and to be inventive and creative in ways they’ve never experienced before. Cejka tells of one child who was out of shape and “really into video games,” who struggled with many of the activities. At the end of the week he told her that he’d had open heart surgery when he was five years old and this was the first time he had really been outdoors.

Fee: $100 a child standard recreation fee for half day camps. A low-income program fund, sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters, generally supports 1-2 campers per year.

Demographics: The Zombie Camp serves 60 children, ages 9-13 and mostly boys. Most of the participants are Caucasian, which is consistent with town demographics.

Budget: Unavailable. Generally, 3 Seasonal staff members and 3 volunteers run the program. There are few additional expenses aside from compass kits that are shared with other programs, a few copies of handouts, and t-shirts.

Funding: Funded by Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department.

Evaluation: Team meetings (with leaders and participants) are built in throughout the camp time so children can give feedback and become a part of the decision-making process. Leaders send participants’ families a generic Survey Monkey survey. Limited responses usually praise the camp for how much children have learned.

Inspiration: Participant input, research on risky play, homesteading YouTube channels, and http://www.instructables.com/

Marketing: Advertised through a quarterly catalogue that is distributed to every Cedar Rapids resident; word of mouth.

Info: http://www.cedar-rapids.org/resident-resources/parks-recreation/ushers-ferry/pages/default.aspx

SoundSteps Walking Program Seattle Parks and Recreation Department Seattle, WA

Low-budget walking program has high impact on health outcomes

By relying on dedicated volunteer walk leaders and participants’ interests, Seattle’s SoundSteps walking program engages 400 participants aged 50 and over in 20 different walking groups across the city - with only one part-time staff coordinator. The program started in 2003 with a five year grant from the Centers for Disease Control to initiate weekly walking groups in lower-income communities where there was a high instance of poor health outcomes. When SoundSteps was grant-funded, physical activity assessments were used to closely monitor outcomes, which demonstrated reduced obesity and diabetes among participants. Now weekly walks are led by volunteer walk leaders, many of whom were previously program participants, who plan their own walking routes and are largely self-sufficient. Collecting data such as health outcomes and demographics became too challenging as SoundSteps shifted to a volunteer-led program.

SoundSteps has a planning committee that helps plan walking routes, social events, marathons and other initiatives based on member interest. For a few years the program had a pedestrian advocacy group that advocated for the completion of sidewalks and urban trails, but eventually member interest waned and the group dissolved. Former Program Coordinator Mari Becker said, “Our mentality is that if people want to do it, we try to make it happen…[but] if I have to push people to do something, then it’s time to prune that. I try to let it evolve naturally.” The SoundSteps half marathon and training evolved after one participant shared a story of walking in a half-marathon for her 70th birthday. Another participant, who was inspired to stay active, completed all 26 miles of the half-marathon for her 90th birthday.

Fee: Free weekly programming. Minimal ($9-22) event and field trip fees to defer material and transportation costs.

Demographics: Demographics have not been tracked since the program shifted to be more volunteer and member- directed. There are walking groups in diverse neighborhoods including different ethnic and language groups. All participants are aged 50 or older.

Budget: Unavailable.

Funding: One part-time staff member is funded by Seattle Parks and Recreation. There are few other expenses. A Walkathon fundraiser brings in $1,000 to defer the cost of field trips and the half-marathon event brings in another $2,000 in sponsorships.

Evaluation: Currently the program does not use a formal evaluation, but there is self-reporting during half-marathon training. The program is continually adjusted to address informal feedback from advisory groups, participants and volunteer walk leaders.

Marketing: Initially, SoundSteps spent a lot of time making presentations at community centers, senior centers and other places where there was already some interest in walking. They used a cultural liaison respected in the community to introduce the program. As SoundSteps has become better known, most participants have learned of the program through word of mouth. A monthly email newsletter is sent to walk leaders and to any participant who chooses to subscribe. Walk leaders share this and other information with their groups. Senior Centers and community health organizations also help refer participants.

Info: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/seniors/soundsteps.htm

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Outdoor Opportunities (O2) Seattle, WA

Outdoor expedition program achieves maximum accessibility for multi-ethnic teens

Over the last 20 years, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s Outdoor Opportunities (O2) program has exposed over 30,000 multi-ethnic teens to environmental education, urban conservation and stewardship. O2 started as the passion of program leader Bob Warner with one staff member (himself), no transportation and no equipment. In his first month, Warner secured a $10,000 equipment grant from REI. After they have been accepted to the program, youth participants, ages 14-19, select from a range of outdoor opportunities including outdoor rock climbing, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, horseback riding, rafting, sailing and backpacking. Activities are held as single and multiday events throughout the summer and school year. The program also includes service days where participants build riparian buffers, perform trail maintenance, and participate in other environmental restoration projects. O2 achieves maximum accessibility and participation for diverse participants by keeping the program free and flexible. Students can choose to participate in the events and activities that interest them most and fit within their schedule. High enrollment in the program makes trips and events more competitive to get into and encourages those signed up to show up. O2 has three pickup and drop off locations in North and South Seattle and both program centers are located near bus lines. Warner says, “I come from a hardcore background, but I learned that that wasn’t the best way to expose kids to new experiences. We try to have a variety like car camping, cabin camping and rustic camping.” To facilitate these experiences, staff and volunteers must have extensive outdoor training and experience including wilderness first responder training and sometimes National Outdoor Leadership School instruction (NOLS).

Fee: O2 charges no fees in order to make the program as accessible to as many youth as possible.

Demographics: Although there are no ethnic or income restrictions, the program is designed for and specifically recruits minority youth. Over the life of the program at least 80% of participants have been minorities: about 30% African American, 30% Asian/Pacific Islander and 20% other. Minority participation exceeds the minority demographics of the city.

Budget: The estimated annual budget includes $156,000 for 2 full time staff and benefits, $15,000 for 2 full-time AmeriCorps Volunteers and $40-80,000 total in supplies for 2 locations.

Funding: Although O2 is under the jurisdiction of the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, the majority of funding comes from grants and donations. Approximately $30,000 in operating funding comes from the City’s General Fund and a separate municipal line item for gas and vehicles.

Evaluation: At one time, O2 had a grant to engage a professional evaluator to hone their survey evaluation questions and produce an evaluation report. Evaluation is not done every year.

Marketing: O2 focuses on recruiting students by making presentations and building relationships at the most diverse High Schools in Seattle. Program staff are enthusiastic and welcoming to parents and students and spend a lot time addressing parents’ questions and concerns and helping non-native English speakers with paperwork. O2 has a website and a Facebook page and recruits some students through word of mouth. Staff attend few to no events to market the program because they have found that tabling does not yield enough results for their investment of time.

Inspiration: O2 has an annual one day staff retreat at which they decide how many workshops, trips and service projects they will run. They try to balance aquatic and terrestrial experiences and build in fun events for socializing. Careful attention is given to planning activities around potential weather conditions since events are only canceled under extraordinary circumstances.

Info: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/teens/o2/default.htm

Seattle Parks Downtown and Neighborhood Activation Programs Seattle Parks and Recreation Department and Downtown Seattle Association Seattle, WA

Downtown and Neighborhood Park Activation Programs use targeted programming as a public safety strategy

In Seattle, WA, policymakers have made a concerted city-wide effort to enliven and activate parks and public spaces with different strategies for the downtown areas and neighborhood parks. In the early 2000s, the downtown Seattle business community pushed the mayor to address nuisance behaviors in downtown parks like drug dealing and reduce the presence of homeless people. The resulting task force made a number of recommendations including a park activation program that would saturate public spaces with positive activities like commissioned park buskers, lunchtime concerts and dancing.

Downtown Seattle Activation Unit:

Seattle Parks and Recreation formed a Downtown Activation Unit that now activates nine of the most challenged downtown parks in partnership with the nonprofit Downtown Seattle Association, with a combination of small-scale daily activities, more traditional programming and a team of uniformed park concierges. The unit uses a lot of trial and error to determine what programs and activities work. Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Center City Parks Manager, Victoria Schoenburg says, “We found that aiming for large events was not worth it, takes way too much staff time and way too much money and then everyone leaves.” Initially, the unit would activate just one part of a park, but they found that drug activity would just move to another section of the park unless they activated the entire space. The Downtown Seattle Association’s Public Space Activation Manager, Denise Caruso says, “We’ve learned there just can’t be too much going on.”

Following the model of Bryant Park in NYC, their park activation includes big games, yoga classes, Zumba, cornhole leagues and food trucks. Next year, they plan to add a reading room, fitness classes, theatre presentations and more. One successful program commissions local buskers to entertain lunchtime park-goers at three downtown parks. Buskers audition at the beginning of the year and are paid $50 for two hours of their time (in addition to the tips they solicit). Park Concierges have also been a major success of the activation unit. Concierges have a kiosk where they answer questions, help set up games, clean up and support activities and programming. There is no formal training for concierges, but they do receive instruction from Park Rangers on how to handle aggressive behavior. The official uniformed presence in the park has helped dissuade crime and other negative behaviors.

Fee: Mostly free.

Demographics: In recent years, the program has focused on tracking the ratio of men to women in parks in order to achieve the ideal ratio that Dan Biederman (Bryant Park, NY) suggests will create an active and vibrant space.

Budget: The Park Busker Program costs approximately $25,000. In his capacity as a consultant, Biederman created a plan, with a budget of $800,000, to further activate two of Seattle’s downtown parks. The Downtown Seattle Association and Seattle Parks and Recreation are trying to scale the plan so that it will work with a budget half that size.

Funding: City of Seattle, Downtown Seattle Association

Evaluation: The Unit tries to do an annual summary of activities and programming.

Marketing: The Downtown Seattle Association has a detailed events calendar, sends a weekly e-blast and uses social media extensively. They market all events and programs in the Downtown area including programs that they do not facilitate. Local businesses also help with promotion and many of the events are listed on the citywide site Attendable.com.

Inspiration: Dan Biederman’s work in Bryant Park has been a model for recent work. Project for Public Spaces and The Porch in Philadelphia are also sources of inspiration.

Info: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Projects/downtown.asp, DowntownSeattle.com, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-Parks-Recreation-Busker-Program/130466066983256

Seattle Neighborhoods Park Commons Program:

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Park Commons program staff are using community organizing to increase local ownership and programming of neighborhood parks in order to make them safer. Since 2006, the Department has employed professional Community Organizer, Randy Wiger, to identify and work with parks whose challenges can be addressed by capacity building and activation. Parks typically get referred to the program because of grounds crew feedback and community complaints to policymakers and police. Wiger then visits the community and tries to assess the causes of the park’s challenges and determine if it makes sense for the activation unit to take it on. Their long-term strategy is to build the capacity of neighborhood groups to run their own activities. Wiger says “You have the community spaces and someone has to own them. If the public isn’t using the park, then people will bring negative activities to the park.” Wiger works intensely for two to three year periods with about four to six parks at a time. He helps neighborhood groups identify programming priorities and community skill sets, raise programming funds, and facilitate their first attempts at leading activities. In the later years of training with Wiger, he helps communities develop events and activities into annually recurring, sustainable events and programs. Othello Park, one of the parks that Wiger has worked with, runs an international music festival. When there was a shooting in the neighborhood outside the park, Wiger worked with the Othello Park Alliance to counter the vicious cycle of negative messages and fear by offering intentional programming to further activate the park. Programming included a concert run by 19 youth service-learning students who met for six weeks to plan every aspect of the event.

Demographics: No demographic data is collected, but typically the parks that the Park Commons Program works with are in low-income and racially diverse neighborhoods.

Budget: Randy Wiger is the only full-time staff member. When the program started, he had a budget of $5,000 to assist with events. The budget has expanded to $20,000 and he has a van and equipment, like popup tents, tables and chairs that can be used at no cost to the local group.

Funding: City of Seattle

Evaluation: In 2007, a University of Washington Public Administration master’s student created a suggested evaluation framework and standards for park selection, but with only one full-time staff member, there have been no resources to implement the recommendations.

Inspiration: Community interests

Info: [email protected]

Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks Chicago, IL

Municipal Parks District maps program analytics to invest strategically in programming underused spaces

Through its program, Night Out in the Parks, the Chicago Park District (CPD) is partnering with arts and community organizations to program 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city with the goal of “making community parks safe havens and hubs of activity” (www.chicagoparkdistrict.com). Night Out in the Parks is a series of free summer evening arts and cultural programs in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Chicago Park District has traditionally offered many movies, concerts and other performances in downtown parks, but they have not been well-attended by people from many of the lower-wealth communities who do not feel like these experiences are designed for them and for whom transportation costs to downtown can be prohibitive.

In order to address Chicago’s cultural plan goals of bringing arts to neighborhoods and providing opportunities for artists to get paid, Mayor Rahm Emanuel charged CPD with increasing cultural experiences in neighborhood parks. CPD met this charge by using their data maps to identify which neighborhood parks have the capacity for increased cultural programming and users. CPD selected parks in areas with high levels of crime because they are aware of LA’s Parks after Dark and Summer Night Lights programs which have shown dramatic decreases in crime as a result of targeted programming increases. Some existing programs were packaged into Night Out in the Parks and have been offered at additional locations. Others have been adapted to their new locations and their particular needs. For example, CPD’s Shakespeare Theatre performances were staged to make plays more accessible to people who may have had little exposure to Shakespeare. Night Out in the Parks has been very successful and popular. In its first year of the program, there were 1,700 events attracting 150,000 attendees and 75% of the formerly underperforming parks are now considered high-performing.

CPD’s data-centered strategic planning, in part, drives the way Night Out in the Parks has developed. Using analytics from their online program registration system, CPD maps attendance, crime, income levels and other data to strategically plan which park spaces will benefit from increased activity. Staff use these maps to identify “underperforming” parks whose actual enrollment did not meet its target enrollment. The entire “chain of command” for these underperforming parks then meets to discuss the results and do an analysis of the park’s strengths weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). By working together, these different levels of government are able to make decisions based on experience and data and can then quickly identify and address problems. The use of mapping has also helped staff to geographically distribute events in parks across the city to ensure that spaces are not over or under programmed. Former CPD Chief of Staff, Gia Biagi, said “We are constantly using data to make more surgical decisions.”

Fee: Free program. Participating artists receive compensation for performances.

Demographics: No demographic data is collected.

Budget: $1.4 Million annually

Funding: $750,000 grant from the City of Chicago and corporate grants and sponsorships

Marketing: Night Out in the Parks Magazine: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/assets/1/23/2014_Night_Out_in_the_Parks_Magazine.pdf. Plans are underway to develop a Night Out in the Parks phone app.

Evaluation: No evaluation is currently conducted.

Inspiration: Los Angeles’ Parks after Dark and Summer Night Lights programs

Info: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/notp/about-notp/

Friends of Patterson Park Baltimore, MD

Friends Group engages Hispanic community through bilingual outreach, multicultural and simultaneous programming

When nonprofit organization Friends of Patterson Park formed in 1998, Patterson Park was dilapidated and known as a zone of prostitution, drugs and crime. “Initially programming didn’t make sense,” says Program Director Katie Long, but by starting with stewardship to restore and improve park amenities and moving on to targeted outreach and programming, the Friends and their partners transformed Patterson Park into Baltimore’s most intensely used large park. Programs and events include multicultural festivals and concerts combined with regular soccer, tennis, Zumba, walking, Salsa, and bilingual cooking and knitting classes.

A key factor of the Friends’ success has been their targeted outreach to the growing Latino community around the park. With several returned PeaceCorps volunteers and bilingual staff members, the Friends have been able to promote the park and their programming in both Spanish and English. They convened a Hispanic advisory council, Consejo Hispano, which helps plan programs and events and gives critical feedback on the needs and concerns of the Latino community. In response to community feedback, the Friends have increasingly moved towards a simultaneous programming model where programs are offered for parents and children at the same time and can accommodate a large age range. For example, during a youth soccer program for kids ages 4-13, Zumba is offered for adults. Some programs have shifted to engage entire families. A pick up soccer program for moms was designed to engage mothers

while their children were in karate, but began to include kids because they preferred to play soccer with their mothers. The program was “really successful… but it ended up being tricky to engage all members of a family,” of many different ages says Long. The Friends further engage families by offering a children’s activity at all meetings.

The health field in Baltimore is a major resource for the Latino community and one of the city’s main industries. As a result, many programs and events have an underlying focus on wellness. Youth tennis and soccer programs have started to incorporate health components including blood pressure and weight screenings. Audubon, another group active in the park, has an Rx for Nature program that sometimes gives prescriptions for kids to participate in Friends of Patterson Park programming. A new walking program for children and adults, funded by John’s Hopkins Bayview, plans to track health metrics in Spring 2015.

Fee: Almost all programming is free.

Demographics: Free programs generally are 30-40% Latino, 15-20% African American and 40-55% Caucasian. Soccer tends to be more Latino; tennis tends to have more African Americans; and concerts tend to be more affluent Caucasians. These demographics are not representative of the surrounding neighborhood which is primarily African American and Latino.

Budget: The budget for movies, concerts and programs in the park is approximately $48,000. This includes a part-time staff person, but not the program director’s salary.

Funding: Most of the funding comes from youth and family focused foundations.

Evaluation: Qualitative evaluations ask about time convenience, enjoyment of programming and evaluation of program staff.

Marketing: All programming is promoted bilingually. The Program Director and part-time grad fellow are both bilingual. Text messages and Facebook have been the Friends’ most effective tool for outreach to the Spanish-speaking community. They also market through weekly email blast using Constant Contact (5,000 subscribers), a separate Spanish blast (200 subscribers), and bilingual signboards and fliers. Friends staff work closely with the Mayor’s Hispanic liaison who helps promote programming.

Inspiration: Consejo Hispano (Hispanic Advisory Council) Feedback, Partner organizations

Info: http://pattersonpark.com/

Pop-Up Park Program Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Minneapolis, MN

Mobile program provides fun and safe summer activities to prevent youth crime and violence

After studying city-wide youth violence issues, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the City of Minneapolis Health Department (MHD) created a unique Pop-Up Park program which brings temporary mobile programming to underserved communities. Using a tent and a trailer filled with sports equipment, games, music and art supplies, staff serve as street-based outreach workers to provide fun activities and make connections to community programs and resources. Program locations include areas that have been identified by law enforcement as crime “hot spots,” those in low-income neighborhoods and places that are six or more blocks from programmed recreation centers. Programming is also planned to coincide with special events in urban core areas. Since the program began, general reports from parks have reported decreased violence. MPRB Director of Youth Development Heidi Pope says, “The program presence drives out negative activity. It feels safe because you have adults, activity and music.” In two half-day orientations, staff receive general programming training and Verbal Judo training on how to orally de-escalate problematic situations.

The success of Pop-up Park as a violence prevention initiative prompted MRRP to offer more mobile parks in Minneapolis. For the past three years, they have run a Pop-up Library program, in partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA, which offers outdoor interactive storytelling, literacy activities and opportunities to borrow books. This year, two new mobile programs, Pop-Up Bicycle Shop and Pop-Up Family, are planned. Pop-Up Bicycle Shop will focus on teaching children and youth basic bicycle maintenance and mini programs for participants to bike around the city. Pop-Up Family will focus on programming with family-oriented activities like horse shoes, table games, hula hoops and sidewalk chalk, in South Minneapolis, which has a large Native American community.

Fee: Free program

Demographics: Youth do not sign in, but staff perform a visual assessment of diversity. In 2014, 63% of participants were African American, 19% Latino, 11 % Native American, 5% Caucasian, and 2% Asian. 61% of participants were male and 39% female. Most of the neighborhoods that the program has focused on have been in North Minneapolis where the population is primarily African American and Somali. Materials were printed in English and Spanish last year and this year they will also be in Somali.

Budget: The Pop-Up Park program budget is $25,000 and runs 30 hours a week for 8 weeks.

Funding: Most funding is from the City of Minneapolis. The new Pop-Up Bicycle Shop will be funded by a grant from L.L. Bean of $7,500 cash and $15,000 worth of supplies.

Evaluation: General reports from parks staff have shown that violence has decreased. The department has an evaluation tool, but it is hard to motivate kids to use it for drop-in programming. Staff take informal notes on weather and other factors that impact attendance. This year, staff plan to use college students to canvass and interview participants.

Marketing: The Pop-Up Park’s most successful marketing strategy has been knocking on doors in the neighborhoods where the mobile programming will occur. They have used Facebook to promote the program to youth, but have not found it to be very effective.

Inspiration: The program is a part of Minneapolis Blueprint for Action to Prevent Teen Violence, a city-wide collaboration to address youth violence as a public health issue. As a result of this collaboration, from 2006 to 2012, Minneapolis’ violent crime among youth decreased 57%, incidents with guns among youth decreased 67%, youth gunshot victims decreased 39%, youth homicides decreased 60%, and youth gun-related assault injuries decreased 62%. (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@health/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-121861.pdf)

Info: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/youth_programs/teen_programs/pop-up_parks/

Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile National, including Philadelphia, PA

Roving fleet of Voyager canoes bring environmental literacy and outdoor learning to underserved urban youth

In Philadelphia and 23 other communities across the nation, nonprofit organization Wilderness Inquiry’s (WI) Canoemobile program is helping youth learn about and experience their local waterways through an innovative mobile and floating classroom. Canoemobile’s fleet of special vans travel the country with six hand-made 24-foot canoes to engage underserved urban students in multi-day canoeing experiences and environmental education activities. Students learn about the significance, health and history of major waterways in their communities.

The program began in Minneapolis, MN, where Wilderness Inquiry is headquartered. The organization was originally focused on inclusivity and outdoors for those with disabilities, but expanded its mission in the 2000s to include underserved urban youth. “We wanted to reinvent summer school as an experiential opportunity. We worked closely with parks and rec and began to identify public land within walking distance of each public school and make these outdoor classrooms,” says Chad Dayton, Director of Programs & Partner relationships. In 2010, Wilderness Inquiry took this program to Washington D.C. as a week-long demonstration for the National Park Service, and their demo evolved into a national tour that they call Canoemobile. Since its inception, the national Canoemobile program has served over 10,000 students in 17 cities across the nation.

The program starts as a 2-3 day experience in year one and in year two expands to at least five days in each community. WI convenes school partners, parks and recreation departments, local and state government and nonprofit organizations to plan the event, recruit students and host educational or interpretive stations to raise awareness of watershed and other environmental issues and public lands. Each day of the program, several hundred youth rotate between land-based learning stations and experiencing their waterway by canoe. For example, their 2014 Philadelphia learning stations included watershed modeling, water quality testing, catfish cooking demonstrations and a casting game. To further engagement, Canoemobile works with longstanding host communities to assemble internships, college scholarships and other opportunities for youth participants. This extended engagement model is currently active in Washington, DC and New York, but WI plans to expand to several other communities including Philadelphia.

Fee: Free program

Demographics: Canoemobile engages urban schools in underserved communities and the selected school partners determine the demographics of the program.

Budget: $2,500 for the first day of programming and $200 a day for subsequent days.

Funding: Wilderness Inquiry is funded by fee-for-service trips; private, corporate and foundation sponsors; and state and federal funding.

Evaluation: Anecdotally, staff say the impact of the program is clear, but they have no formal data to date. Wilderness Inquiry has partnered with the University of Minnesota to conduct a longitudinal study that will identify executive function and socio-emotional outcomes from the program both locally and nationally. Philadelphia is one community that is being considered as a case study for this research.

Marketing: Staff work with local media at each program site to build awareness of each program before it begins. They hold a press conference during the program and are featured in internal documents at both the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Inspiration: Bookmobiles and mobile libraries.

National Info: http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/programs/canoemobile/

Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile visits Philadelphia

Canoemobile first visited Philadelphia for one day in 2013 while also making one day stops in Chester, Wilmington, and Camden. In Philadelphia, 160 youth paddled on the Schuylkill River and learned about the natural and cultural history of the area. With support from the EPA Urban Waters grant program, Canoemobile returned to the Delaware River Valley in 2014 for two weeks to engage youth in watershed education and water quality testing. In an interview with 6abc NEWS, Program Director Chad Dayton said, “most of the students who participate in this program don’t know how to swim…Part of what we are doing here is introduce recreational opportunities on urban waterways and begin to affect the stigma that urban industrial waters have around the country.” The three-day Philadelphia program included two youth engagement days which served 430 students in grades 4-12 and one community paddling day which engaged 281 community members, both adults and children. Canoemobile Coordinator Ashley Pethan writes, “These engagements allowed youth and the community the opportunity to paddle on and learn about a river that many of them had only ever seen from afar while driving over bridges.” Staff are planning a three to four day engagement on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia for summer 2015.

Philadelphia Partners and roles:

 Army Corps of Engineers: education programming (fish ladder game)  Array of public schools (Greenfield Elementary, Parkway West High School, Saul High School, Lankenau High School, & Abington High School), charter schools, community centers, recreation centers, and after school programs.  Bartram's Garden: hosted community event with WI and Urban Nutritional Initiative (Philadelphia Harvest Festival)  Fairmount Water Works: student recruitment & environmental education programming (water quality testing)  Joe Becton: education programming (cultural history of Delaware River)  Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers: education programming (casting game)  National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program: logistical support and project management  Pennsylvania Sea Grant: catfish cooking demonstration & logistical support/participant recruitment (for Chester)  Philadelphia Parks & Recreation: park space, participant recruitment, & environmental education programming (watershed modeling)  Urban Blazers: student recruitment  US Environmental Protection Agency: Urban Waters Small Grant financial support  US Fish and Wildlife Service (John Heinz Wildlife Refuge): education programming (river wildlife & ecology)  US Forest Service: logistical support planning/implementation  PA Fish & Boat Commission: education programming (fishing demonstration)

Philadelphia Funding: Canoemobile is searching for a sustainable funding source for their Philadelphia program. In 2013 the Philadelphia program was funded by the U.S. Park Service and U.S. Forest Service; In 2014 Philadelphia and three other cities were funded by the EPA’s Urban Waters Program.

Philadelphia Info: http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/find-your-trip/itinerary/?i=Philadelphia-Schuylkill-River

Neighborhood Naturalist Program Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Minneapolis, MN

Mobile environmental education program brings the ‘nature center’ to the neighborhoods

Since 1999, Minneapolis Park and Recreation board (MPRB) has been deploying a “fleet of naturalists” to offer neighborhood-based programming for urban youth. The Neighborhood Naturalists program is mobile and adaptable and aims to teach participants about nature in their own yards and neighborhood parks. “Through hands-on exploration and learning, children find their own connections to the natural world that surrounds them in the city” (Neighborhood Naturalists program description). Naturalists lead a variety of activities that they adapt based on participants, such as checking storm drains for raccoons or litter, exploring ball fields for edible plants and even snowshoeing. The program content and structure changes seasonally ranging from week-long camps and weekly program series, to single day engagements. Environmental Education Program Director, Mary Lynne Pulscher says, “We make sure things work for everyone even those who don’t read English” by making adjustments such as modifying instruction and activities to be more visual. One program offering, Naturalist Roundup is designed for parks where kids congregate but don't often sign-up for classes. Naturalists run a drop-in program of fun, hands-on activities and games about science and nature. According to Pulscher, Naturalist Roundup has worked very well in low-income neighborhoods. Generally MPRB offers Neighborhood Naturalists where there is already an established group to request and promote the program.

In some parks and recreation centers, this is the only programming that is offered. Staff has been key to program success. MPRB hires and trains college students studying to be naturalists or related professions and tries to recruit them early in their college career so they can retain them for several years.

Fee: Varies, recreation centers choose the price for sign-up courses.

Demographics: The program serves 15,000 children a year from preschoolers to age 12. No demographic information is collected, but the program works with an economic and culturally diverse audience.

Budget: Unavailable

Funding: The City funds a set number of programmed hours at each recreation center. The centers can also raise money to buy additional programming from the department.

Evaluation: Staff evaluate what worked and what did not for programs that occur more than once.

Marketing: Recreation centers and neighborhood groups promote the program locally. It is also marketed through an environmental programs email blast.

Info: https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodnaturalist

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Boston, MA

Public-private partnership layers programming to create vibrant, active public space

In Boston, a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy (RFKGC) has resulted in one-and-a-half miles of contemporary parks enlivened by over 300 events and programs a year (mostly April through October). “We are trying to get as much activity in the park as often as possible,” says Charlie McCabe, Director of Public Programs. On a typical day, the greenway has food trucks, music, and a farmers market as well as a number of amenities like free Wi-Fi, shaded seating, a carousel and seven water features where kids and adults can get wet. In addition, the Conservancy layers a variety of programs and events like a weekly artisan market, different types of exercise classes, a mobile reading room, lawn games, educational talks, walking classes, yoga and Pilates. McCabe says the idea is similar to food trucks; by offering a variety of programs and amenities, the Conservancy creates a critical mass of people and activities so there are lots of options. They look for partners who are willing to offer free programming several times a week or in a month-long series. Previously, the Conservancy planned a few big events a year, but if the events were affected by weather or other challenges, the effort was wasted, so they moved toward a more ongoing programming model. Staff use a lot of trial and error, or what McCabe calls the “reckless yes,” trying anything that sounds good at least once. The Conservancy has found that there are many groups that want to run events and programs and are just looking for a location to do so in.

Fee: Free programming except for annual Gala and some permit applications and fees.

Demographics: It is challenging for the organization to collect concrete demographic information. An intercept survey revealed that about 2/3 of the people in the park come from outside the city or beyond.

Budget: In FY 2014, RFKGC’s operating budget was $4,236,046.

Funding: One third of organizational funding comes from the state. The other 2/3 comes from fundraising efforts or through amenities and improvements. Some money is raised through program and event permit applications and fees, though there is no fee for neighborhood community organizations.

Evaluation: RFKGC performs informal evaluations to consider what worked, what did not and what lessons can be learned from programs and events. They do a “post mortem” of the year to discuss what they did well, where there were gaps and if their programs and events were appropriate.

Marketing: Twitter has been RFKGC’s most effective marketing tool, in part, because the 25-30 food trucks that frequent the park use Twitter to tell people where they will be. Programs and events are also marketed through a city- wide calendar that is part of the City’s arts and culture event planning process; the information is distributed to municipal libraries. RFKGC works with transit agencies to post information on placards and has an extensive web and social media presence.

Inspiration: Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Central Park Conservancy in NYC, Herman Park Conservancy in Houston and Clyde Warren Park in Dallas.

Info: http://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/

Greenspaces Restoration and Urban Naturalist Team (GRUNT) Portland Parks and Recreation Department Portland, OR

Naturalist program expands staff diversity and prepares urban teens for environmental careers

Portland Parks and Recreation staff are not just acknowledging the lack of diversity in the environmental field, they are growing a new generation of minority and low-income urban environmental leaders. Through a unique training program, eighth, ninth and tenth grade urban youth are exposed to careers in nature and are given environmental job skills and work experiences including some paid internships. Participants receive 65 hours of on-site training in Portland’s parks from field experts on topics such as bird watching and migration, tree tending, indigenous wildlife tracking, amphibians and kayaking. The GRUNT program began in 2007, when staff member Sue Thomas grew concerned about the lack of diversity among her nature camp counselors. In its first year, with a $7,000 grant, GRUNT trained 18 teens that all became paid camp counselors the following summer. Since 2008, 200 students have graduated from the GRUNT program and many have become paid staff or have pursued environmental careers. However, some older youth who graduated from the program are experiencing structural barriers to employment in environmental careers, unrelated to their training, including lack of transportation and/or a driver’s license. In FY 2014, 18 GRUNT graduates independently secured work with Portland Parks and Recreation and another 38 youth participated in paid or volunteer internships at the Department. One participant of the ECO Internship program said “I had no idea that this career (or any of the careers people in this building have) existed. It opened my eyes up to the possibilities I have in the future…” (ECO Internship FY 2014 Program Report).

Fee: Free

Demographics: 85% of participants qualify for free lunch; 56% are in the ESL program; 74% participants are people of color.

Budget: The budget was $7,000 for the first year of the program. The 2015 budget is $60,000 for year round programming and $120,000 for their Youth Conservation program.

Funding: GRUNT was grant-funded until last year when it became a line item on the Portland Parks and Recreation budget.

Evaluation: Local schools track student participants to see how their involvement impacts their overall academic experience. In many cases, students who participated in this program showed an improvement in their science scores.

Marketing: GRUNT is primarily promoted through personal outreach to schools. In its first year, all participants were from one school, but now over 14 high schools are engaged in the process. GRUNT also distributes fliers and has a Facebook page.

Info: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/64362

Sprockets: Saint Paul's Out-of-School Time Network St Paul, MN

Sprockets, though not a program in itself, is important because it connects and promotes programs serving youth across St Paul. It also helps organizations develop and implement evaluation tools to increase program effectiveness. While some of the participating programs are located in parks and open spaces, others are not. However Sprocket's work can serve as a model for any city that aims for better collaboration between the public and private sectors in a range of disciplines.

Unique coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations collaborate to promote and evaluate city’s out-of-school time programming

In St Paul, MN, where there is one of the highest achievement gaps in the nation, a unique coalition called Sprockets is improving the quality, availably, and effectiveness of out-of-school time (OST), programming by connecting programs across and between public and nonprofit sectors. When Mayor Chris Coleman was elected in 2006, he wanted to impact out-of-school time but there was little information about what programs were available and how many children participated. After convening a series of conversations and many groups including a youth commission, Sprockets formed in 2011 as a coalition of staff members on permanent loan from public and private organizations. Sprockets engages local nonprofits who run youth-focused programming such as Conservation Corps’ Youth Outdoors program and Youth Farm’s urban farming programs to join the Sprockets network. They also engage public sector partners like St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department and St. Paul Public Schools. Sprockets network participants have access to a public-facing program locator tool to market their programs, a shared participation database and professional development to train staff to use these tools effectively. The program locator tool is a single source of information for city-wide OST opportunities from St Paul city departments, and medium and large youth-serving nonprofits and other organizations. Sprockets batch uploads some programs from city departments and larger organizations, but many smaller programs input the information themselves. They estimate that about 75% of St. Paul’s OST opportunities are captured on the site.

Sprocket’s shared participation database provides a free tool for participating city departments and organizations to track their program information and participant demographics. When Sprockets began, some programs used their own database, but others tracked data using excel or even pencil and paper. Now over 39 organizations participate in the shared database and include information on 20,000 St. Paul students. In 2014, 35 of these organizations went through the whole process of collecting data and using it for program improvement. “The Sprockets data system is revealing information that validates some of our assumptions and challenges others, and helps us be more thoughtful about our program,” said network participant Tyler Berres (Sprocket’s 2013-14 Out-of-School Time Report). Sprockets has a data-sharing agreement with the public school system so network participants can access some academic data (in aggregate) and use it for program planning and case-making. They also provide several trainings including M3, Making Meaning with Multiple Data Sets, which gives programs tools to create their own quality improvement plans based on data. Sprockets Associate Director Erik Skold says, “When we started we thought impact would be on systems level, but it is actually on the program level.” St. Paul has also seen some system level changes like increased alignment between funder reporting requirements and data collection and a deeper understanding of the OST field from the funding community. Skold would like to see an even “more aligned reporting system” that would further increase the effectiveness and reduce the burden of each organization’s grant reporting

Fee: Free to join Sprockets network.

Demographics: 83% of Sprockets network participants are youth of color; 33% African American, 30% Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 17% Caucasian. 80 % of Sprockets program participants from St. Paul Public Schools qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Budget: Unavailable

Funding: Sprockets originally began with a grant from The Lila Wallace Foundation and National League of Cities, which also supported nine other cities (including Philadelphia) for similar efforts. The City of St. Paul funds the director’s position and provides some other money, but most of Sprockets is funded by private philanthropy.

Marketing: Marketing was a major focus when Sprockets began in 2011 and now the network is well-known locally. Initially the City of St. Paul helped market Sprockets and continues to feature the network occasionally on their text alert system. Sprockets has a full time Communications and Network Associate, promotional floor minders in recreation centers and also relies on larger partners to spread the word.

Info: www.SprocketsSaintPaul.org, http://www.facebook.com/SprocketsSaintPaul

Common Themes in National Park and Open Space Programming

There is a lot of diversity, yet some clear commonalities, among the national programs the Philadelphia Parks Alliance profiled, as well as the park and open space programming in cities across the United States we reviewed in less detail. Our research has indicated that health and wellness are a major focus, either as a primary program goal or at the very least as an underlying objective. Many program operators are beginning to track health metrics in order to impact obesity, diabetes, mental health other health outcomes. Both formal and informal collaborations among nonprofits, public agencies, universities and hospitals, clinics and doctors are increasingly common. Some involve Park or Nature Prescription programs in which doctors prescribe park activities as part of their patient treatment plans.1

Walking programs are becoming increasingly popular as they are low or no cost, simple for all ages and abilities, are one of the most popular forms of physical activity, and promote community cohesion.2 In fact, Every Body WALK! The Movement to Get America Walking, “presented by” Kaiser Permanente, in collaboration with numerous other organizations, is a self-proclaimed “Walking Revolution.” Designed to be a grassroots movement and a call to action, as opposed to a program, another entity, GirlTrek is building a national health movement by inspiring and training black women to be health leaders and to lead walking teams. Some programs like those in Seattle and Baltimore target specific populations of diverse, older or low-income participants and focus on improving health.3 Others like the walking groups at Rose F. Kennedy Greenway are more social opportunities for exercise and park activation. While the main goal of these programs is not to activate public space, they do so very successfully, and also present exciting opportunities for low-cost adaptation in neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

Organizations around the country and in cities around the world, including a number we’ve interviewed, are experimenting with layering different programs, activities and amenities at the same time. Many of these are inspired by Dan Biederman’s work in midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park, which is based on the concept that combining activities like big games, yoga and ping pong with moveable seating, food, drink and entertainment drives a critical mass of people to park spaces. Building on the ideas of William H. Whyte, author of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, Biederman measures park safety and vibrancy by tracking the ratio of men to women because he believes women are more sensitive to visual cues of disorder. Groups in downtown Seattle are working with Biederman to adapt this philosophy in their parks by layering programs and tracking male to female ratios. Boston’s Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy is similarly building a varied menu of programming options for park users. In Baltimore’s Patterson Park, a friends group has moved toward simultaneous programming for parents and children to address childcare barriers to program participation.

The Parks Alliance found many examples of park activation being employed as an intentional public safety strategy. These programs fill parks with positive activity and crowd out crime and other negative behaviors. In Minneapolis, Pop-Up Parks for youth are activating underused public spaces and reducing teen violence by targeting activity in crime hot spots. Similarly, in Downtown Seattle, regular park programming and a “concierge” presence is driving out drug activity and crime. In Seattle’s neighborhoods, a community organizing effort is building local capacity to program and activate public spaces challenged with crime and violence. In Chicago, an expansion of neighborhood arts programming is contributing to reduced crime on summer evenings.

1 As park prescription programs are becoming increasingly well-known and are currently being done in Philadelphia, we did not include a profile as part of this study. To learn about park prescriptions, see National Park and Recreation Association’s Prescribing Parks for Better Health publication http://www.nrpa.org/Grants-and-Partners/Recreation-and-Health/Park-Prescriptions/ 2Every Body Walk! http://everybodywalk.org/media_assets/EBW_WALKING_REVOLUTION.pdf

Most of the program operators the Parks Alliance interviewed have experimented with low-cost programming using readily available resources as a foundation to later build a more extensive program or menu of programs. Project for Public Spaces has written about this national trend called Lighter Quicker Cheaper, in which organizations take incremental steps, use low-cost experiments and tap into local talents.4 For example, Portland, Oregon’s GRUNT environmental jobs training program started with a $7,000 grant and has grown to a $180,000 line item in the city budget. Organizations in Seattle and Boston are working with local program providers, such as yoga and dance studios, who provide free programming as a promotional strategy for their business or, in the case of nonprofit organizations, as part of their mission. Minneapolis has increasingly had success with mobile programming in vans and trailers, ranging from teen activities to mobile libraries and bicycle clinics, as well as drop-in environmental programming in parks where youth congregate, but do not typically sign up for programs. Pop-up, pop-in and mobile programming allow organizations to spread limited resources among multiple communities without significant capital investment.

The Parks Alliance has learned from our research that many programs that make it a priority to engage participants from diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds are very effective at doing so. In order to effectively reach target audiences, organizations are trying to build diverse and multilingual staffs that look and sound like their target participants. Seattle Parks and Recreation’s K-12 Environmental Education Program Supervisor, Belinda Chin says “One thing that has made a difference [in recruiting diverse staff] is rewriting job descriptions to reflect the value of community.” To address this issue, Portland Oregon’s Park and Recreation department is training young people of diverse backgrounds for environmental and park-related professions within their department and beyond. In our interviews, we heard repeatedly that free or very low-cost programming is key to maximizing access. In free programs such as Seattle’s Outdoor Opportunities, minority participation has exceeded that of the city even though the environmental field typically struggles with diversity. In addition to offering free programming, the operators of Seattle O2, SoundSteps, Canoemobile and others are building relationships in underserved communities through outreach to schools, centers and knocking on doors. Interviewees told us that these personal connections are essential to engaging communities of color and low wealth.

With limited time and financial resources, many of the organizations we profiled struggle with program evaluation. Most have, at one time, used a formal evaluation tool, but have stopped when they are no longer required by funders. Instead, many rely on staff observations about the success of the program, including which aspects do and do not work. Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks and St. Paul’s Sprockets demonstrated that, when used effectively, program data has the potential to significantly increase strategic decision-making and program effectiveness. These forward-thinking programs along with others such as Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile are investing in formal data collection and research to demonstrate and increase their impact.

Despite their lack of formal evaluation, many of the successful programs the Parks Alliance studied are engaging participants in program decision-making to better align their feedback with program goals. Cedar Rapid’s Zombie Apocalypse Camp was conceived by youth participants and program leaders continually encourage children, despite their young age, to help plan activities and make decisions. Seattle’s SoundSteps walking program has increasingly shifted program responsibilities to volunteer walk leaders and participants who enjoy taking an active role in planning walking routes, events and other initiatives. Baltimore’s Patterson Park has formalized the advisory role for the neighboring Hispanic community by creating a Hispanic Advisory Council, which gives critical feedback and direction on planning locally and culturally appropriate programming.

4Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/reference/lighter-quicker-cheaper-a-low-cost-high-impact-approach/

Philadelphia Park and Open Space Programming Introduction

Youth explore Philadelphia trails and waterways as a part of the Urban Blazers Program

Philadelphia is fortunate to have a myriad of exciting parks and open space programs, some well-known, some little-known outside of a particular neighborhood or interest group. At the same time, there remains a large segment of children and adults in Philadelphia who do not have access to high quality programs that meet their needs.

The following profiles represent some of the most captivating Philadelphia-area programs that the Parks Alliance learned of during our local research. After a series of preliminary stakeholder interviews, many conversations with constituents, board members and partners, and a constant scan of local media sources, the Parks Alliance generated a short list of programs, which was narrowed in consultation with the William Penn Foundation. The 10 feature programs were selected because they met one or more of the following criteria:

 Programs that have the potential for expansion or replication in other communities in Philadelphia  Programs that appeal to the priorities expressed by respondents to the Parks Alliance’s June 2014 Park User Survey  Programs that engage diverse communities or focus on public space in a low-wealth community  Programs that activate a previously underutilized or completely unused space  Programs that connect communities to local waterways or occur in a public space on or near water  Programs with a unique approach to planning, evaluation and coordination of partner organizations and stakeholders

Although there are many interesting and dynamic programs in Philadelphia that met some of these criteria, we focused on those that were not well-known across the city. Similar to our national studies, we included information about the process of designing and facilitating programs wherever possible. However, detailed budget and funding information was often not readily available. Local profiles also include a list of the primary Philadelphia neighborhoods and parks that the program serves.

Wooden Boat Factory Philadelphia, PA Craft and science apprentice program uses strength-based youth development to engage diverse youth on and around Philadelphia’s waterways

Through its two unique programs, Boat Build and Sail and Community Row Riverguides, the nonprofit Wooden Boat Factory (WBF) is helping low-income, diverse youth build life skills. Boat Build and Sail, WBF’s flagship youth program, engages 25 students in project-based learning in wooden boat building and competitive sailboat racing on the Delaware River. While boat building is the activity, the major focus of the program is mental health. Staff, with backgrounds in education, social work and youth development, work with students to develop their own competency and confidence and to make contributions to their communities. It is an intense, year-round program in which students invest an average of 350 hours annually. Some staff have had no previous sailing or boatbuilding experience. Executive Director Brett Hart says, “It’s hard to find a boat builder who is a well versed positive youth development educator. If you have to choose between the two, I would much rather make mistakes on boats then students.”

WBF’s newer program, Community Row Riverguides applies their youth development-centered apprentice approach to an environmental education and stewardship context. Twenty-five students learn about local watershed issues and apply their knowledge to do outreach and take action. Participants lead presentations to local Boys & Girls Clubs, take dissolved oxygen water samples and run family and community rowing days at local parks. “These are spaces that were industrial and communities are reclaiming, like Lardner’s Point,” says Hart. “We help bring communities back to these spaces.” Students also take action in local parks like planting rain gardens and building and maintaining geese enclosures at Lardner’s Point to prevent erosion. WBF is well known and respected locally and is increasingly used to make inroads into their neighborhood. For example, River Guides is working with TreePhilly, a program that neighbors have been resistant to, to build awareness and support for tree planting in North Philadelphia.

WBF is starting to be recognized nationally for its success. The organization was recently selected by the Susan Crown Exchange, a Chicago-based education philanthropy, to be studied as a model program for a field guide on best practices in social and emotional learning. WBF has also been honored this year as one of the LEGO Foundation and Ashoka’s 30 educator-innovators that are using the transformative power of play for learning and personal development.

Fee: Free. During the school year a $50 stipend is provided for participation if students meet performance benchmarks and participate for 15 hours a month. Summer program participants receive minimum wage through a partnership with Philadelphia Youth Network’s Work Ready program.

Demographics: Approximately 65 % Latino, 35% African American, 5% Caucasian, which reflects the neighborhood population and the demographics of Frankfort High School and Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, which most students attend.

Budget: WBF’s annual operating budget is approximately $525,000 with about $300,000 for Boat Build and Sail Program and $225,000 for Community Row River Guides. The majority of the budget is for staff. Materials for both programs cost around $15,000 a year.

Funding: Funding is almost exclusively from grants, but the organization is taking steps to increase its individual giving. Twenty percent of funding is from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Evaluation: WBF has access to students’ academic records and tracks dropout early warning indicators such a low grade point average, truancy and delinquency. Students also fill out self-evaluations which are compared with instructors’ evaluations and the discrepancies are discussed. By the end of 2015, WBF expects to be able to show how their outcomes align with investments in their programs.

Marketing: WBF has not invested many resources in marketing. Student guides engage the local community and are planning an event for neighbors to come to the boat-building lab to see their progress. They also use Facebook and Instagram to inform followers of their day-to-day activities.

Inspiration: Dr. Ken Ginsburg’s Reaching Teens Curriculum; the Rocking the Boat and Clearwater programs in New York State.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Northeast Philadelphia, Frankfort, Pleasant Hill Park, Bridesburg. WBF currently has two temporary shipping containers where they store and launch their boats at Pleasant Hill Park, but they are working with Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation (PPR) and Councilman Bobby Hennon to establish a more permanent space, likely in Bridesburg.

Info: http://woodenboatfactory.org/

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education Nature Preschool and Nature Rx Programs Philadelphia, PA

Founded in 1965, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) was one of the first urban environmental centers in the country and has been inspiring meaningful connections between people and nature for 50 years. SCEE offers public programs for adults and children including health and wellness walks, mediation in nature, Seedlings - a weekly outdoor program for parents and children, environmental art, fishing and canoeing. They also run 10 weeks of summer camps, an afterschool program and regularly host school groups on their 340 acre site in the Roxborough neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia. According to Director of Education Gail Farmer, SCEE education programs are increasingly shifting away from the traditional focus on how people impact the environment and moving towards a health and wellness approach that emphasizes how the environment impacts us.

Preschool uses nature as a context for learning

SCEE’s Nature Preschool Program is built on early childhood education research that shows time in nature fosters a child’s intellectual, emotional, psychological and physical growth. The program immerses children aged three to five in nature and the outdoors while preparing them for kindergarten. Starting in September 2013, the program enrolled 37 children. In 2014, they expanded the program to two classrooms with over 60 kids and are currently at 94% of capacity. In 2015, SCEE began partnering with Dr. Emily Snell, a research scientist at Temple University, to study the impacts of their nature-based learning on early childhood development.

New Nature Rx Program aims to engage families in their local parks to make the connection between nature and health

SCEE is collaborating with health, city, environmental and play partners on its new city-wide initiative to engage families in their local parks. According to Director of Education Gail Farmer, one of SCEE’s biggest challenges is that their mission is greater than their center. “People who come here are self-selective and it’s really challenging to get people here who don’t already have some personal relevance with nature,” says Farmer. Over the past year, SCEE has convened over 20 cross-sector partners to plan Nature Rx, a new nature prescription program which aims to make the connection between nature and health for families all over Philadelphia. SCEE cites research that children in the United States spend an average of 30 minutes of unstructured time outdoors each week, even though the Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association all recommend at least 60 minutes of unstructured, outdoor play per day.5 Modeled after Washington D.C.’s Park Rx, SCEE will partner with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) clinics to provide a suite of resources from which pediatricians can prescribe outdoor activities and programs to their patients. Programs like DC Park Rx have successfully used park prescriptions to increase children’s physical activity. Using D.C. Park Rx’s evaluation tools, a team made up of SCEE staff, parks and recreation staff, and public health students from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, plan to begin auditing park amenities, programming, safety and cleanliness in 2015. Their intention is to generate a database that doctors and the public can search to find the nearest greenspace and its offerings. The program is planned as a four year pilot with digital resources developed in 2015. Beginning in Fall 2015, Nature Rx prescriptions will be given at Cobbs Creek and Roxborough CHOP clinics. As a part of Nature Rx, SCEE is also working with a U.S. Forest Service researcher to study the immediate health impacts of outdoor time on stress by measuring cortisol levels.

Fee: Nature Preschool is $266-$1080 a month for 10 months depending on the number of days enrolled. Scholarships are available. Public programs are free or a nominal fee of approximately $8.

Demographics: SCEE tracks demographic data for registration programs. About 20% of participants are people of color and 80% are Caucasian. As this is not reflective of community demographics, SCEE’s goal is to increase diversity through partnerships with organizations already working with the communities they would like to engage. SCEE is also looking at their recruiting practices and trying to diversify their staff. Currently, one fifth of their full time staff are people of color.

Budget: SCEE’s goal is to either raise money or break even on programs. Staff are still raising funds for the second year of the Nature Rx program which is anticipated to be $157,000.

Funding: Program fees from SCEE’s summer camps, afterschool and nature preschool programs generate the bulk of education revenue which makes up one third of the total organizational budget. There is enough additional revenue from these programs to support public programming.

Evaluation: SCEE performs end-of-program evaluations that ask about quality, satisfaction and affordability. They recently started evaluating public programs and plan to collect one year’s worth of data before they consider how to adjust programming to reflect participant feedback.

5 Clements, R (2004). An Investigation of the Status of Outdoor Play, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 5 (1). 40

Marketing: SCEE has a full time staff member devoted to marketing and communications. Aside from staff costs, they do not spend a lot on marketing and most programs are known through word of mouth. They send direct mailings, advertise in several local publications such as Metro Kids and Weavers Way Coop’s Shuttle and display sign boards on busy roads near the center.

Inspiration: All organizational staff convene biannually for a program working group to brainstorm, pool and generate ideas.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Most programs are held in Northwest Philadelphia. The goal is for Nature Rx to be city-wide, with pilots in Cobb’s Creek, Roxborough in 2015 and South and West Philadelphia in 2016.

Info: http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/ for general program and Nature Preschool information. Public information is not currently available for Nature Rx.

BuildaBridge Artolgy Philadelphia, PA

Art and biology summer program uses Philadelphia’s parks and open spaces as outdoor classrooms

Armed with backpacks full of magnifying glasses, journals and cameras, teams of Artologists have been exploring the creeks, insects and plants of Philadelphia’s parks every summer for the past seven years. Artology, as the program is called, is a summer camp that uses the arts to teach about science, nature and the environment while deepening participants’ sense of public responsibility. One participant said, “An Artologist is a person like a scientist, like a person that looks around and studies stuff and learns about new kinds of bugs and animals and decomposers.... They draw to learn and study it and to discover more stuff about it…” Students, in grades four through eight, spend almost half of their time in the classroom and the other half using Philadelphia’s parks, open spaces and cultural institutions as laboratories to explore and practice art and science concepts. “People who come to Artology are parents or families who value an educational summer experience…Play is important, but our camp is a little different because kids learn, think and do,” says BuildaBridge Chief Operating Officer Vivian Nix-Early. The program is also unique because of BuildaBridge’s core philosophy, which centers on building hope, healing and resilience among children in crisis or poverty.

Each Artology program year centers on a different theme planned by professional arts and science staff trained by the organization in curriculum development, assessment and evaluation and trauma-informed art making. For example, for Artology 2014’s “Water” theme, students created water color landscapes and learned how to read maps; visited Tacony Creek Park to participate in water quality testing; and used stories about water from around the word as a lens to study the cycles and movement of water and create artwork. Following the BuildaBridge Classroom model, each day begins with a ritual of a drum circle and ends with journaling to promote focus and reflection.

One of the program’s successes is its consistent ability to engage low-income participants, children of color and students coping with homelessness. The racial and income demographics are representative of the Germantown neighborhood where the program is based, but children coping with homelessness come from all over the city. In previous years, BuildaBridge has provided transportation through several pick up locations in Philadelphia, but as in-kind

transportation donations ceased and transportation consumed more and more resources, the program has moved away from providing transportation and homeless participation has decreased.

BuildaBridge’s extensive evaluation process has reliably demonstrated participant gains in art and science knowledge, awareness of Philadelphia’s parks and open spaces and character development outcomes. BuildaBridge would like to multiply these results by expanding Artology into a year-round program, but has struggled to find a consistent and sustainable funding source with which to do so. In 2014, Artology grew to include two international locations in Ecuador and Kenya. Philadelphia participants were able to communicate with sister programs to share art pieces and compare what they were learning about water in their respective countries.

Fee: Artology has been free in the past, but BuildaBridge has recently moved to a sliding scale ($5-$350) so that participants have at least a token investment in the program based on their ability to contribute.

Demographics: In 2014, participants were 52% female and 48% male. 91% African American, 6% Bi-Racial, 3% Caucasian, 3% Hispanic or Latino. 73% of students qualified for federally-funded meals based on income and 79% of students’ families had an income less than 150% of the federal poverty line. 52% of students come from families living at or below the federal poverty line. In 2014, 6% of students were coping with homelessness, a decrease from past years when 12% or more participants were homeless.

Budget: It costs about $70,000 to serve 60 students for the summer program.

Funding: The majority of funding is from several private foundations. Family contributions and in-kind donations also support the program.

Evaluation: It is a part of BuildaBridge’s philosophy to assess and evaluate their work. Artology evaluations include pre and post surveys with parents and students and post program interviews with parents and students that measure outcomes based on the Pennsylvania standards for arts and sciences. Staff training includes a module on assessment and evaluation.

Marketing: BuildaBridge recruits participants through local churches and schools, personal neighborhood contacts and their school-year program in homeless shelters. Many students are repeat participants and many others learn of the program through word of mouth. The program is also marketed through Facebook and fliers at local schools, libraries, partner sites and events.

Inspiration: Originally, the program started as a way to continue to engage students in homeless shelters over the summer. At the time, Community Programs Director Charlene Melhorne was very interested in environmental science and had studied art and biology in Baja, Mexico. Each year the Artology Director and lead teachers determine the theme, curriculum and field trips.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Participants visit parks, open spaces and cultural resources across Philadelphia. Trip locations have included Wissahickon Valley Park, Cliveden Park, Historic Wyck House, Tacony Creek Park, Awbury Arboretum, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Fairmount Water Works, Carpenter’s Woods, Morris Arboretum, Pleasant Playground Pool, Shofuso Japanese House and Bartram’s Garden.

Info: Artology Blog: http://buildabridge-artology.blogspot.com/p/about.html

Awbury Arboretum Public Programs and Teen Leadership Corps Philadelphia, PA

New programs activate Historic Awbury Arboretum including opportunities for teens to build green jobs skills

Nestled in the historic Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Awbury Arboretum is a privately-owned 55 acre park and the largest remaining island of open space in their section of the city. Visitors can explore the local grounds admission-free and school groups have been visiting the Arboretum to learn about issues such as mammals and winter survival since the 1980s. Over the past few years, Awbury has had a complete staff turnover and is remaking itself as a hub of events and programming for the local community. In 2014 over 4,000 youth were served by Awbury programs and over 7,500 total visitors participated in a class, camp, lecture or event. Three years ago, Awbury started offering summer camps, predominately for children from the neighboring low-wealth community. Participants learn fire building, wilderness survival, archery, foraging and plant identification. Another new program, Hearts and Horticulture, provides lectures and classes for adults and families led by volunteer teachers on topics such as “Backyard Kitchen Basics,” “Biodynamic Orchards” and “Roses: how to grow the queen of plants.”

Awbury’s recently piloted Teen Leadership Corps (TLC) is the most unique of its new offerings. Taught by local farmers, professional chefs and gardeners, the program engages local teens ages 14-20 in planting, harvesting and cooking fresh produce. TLC was formed in response to community feedback that there were little to no opportunities for teens, particularly males, to gain job skills and earn an income. TLC provides a stipend (school year) or minimum wage (summer) to participants who help with the permaculture orchard and farms on site while learning about food systems, food justice and how to be a part of a working community.

Youth helped design the program including adding a component to produce and sell natural products such as herbed salts and natural hand creams. “We’re not just serving them, they really support the arboretum which makes them feel invested and like they matter,” says Program Director Heather Zimmerman. TLC participants are starting to cater some Awbury events and sell their homemade products at the arboretum.

Events are also a major part of Awbury’s effort to activate their open space. They offer green sales, art installations, an Easter egg hunt, a harvest festival and a flea market that is very popular with the local community. “It all blends together,” says Zimmerman. “Once people know the Arboretum is here, they tend to come back. Events serve to market the space and the regular programs and pull in people who can help sustain the arboretum.”

Fee: Summer Camp fees are $50-$250 a week depending on family income. Hearts and Horticulture lectures cost a nominal fee of $15 of which the teacher takes 85%. During the summer, Teen Leadership Corps students are paid minimum wage through a partnership with Philadelphia Youth Network.

Demographics: About 25% of TLC youth are from the local neighborhood, but staff are working to increase this proportion. Most teen and summer camp participants are African American. There is some participation from Asian students from another part of the city and several Caucasian and Latino children are involved. TLC has struggled to make inroads into some local high schools, in part, because program leadership does not reflect the diversity of participants.

Budget: The entire budget to maintain and program the 55 acre site is under $500,000 and includes two full time and five part time staff. The Summer camps budget is approximately $35,000, which includes materials, scholarships for some campers and a 15% overhead for Awbury. In 2014, the budget for TLC was $21,000 for the school year and $31,000 for the summer when participants are paid. Hearts and Horticulture lectures cost less than $500, mostly for marketing. Program costs do not include full-time staff time. There is no budget for Homeschool programs aside from Awbury staff time.

Funding: Awbury is funded by an endowment, annual campaign, individual donors and a for-profit landscape business.

Evaluation: Summer Camps are formally evaluated by professors of Education from Arcadia University. Philadelphia Youth Network does a pre and post interview with students and a weekly assessment of the Teen Leadership Corps. Informal evaluations are conducted through conversations with teachers and parents.

Marketing: Awbury staff make in-person presentations at local schools. The program is marketed on Awbury’s listserve, but subscribers are generally not local families or children. TLC Youth would like to expand their program’s social media presence, which may allow participants to help market the program.

Inspiration: Staff rely on prior work experience and research programs offered by Arboretums around the country. There is almost no budget for programming, but leadership is open to trying low-cost programming to see what works.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Northwest Philadelphia, Awbury Arboretum

Info: http://awbury.org/

Philadelphia Orchard Project Philadelphia, PA

Nonprofit plants community orchards and activates growing spaces with community festivals and educational programming

With a dedicated board, volunteer network and two part time staff, nonprofit Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) is planting orchards across Philadelphia and activating these spaces with educational programming and community events. POP partners with community-based groups and volunteers to plant orchards and builds the capacity of local groups to care for their orchard space with educational trainings, workshops and technical support. Since its founding in 2007, POP and its partners have planted 37 orchards that include perennials; trees like apples, Asian pears and figs; and shrubs and vines like blackberries, blueberries and kiwis. "People who live in the building overlooking the orchard used to look out on an overgrown short-dumping site. Now, they see grass, shrubs, and young trees, and they are thrilled,” says Marjorie Russell of the Tulpehocken Orchard, in one of POP’s partner reports. Aside from their standard orchards, POP has “demonstration” orchards, sites with public access; and “supported” orchards, sites receiving support outside of their standard community process.

In addition to producing fresh fruit and vegetables in under-resourced communities, POP’s orchards serve as vibrant community spaces for learning and play. In 2014, 3,700 people participated in POP and its partners’ educational programming and another 4,100 people used orchards as gathering spaces. POP offers 10-12 workshops a year on topics including orchard care, rainwater harvesting, permaculture and composting. Executive Director Phil Forsyth says one of the biggest challenges of the workshops is that, “It’s very hard to get people to leave their neighborhood.” To address this, POP tries to “spread out” the workshop locations and relies on local partners to help promote offerings in their communities. POP also organizes an annual Orchard Weekend at partner sites that includes activities such as face- painting, cider pressing, orchard tours, cooking workshops and arts and crafts. In 2014, the event took place at 11 orchards and attracted over 1,700 attendees.

Fee: Partner contributions to orchard planting costs are based on a sliding scale and approximately half of the partners contribute to plant material costs. Educational workshop fees are generally $10-20 and partners receive free or discounted admission.

Demographics: Orchards are planted almost exclusively in Philadelphia’s low-wealth neighborhoods where people lack access to fresh fruit.

Budget: The annual budget for POP is $65,000 and includes a “not quite full time” executive director.

Funding: Grants, individual contributions

Evaluation: POP surveys their orchard partners annually about the value of different aspects of their program including participation in orchard care and educational programs, fruit production and distribution.

Marketing: Orchard planting events, festivals and programs are marketed on POP’s listserve, website, Facebook and Instagram. Partner organizations market POP programs in their communities.

Inspiration: POP is part of a growing local food systems movement around the world. Most urban orchard programs focus on gleaning (the harvesting of leftover or unwanted fruit by the public), but POP is primarily focused on planting orchards. Portland Fruit Tree Project, London Orchard Project, Treefolks Urban Orchard Project, and Neighborhood Fruit are comparable programs.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Numerous

Public access orchards and orchards on public land: Bartram’s Garden in West Philadelphia, Fairhill Orchard in North Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Horticultural Center in West Philadelphia, Grumblethorpe Orchard in Northwest Philadelphia, SHARE Orchard in North Philadelphia, Teens for Good Orchard in North Philadelphia, Woodford Orchard in East Fairmount Park, Awbury Arboretum Orchard in Northwest Philadelphia, Carousel Orchard in West Fairmount Park, Gorgas Park Orchard, and Hunting Park Orchard in North Philadelphia.

Info: http://www.phillyorchards.org/

Fit4Mom Philadelphia, PA

Private franchise helps mothers stay fit by exercising in Philadelphia’s parks

In Center City Philadelphia, mini-fleets of moms with jogging strollers are taking over Philadelphia’s parks and trails, blending strenuous fitness workouts with engaging activities for babies and networking for mothers. The program is a franchise of Fit4Mom, formerly Stroller Strides, which aspires to be the country’s largest fitness class for moms including pre and postnatal fitness classes for all stages of motherhood. Outdoor classes include Stroller Strides, a jogging and stroller fitness class; Fit4Baby, a prenatal workout of calisthenics and yoga; and Body Back (not currently offered in Philadelphia), a nutrition and circuit class for mothers who want to get back in shape. While the women are working out, they entertain babies - who stay in their strollers for safety and liability reasons - with stories and songs. Philadelphia’s three instructors, including franchise owner Carolyn Kaufman, are trained in courses prepared by the national company. Each class has 10-15 participants who register for an individual or a series of classes. Kaufman says, “Being a mother is tough and I think it’s really important to get out of the house, socialize and be a role model for your kids. Babies see the importance of it. My three-year-old says, ‘Mom, you’re going to Stroller Strides. Can I come and do squats with you?’” Fit4Mom Philadelphia also offers a free Mom’s Club that connects families for playdates and activities like Mom’s Night Out.

Fee: First class is free, then $6-18 per class or $70 a month for unlimited classes. Fit4Mom offered free classes at Sister Cities Park from June to September 2014, but the promotion did not attract new participants and may not continue.

Demographics: The program is geared toward a specific audience and no demographic information is collected.

Budget: Unavailable. Participant fees are divided between the course instructor and franchise owner. Most of the year there are no additional expenses beyond instructor costs, but for four months in the winter, space rental fees at a local church make the program break even.

Funding: Participant fees 48

Evaluation: No formal evaluation process, but Fit4Mom often receives positive feedback and 95% of first-time participants come back.

Marketing: Facebook; Graduate Hospital listserves; word of mouth; visibility at parks and outdoor spaces; materials are left at Center City Pediatrics and other local businesses.

Inspiration: The Fit4Mom national company was started in 2001 by Lisa Druxman who wanted to combine her passion for fitness with motherhood.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Fit4Mom Philadelphia is focused primarily in Center City where the franchise owner lives and runs classes on the Schuylkill River Trail, Spruce Street Harbor Park, Sister Cities Park, Logan Circle and the Delaware waterfront near Penn’s Landing. Classes have previously been held at Rittenhouse Square. A separate franchise in Chestnut Hill/Plymouth Meeting holds classes at Morris Arboretum, Wissahickon Valley Park and in the Northwest suburbs.

Info: http://philadelphia.fit4mom.com/

The November Project Philadelphia, PA

Informal group uses social media to organize an exercise community

The November Project began in Boston more than three years ago when two Northeastern University graduates, who missed the camaraderie of group exercise, decided to work out together on early November mornings and to hold one another accountable for staying on track with their routine. Their project has expanded to a “free fitness movement” of groups meeting three days a week in Boston and 16 “tribes” implementing the program across North America. A cornerstone of this movement is using social media to bring people together for free exercise and a sense of community.

In October 2013, Suzanne Allaire, a runner in Philadelphia who knew of the November Project, invited eight friends to join her for group exercise one morning on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Using Facebook and Twitter to get the word out, Philadelphia’s November Project now attracts an average of 100 people and sometimes as many as 300 in the summer. People join by “just showing up” to participate in workouts that are scalable for everyone from serious athletes to newbies. In Philadelphia, the group meets at 6:25 am on Wednesdays at the iconic Art Museum steps and on Fridays at Lemon Hill Mansion in Fairmount Park. Volunteer leaders Suzanne Allaire and Dan Layo, plan and lead the weekly workouts which include running up the Museum steps; runs around the museum; Burpees, a type of circuit training that includes jumping jacks, pushups and cardio; and a four mile run with circuit training at Lemon Hill. Sessions take less than an hour and are meant to provide a good workout before participants go to work. Allaire says the “Program is designed to stay fit, build community and make friends. There are lots of hugs to create human connections and get the millennials away from their technology. Everyone is unplugged!”

Part of the reason for the group’s popularity is the culture of group camaraderie and accountability they have constructed. The Philadelphia November Project has a phone buddy system; people call one another during the week to check in and see how they are doing with their workouts. The community also “pushes” members to fulfill their commitments to their workouts. If members say they are going to attend and don’t show up, the community “roasts” them on social media. The program is in its second year and growing. A motto on the group’s webpage reads “We are turning the City of Brotherly Love into the City of Brotherly Hugs.”

Fee: No cost and a commitment to remain that way

Demographics: No demographic information is collected, but group leaders say it’s an ethnically, racially, generationally and socioeconomically diverse group. Some international visitors join in when they are in town.

Budget: All volunteer

Funding: No funding

Evaluation: The local and national group recently started using a workout tracker tool which enables users to voluntarily input running times and track participation. The tracker also enables November Project tribes to have participants sign liability waivers. The Project is now collecting a lot information and has partnered with outdoor gear company The North Face to offer rewards like running gear for use of the workout tracker tool.

Marketing: The Philadelphia November Project uses Facebook and Twitter to organize fitness activities.

Inspiration: The National November Project was founded by two Northeastern University grads who missed the comradery and accountability of the workouts they experienced while rowing crew in college.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Art Museum, Lemon Hill, in Spring 2015 the November Project will add a Monday workout that will be at a different destination every week.

Info: https://www.facebook.com/NovemberProjectPHL, http://november-project.com/philadelphia-pa/

Let’s Go Outdoors Philadelphia, PA

New social enterprise seeks to close the minority participation gap in outdoor recreation activities

Let’s Go Outdoors (LGO) is a new socially-minded enterprise that is building a business model around increasing family and individual participation in outdoor activities, especially among people of color and in city communities. The idea for LGO started percolating four years ago when co-founder Tarsha Scovens was expecting her first child. Scovens was often one of the only people of color when she participated in camping, hiking and other outdoor recreation in college. She says, “I started thinking how am I going to get my kids outdoors, especially because they are black kids.” LGO was further inspired by research from the 2009 Outdoor Foundation's Recreation Participation Report which found that only 8% of African Americans participate in outdoor recreation, in contrast to 80% of Caucasians.

Though the organization is in its infancy, it has a wealth of ideas and has started offering interactive parent and child programming in Philadelphia’s Northwest parks and neighborhoods. At Awbury Arboretum, it runs Baby Sense- sations, a monthly program in which 3-18 month olds participate in interactive sensory activities centered around an outdoor theme. LGO also leads Toddlers Movin & Groovin, a music-based session at Oak Lane Free Library for 10-24 month olds featuring environmental books. A new program, called Sign It, Speak It, Write It, helps people of all ages use sign language to be “an interpreter of nature,” and will soon be offered at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.

LGO’s Urban Outdoor Initiatives focuses on bringing outdoor experiences to high-needs communities in Philadelphia and is fiscally sponsored by United Charitable Programs. Working with students from Blair Christian Academy, Gideon Elementary and Olney Elementary, which have student populations almost exclusively of color, the program focuses on getting kids outdoors in their neighborhoods. Scovens recently took a group of 3rd and 4th graders to Smith Memorial Playground; the students had not even known that the space was available to them. “Parents think that parks are associated with gun violence. Why don’t people think that they own these outdoor spaces? That’s what I want Urban Outdoor Initiatives to be,” Scovens says.

Fee: Some free programs. Programs with fees are generally $5 a session or $22 for five sessions. The organization would like to move toward a membership-based fee model.

Demographics: The organization targets people of color and city populations. Toddlers Movin & Groovin is 100% African American. Baby Sense-sations is about 75% Caucasian and 25% African American.

Budget: Budget unavailable. There is very little overhead as LGO has no full time employees and volunteer staff work out of their homes. Co-founder Tarsha Scovens (previously a volunteer with a full-time job) recently decided to devote herself part-time to the organization.

Funding: LGO piloted with a $15,000 Turning Point Prize from Women for Social Innovation in 2012. Program instructors are paid from program fees. Urban Outdoor Initiatives is funded by a $4800 grant.

Evaluation: No formal evaluation process, but informal feedback has been extremely positive.

Marketing: LGO sends fliers home with students at participating schools to market Urban Outdoors Initiative. Public programs are also publicized through LGO’s website, email list and by partner sites.

Inspiration: PA Master Naturalist Training. Co-Founders are speakers at the Diverse Environmental Leaders National Speakers Bureau (http://delnsb.com/)

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Awbury Arboretum, Northwest Philadelphia, Schuylkill Environmental Center, Strawberry Mansion, Cobbs Creek.

Info: http://letsgooutdoors.net/Home_Page.html

Urban Blazers Philadelphia, PA

Outdoor experience and character development program introduces students from under-resourced communities to parks in Philadelphia and beyond

For the past 10 years nonprofit organization Urban Blazers (UB) has been building leadership and team development skills and introducing students from Philadelphia’s most under-resourced communities to environmental experiences right in their backyard. The organization partners with Title I schools and community centers to mentor, build relationships with and among students. They teach leadership and healthy team dynamics through outdoor activities like ropes courses, rock climbing, hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, canoeing and skiing. As a result of UB’s programs, 90% of participants have been exposed to a new experience, 90% report being more interested in nature or science and 95% of participants report learning something new and positive about themselves. UB started as a group of friends volunteering; the organization has grown to serve 1,200 kids annually with only one full-time staff member and a budget of $100,000. By relying on a strong volunteer network, UB delivers weekly programming at school and community sites and takes participants to local parks and trails in their community once a month. There are occasional trips to parks outside of Philadelphia such as Jack Frost Mountain in the Poconos, Valley Forge, Dingmans Falls and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

While character and leadership development is UB’s primary focus, a secondary goal is to encourage students to participate in outdoor experiences in their communities and increase their knowledge and interest in science and conservation. Whenever possible, students travel to parks using public transportation so that they can duplicate trips on their own time or with their families. Executive Director Eric Doloway would like to see more effort made to reconnect communities where investment is being made in park improvements. Doloway has heard 60-70 year olds talk about positive experiences in Philadelphia parks, but the children and grandchildren of this generation have been actively discouraged from using the park system because of crime and drug concerns.

Through a new partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), UB is sharing its programming model for working with urban youth in order to increase the diversity of national park users. Together they created a short documentary film that both entities are using as a tool to engage more students by demonstrating that outdoor experiences are not as scary or difficult as they seem and to show teachers that it is possible to involve students from diverse backgrounds in outdoor experiences they will enjoy.

Fee: No participant fee

Demographics: All of the students that UB works with come from Title I schools which have a high percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. About 90% or more of the students are African American, 7% Hispanic, and 3% other. During the school year students are 10-13 years old; during the summer they are between the ages of 7 - 15.

Budget: The total organizational budget is about $100,000 which covers 1 full time staff member, insurance costs, volunteer training and trip costs excluding transportation which school and community partners generally cover as their contribution. UB has a low overhead with no formal office space. They have free storage at one of their school partner sites.

Funding: Funding is approximately 10-15% government, 20-25% foundations and the remaining amount is from individual contributions and fundraisers.

Evaluation: UB surveyed students and teachers for seven years with consistently positive outcomes. Three years ago they discontinued surveying because the results never changed. They are building a stronger and more character-based assessment tool that will be piloted in 2015 at one school.

Marketing: The organization has relied on personal relationships and word of mouth to develop and expand its school and community partnerships and has reached its participant capacity. They use social media including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. UB has found that Instagram is most effective for their program because it allows them to show images of what it looks like for kids from under-resourced communities to enjoy parks.

Inspiration: UB was started by a small group of friends who wanted to help expose children from diverse communities to nature and couldn’t find a volunteer opportunity in which to do so.

Philadelphia Parks & Neighborhoods: Mander Playground, Hank Gathers Recreation Center, Boxers Trail in East Fairmount Park, Wissahickon Valley Park, Cobbs Creek Park and Pennypack Park.

Info: http://www.urbanblazers.org/, https://instagram.com/urbanblazers/, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban- Blazers/82513863476, NPS and UB short documentary: https://vimeo.com/106610757

Common Themes in Philadelphia Park and Open Space Programming

There is a great deal of public space programming in Philadelphia that is consistent with the trends the Philadelphia Parks Alliance found in our research around the United States. It is also clear that there is not sufficient programming in Philadelphia to meet the needs of many children and adults, nor are existing programs easy to learn about because of the lack of a central repository for park program information. Philadelphia is home to individuals, nonprofits, for profits and other institutions whose knowledge, creativity, ingenuity and hard work have led to the development and facilitation of programs that are exciting, multi-dimensional and replicable. Philadelphia can learn from other cities but we can also learn from ourselves. There is much opportunity to share lessons and adapt programs for the specific needs of neighborhoods all over Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, along with other cities in the U.S., is embracing public space programs that overlay health and fitness with community building, environmental science, recreation and other interests. Programs such as Fit4Mom, the November Project and Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education’s Nature Rx are designed to impact the physical fitness of children and adults. Others like the Philadelphia Orchard Project and Awbury Arboretum’s Teen Leadership Corps, work to improve the physical health of participants by building their capacity to grow edible plants while increasing their access to fresh local food. Programs such as BuildaBridge’s Artology, Wooden Boat Factory, Urban Blazers and the Schuylkill Center’s Nature Preschool emphasize how outdoor experiences can impact mental health. There appears to be much unfilled potential in Philadelphia to replicate walking programs that are thriving in other cities. There are exciting opportunities for programs based on existing models to be led by participants in collaboration with experienced program operators.

Many Philadelphia area programs profiled by the Parks Alliance successfully engage diverse youth from a particular low-wealth community. Similar to programs in other cities, free or very low-cost programs that invest in building relationships in target communities are most successful at recruiting a diverse group of participants. Programs such as those led by Wooden Boat Factory, BuildaBridge, Urban Blazers and Awbury Arboretum have been particularly successful at engaging youth of color and have the potential to be expanded to other communities in Philadelphia. Although some programs like the November Project and those of the Philadelphia Orchard Project have diverse participants, we found comparably few programs that target adults of color or those from low-wealth communities.

The program operators we interviewed in Philadelphia reflect a variety of evaluation strategies and attitudes. In the organizational culture of BuildaBridge, Philadelphia Orchard Project and Wooden Boat Factory, evaluation is crucial to understanding and verifying the impact of programs as well as making strategic programming decisions. Many other organizations recognize that evaluation is important and are working to collect a pool of relevant data to more effectively evaluate their work. Evaluation is less of a priority for the two for-profit and one volunteer-led program we reviewed. Informal evaluation through conversations with staff, parents and participants is widespread among the programs we profiled, regardless of their evaluation methods or lack thereof.

The Philadelphia programs profiled by the Parks Alliance employ a variety of strategies to achieve their impact. Some, such as those at Awbury and Wooden Boat Factory, focus on one neighborhood, while others like Urban Blazers and Philadelphia Orchard Project serve many communities. Program operators told us repeatedly that when facilitating city-wide programs, it is essential to foster strong relationships with local partners who have built meaningful connections in the communities where they would like to offer their programs. The programs we profiled differ in their organizational capacity. Some have total organizational budgets of $100,000 or less; others exceed $600,000. We’ve learned that strong board and volunteer networks enable smaller organizations like Urban Blazers and Philadelphia Orchard Project to maximize their impact.

Marketing of Park and Open Space Programming

Friends of Patterson Park’s bilingual event flier

Marketing is a challenge for many of the organizations whose programs the Parks Alliance profiled in Philadelphia and other cities. One of the major issues noted by respondents to the Parks Alliance’s Park User Survey was the lack or perceived lack of information about available programming in Philadelphia. Many respondents said the situation could be improved through more and better notification through a range of methods including social media, e- mail blasts, posters around the local community, accurate websites for park spaces, bulletin boards and welcoming signage that lists programming. Open answer responses mentioned repeatedly, without being prompted, the need for a single source of program information to improve awareness of what programs are available and to coordinate public programming schedules. We learned from our Philadelphia program studies that organizations are already doing a lot of grassroots marketing through fliers and posters, and are also using social media, email blasts and website listings. However, while a lot of program information is available, those who do not know where to look or which organizations host programs, may not find it.

There are a few city-wide promotional resources in Philadelphia, but they mainly focus on publicizing events as opposed to programs. For purposes of this report, the Parks Alliance considers “programs” to be ongoing activities as opposed to one-time events. UWISHUNU is a program of Visit Philadelphia, started seven years ago to inform locals and visitors of events going on in the city. Two full-time staff members build relationships with major organizations, civic associations, and municipal departments who then feed their information, mostly by email, to UWISHUNU. The editor sorts through all the input to determine what gets listed. Activities taking place in open spaces and serving the greatest number of people are given higher priority. Eighty percent of summer event listings relate to activities in open spaces and parks. There is no charge to list an event or use the UWISHUNU site. Staff members estimate that the site captures roughly 60% of events in the city.

Phillyfunguide, started by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA) in 2002, is a resource for cultural, entertainment and sporting events. Anyone can submit an event to the website, and all events are included unless the content is deemed inappropriate. Phillyfunguide is free to users and the site generally gets about 110,000 page views a month. GPCA encourages organizations to use its recently updated submission form, however staff members also scan newspapers, websites and other sources to ensure that major events are included. One Phillyfunguide page features outdoor events and another highlights free events. GPCA is working with its site developer to more effectively list permanent attractions such as the Rocky Statue and Sister Cities Park’s Children’s Discovery Garden. The guide also posts reoccurring, events, which are considered by the Parks Alliance to be programming.

We asked all of our national interviewees if their cities had a single source of information about available programs or knew of an exemplar. Several cities and counties provide good resources for department-led programming like paper program booklets and online program registration systems, but these do not include information about the hundreds of privately-led programs that occur in park spaces every day. The best example of a comprehensive site is the Sprockets Out-of-School Time Coalition in St. Paul Minnesota (covered at length on p. 32). Although it specifically targets youth involved in out-of-school time programming, Sprockets is a model that could be adapted in Philadelphia as a single source of all park programming information for adults and children. Sprockets has a program finder tool to which participating organizations can upload their program information. Staff estimate that the program finder captures about 75% of public, private and nonprofit out-of-school time programs. Their database vendor, Cityspan, created a shared database that coalition members can access directly or to which Sprockets staff can batch-upload program information. Philadelphia is building PhillyBOOST, a similar coalition for youth out-of-school time programming, but it is not as established and currently has no public tools for publicizing available programs.

As part of our study of local programming, the Parks Alliance found that the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education’s Nature Rx (covered in detail on p. 40) has the potential to be a more comprehensive source of and model for program information. One of the program goals is to create web profiles of park and recreation spaces, events and programming at each site. Nature Rx is currently in the development stage and it is unclear how dynamic and comprehensive its profiles will be. The program seeks to emulate D.C. Park Rx, which maintains static PDF pages for each profiled park space and lists only basic park information.

Appendix of Other Programs and Resources Below is a list of unfeatured programs and other resources, organized by topic, that the Parks Alliance found through our research and suggestions during interviews..

National:

Environmental

Urban Wilderness Project, Seattle, WA Urban Wilderness Project works to restore communities by creating access to service-learning projects rooted in social change. http://www.urbanwildernessproject.org/home.htm

National Environmental Professionals of Color (EPOC), National EPOC is a growing community of leaders of color across the USA that work on critical environmental issues, from habitat conservation to environmental justice to upstream public health. http://cdeinspires.org/our-services/movement- building/environmental-professionals-of-color-epoc/

Tree People Los Angeles, CA TreePeople inspires and supports the people of LA to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain and renew depleted landscapes. https://www.treepeople.org/

Central Park Discovery Program, New York, NY Discovery backpacks for children to use on DIY walks http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and- do/attractions/discover-kit.html

Children and Nature Network, National The Children & Nature Network was created to encourage and support people and organizations working nationally and internationally to reconnect children with nature. http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Diverse Environmental Leaders National Speakers Bureau, National An initiative of Earthwise Productions, Inc. (EPI) an environmental company that increases the participation of urban communities in public lands, waters and environmental conversation http://delnsb.com

Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY Various nature programs that highlight Brooklyn’s last remaining forest and only Lake. http://www.prospectpark.org/

Food/Gardening

Portland Fruit Tree Project, Portland, OR Portland Fruit Tree Project is a grass-roots non-profit organization that provides a community-based solution to a critical and growing need in Portland and beyond: Access to healthy food. http://portlandfruit.org/

The Urban Orchard Project, London, UK The Urban Orchard Project works in partnership with communities to plant, manage, restore and harvest orchards in urban areas to help us all to rediscover the pleasure of eating home-grown fruit. http://www.theurbanorchardproject.org/

Treefolks, Austin, TX TreeFolks impact preserves the Central Texas quality of life by cooling the air, cleaning precious water, sheltering from the hot Texas sun, and by providing a shaded sense of place that fosters a healthy, connected community. http://www.treefolks.org/

Neighborhood Fruit, National Neighborhood Fruit helps people find and share fruit locally, both backyard bounty and abundance on public lands - 10,000 trees nationwide and counting. http://neighborhoodfruit.com/

NeighborSpace, Chicago, IL NeighborSpace is the only nonprofit urban land trust in Chicago that preserves and sustains gardens on behalf of dedicated community groups. http://neighbor-space.org/

Health and Wellness

Midnight Basketball League Program, National The Midnight Basketball League keeps young men off the streets, teaches them self-discipline, and gives them an opportunity to make a positive change in their lives. https://www.amblp.com/

San Antonio Ride to Own Bike Program, San Antonio, TX Participants learn the fundamentals of riding and maintaining a bicycle while working toward earning a brand new bike. http://www.sanantonio.gov/parksandrec/ride_to_own.aspx

TPL Fitness Zones, National Adult playgrounds for seniors http://www.tpl.org/blog/meet-las-fittest-grandmas

East Bay Regional Park District, Oakland, CA Health related programing, fly fishing, and more. http://www.ebparks.org/

Run this Town Detroit, Detroit, MI Networking and fitness program for professionals. http://networkingout.com/

Healthy Detroit, Detroit, MI Organization that markets and runs health programming in parks including “Health Parks” http://www.healthydetroit.org/

Walk with a Doc, Cleveland, OH Cleveland Metro Parks’ walking and health program http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/02/post_48.html

Docs in the Park, Baltimore, MD American Academy of Pediatrics member physicians actively participate in park events to model healthy behavior and answer questions. http://bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/Recreation/SpecialPrograms/DocsinthePark.aspx

DC Park Rx, Washington DC Doctors prescribe park programs and Parks are mapped and rated based on facilities and in a searchable database by zip code. http://aapdc.org/chapter-initiatives/dc-park-rx/

Rx Annapolis, Annapolis, MD Partnership with local hospitals to offer physical activity prescriptions. http://www.nrpa.org/Success- Stories/Articles/2013/January/Annapolis-Fills-Physical-Activity-Prescriptions-for-Kids/

Rec Rx San Diego, San Diego, CA Recreation programs prescribed with a copay. http://www.nrpa.org/Success-Stories/Articles/2014/January/County-of- San-Diego-Breaks-Barriers-to-Recreation-for-Obese-Youth/

Portland Rx Play, Portland, OR Doctors refer patients to Department of Parks and Recreation and staff follow up by phone to enroll youth in fitness programs. http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PLANS/pages/planning_rx_play.aspx

Dr. Ken Ginsburg’s Reaching Teens Curriculum Strength-based communication strategies to build resilience and support healthy adolescent development. http://www.fosteringresilience.com/professionals/books.php

Activating for Health Conference, Atlanta, GA Atlanta Park Pride’s 2013 conference http://www.parkpride.org/conference/2013-conference/

Walking River Walkers 60+ walking program http://detroitriverfront.org/things-to-do/riverwalkers

Cleveland Walking Works Walk predesigned hikes on your own, fill out form and get shield http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Walking- Works.aspx

GirlTrek Organization that is building a national health movement by inspiring and training black women to be health leaders and to lead walking teams. http://www.girltrek.org/

San Antonio Walks, San Antonio, TX Walking program with participation incentives http://www.fitcitysa.com/exercise/san-antonio-walks.html

America Walks and Everybody Walk Campaign 100 business, government and nonprofit partners working together towards common cause of increasing walking and creating more walkable communities http://www.walkscore.com/

Walking Audit An audit is an unbiased examination/evaluation of the walking and biking environment. http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/planning/tools_audits.cfm

Park and Open Space Activation

Reading and Rhythm on the Riverfront Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s interactive early literacy program that provides children live entertainment, storytelling by local celebrity readers and free books. http://www.detroitriverfront.org/readingandrhythm

Parks after Dark, Los Angeles, CA Effort to activate parks in evening hours to increase public safety. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/docs/parksafterdark.pdf

Summer Night Light, Los Angeles, CA Violence reduction and activation program. http://www.grydfoundation.org/summer-night-lights

Pittsburg Market Square Vibrant park offering pop up games, urban forest and patio, reading room, dancing and yoga. http://downtownpittsburgh.com

New York Mobile Recreation Vans, New York, NY Mobile play, fitness and skate programs in vans. http://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/recreation/mobile-units

Bryant Park, New York, NY Widely cited as a model for activating urban parks with moveable seating, food, entertainment, big games, yoga and more. http://www.bryantpark.org

Playstreets, New York, NY Play Streets allows communities to open up their streets to pedestrians for play on a recurrent basis. http://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/playstreets

Reimaging Play in Denver Unique play space still in development which will include advocacy. http://www.westword.com/2013-12- 19/news/denver-parks-city-loop/

Forest Park, St Louis MO Extensive park with a number of amenities and activities including birdwatching, fishing, handball and educational classes. http://www.forestparkforever.org/

Rooftop Garden, Holland Playground in the sky. http://popupcity.net/playground-in-the-sky-roof-garden-arnhem/

Dalston Rooftop, London UK Private roof-top park with a membership fee and entertainment such as music, street food, film screenings. http://www.bootstrapcompany.co.uk/22_dalston_roof_park

Seattle Center Park, Seattle, WA Park that has been successful at engaging people of different backgrounds and hosts 12 ethnic festivals. http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=662

Franklin Park, Boston MA Flashlight gathering to take back park challenged with violence. http://www.cityparksalliance.org/why-urban-parks- matter/frontline-parks/parks/212-franklin-park

Branch: Dig into Urban Gardening Youth focused urban gardening in San Francisco. http://www.branchsf.com/

Top 100 Public Spaces A crowd-sourced list of the top 100 public spaces in the U.S. and Canada from Planetizen and Project for Public Spaces. http://www.planetizen.com/toppublicspaces

Water-focused

Anchors Away Miami, Miami, FL Life skills and sailing for youth with disabilities. http://www.anchorsawayfoundation.org/

Rocking the Boat, Bronx, NY Students work together to build wooden boats, learn to row and sail, and restore local urban waterways, revitalizing their community while creating better lives for themselves. http://www.rockingtheboat.org/

Clearwater, Beacon, NY Provides educational programs, environmental advocacy, and musical celebrations, including the renowned annual Clearwater Festival, to inspire, educate, and activate millions of people. http://www.clearwater.org/

Cleveland Lakefront, Cleveland, OH http://clevelandlakefrontconservancy.org/

Detroit Beach, Detroit, MI Seasonal beach in downtown Detroit with sand, colorful seating and umbrellas, a beach bar, and a custom deck. http://www.pps.org/blog/placemakings-ripple-effect-how-a-beach-downtown-is-making-waves-in-detroit/

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY Waterfront park offering fishing, boating, swimming, astronomy, sunset Pilates, Zumba and senior fitness. http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/

Pittsburg Riverfront Effort to reclaim, restore and promote Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. http://www.riverlifepgh.org/

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s K-12 Programs Watershed education classes focused on beaches, freshwater habitats, geology, and salmon in the watershed. http://www.seattle.gov/parks/environment/learning.htm

Hudson River Park, New York, NY Offers waterfront orienteering, River Rangers, family fishing clinics and more. http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/education-and-environment/learn-and-play

Philadelphia-area:

PhillyPlay City Council program offers children structured opportunities to learn about and engage in active play and nutrition at 10 recreation centers across Philadelphia, one in each Council District for six weeks over the summer. http://www.phillyplay.org/

LOVE Park JO-ET-TICS Promotes fitness and fun thru the use of line dancing & other socially popular forms of dance. http://www.lovepark.pl/

LOVE Park Zumbody Productions Zumba in LOVE Park. http://www.lovepark.pl/

Yvonne Michaels Drexel Public Health Public health professor who researches parks and trails and health http://publichealth.drexel.edu/academics/faculty/Yvonne%20Michael/

Cadence Cycling Foundation/Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia Cycling program for youth in underserved neighborhoods that includes leadership development and academic skill development. http://bicyclecoalition.org/

The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia Youth development organization that provides youth with educational programs that build character, instill life- enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. www.thefirstteephiladelphia.org

Greener Partners Farm Explorer Mobile Truck Mobile farm truck with raised beds, kitchen, etc. that travels to different schools and recreation centers and addresses the increasing disconnection between people and the source of their food in order to reduce obesity and food related diseases prevalent in low income populations. http://greenerpartners.org/farm-explorer/

TTF Nature Walks A free monthly Wednesday morning nature walk series in Tacony Creek Park to learn about the critters that live in the water, signs of a healthy creek, and how can you help keep the creek clean http://ttfwatershed.org/

Parks Alliance ParkTours Monthly hikes and walks often unseen places in Philadelphia’s parks and surrounding countryside. www.philaparks.org

Fairmount Park Conservancy guided runs and walks Group trail runs and hikes in Philadelphia parks. http://www.fairmountparkconservancy.org/

Overbrook Environmental Center Promotes environmental education, and improved health and participation in renewable energy and sustainable technological environmental projects for underserved west Philadelphia community. http://www.jastechdevelopment.org/oeec/default.asp

Heinz Refuge Offers a 6 week program that employs high school students for environmental stewardship and weekly field trips. http://www.fws.gov/refuge/John_Heinz/

BirdPhilly New series of birding walks and events that will take place in locations across Philadelphia during 2015 to showcase Philadelphia as a regional destination for birding and to introduce birding to newcomers. http://birdphilly.org/

Fairmount Waterworks Project Flow A six-week summer experience during which students explore water in an experiential and interdisciplinary way as artists, historians, scientists and social activists. http://fairmountworks.com/2013/01/project-flow-summer-program/

Chamounix Stables Work to Ride Program A non-profit community-based prevention program that aids disadvantaged urban youth though constructive activities centered on horsemanship, equine sports and education. http://www.worktoride.net/stage/programs

Fleisher Mobile Art Studio ColorWheels delivers creative experiences directly to community members in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. http://fleisher.org/community/colorwheels.php

Mural Arts Project’s Mural Mile Seventeen of Center City's most iconic murals arranged along a walking route through downtown Philadelphia's vibrant commercial districts and quaint residential streets http://muralarts.org/explore/mural-mile

Schuylkill Banks The Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC)’s effort to create unique and inviting riverfront parks and trails and hosting events to bring people down to Schuylkill Banks including riverboat tours, kayak tours, and movie nights http://www.schuylkillbanks.org/

Seaport Summer Camp Campers learn about maritime history, science, and boating in week-long summer camp sessions. http://www.phillyseaport.org/camp

Philadelphia Public History Truck A mobile museum devoted to telling the community story of Philadelphia. http://phillyhistorytruck.wordpress.com/about/

Storytelling Benches Walk-up storytelling about Philadelphia history. http://historicphiladelphia.org/once-upon-a-nation/storytelling/

Night Market An event that temporarily closes streets and fills them with food vendors, artists, and performances http://thefoodtrust.org/night-market

Bartram’s Garden A 45-acre National Historic Landmark site with classes and events for local community members and visitors. http://bartramsgarden.org/

Food Fit Philly A program of the Philadelphia Department of Health which includes a goal to create safe spaces for physical activity in communities. http://www.foodfitphilly.org/about-us/

Franklin’s Paine Skate Park Fund Strengthens communities and empowers youth by advocating for skaters and skateboarding culture, educating youth and adults about the art of skateboarding and its benefits to neighborhoods and people, and building public skateparks. http://franklinspaine.com/

Spruce St Harbor Park A two-month summer program that brings a boardwalk, urban beach, fountains, and misting areas to the Delaware River Waterfront. http://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/spruce-street-harbor-park

The Porch at 30th St Station Once a congested parking lane and bland, barren sidewalk, The Porch has quickly become one of the most animated public places in Philadelphia, with amenities such as abundant seating, vibrant seasonal plantings, ongoing performances, fitness classes and a variety of special events such as theater and dance performances and mini-golf in the summer. http://www.universitycity.org/the-porch

Sister Cities Park Center City park with Children’s Discovery Garden, fountain, café and programming. http://www.ccdparks.org/sister- cities-park

Dilworth Plaza Center City civic place adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall with on-going programming, amenities, and activities that benefit the public and support the mission of the park. http://www.ccdparks.org/dilworth-park

Outward Bound Philadelphia Provides experience-based outdoor leadership programs for youth and adults. http://outwardboundphiladelphia.org/

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1827 that offers programs, activities, workshops, and publications for gardeners of all levels and interests. http://phsonline.org/

Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation http://www.phila.gov/parksandrecreation/

Neighborhood Gardens Trust Acquires and preserves community gardens and shared open space in order to enhance the quality of life in Philadelphia neighborhoods. http://ngtrust.org/ 66

Norris Square Neighborhood Project Uses gardens as outdoor classrooms, gathering spaces and income producers through increased educational programming and special events and activities. http://www.myneighborhoodproject.org/site/

P.O. Box 12677 Philadelphia, PA 19129 215-879-8159