March 25, 2021

President's Remarks

Good Morning and Happy Thursday, Well we finally made it to Spring and the weather couldn’t be nicer. I am always amazed at how a few warm days really encourages nature to show its colors. I hope you had an opportunity to listen to Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa speak today about how cities around the world have responded to the pandemic and build the case for why leaders must act now and make difficult changes to create, plan, and manage cities radically different. His talk was both inspiring and encouraging and really brought light to the importance of Recreation and Parks in this pinnacle year. Gil talked about the physical, mental, and spiritual connection and benefits to green space although cities continue to build more parking lots then parks over the past forty years. In fact, one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs was written in 1970 with the lyrics “they paved paradise to put up a parking lot” so we need to challenge our city planners, politicians, and developers more and passionately plead for connected green space. I do hope you feel a renewed sense of hope as we get vaccinated, witness and appreciate the trees budding, the spring flowers blooming, the sun feeling warmer, and the days lasting longer. Of course, our maintenance teams may not be as excited as the grass begins to grow. It is a good time of year to give thanks to all of our park maintenance staff for all they do to provide clean, safe, and beautiful places that we all enjoy. If you haven’t done so thus far, please don’t forget to vote at www.mrpanet.org for the 2021-22 slate of officers. Voting ends March 30th. If you were fortunate enough to catch the entire series by Annie Frisoli, good for you as Annie had a great insight on engagement strategies for both virtual and in person experiences! If you are responsible for hiring, training, or supervising coaches, you’ll want to sign up for “Vetting and Training Youth Coaches: Are Recreation Departments Falling Behind?” by speaker John LaMalva to be held next Wednesday, March 31 from noon- 1:30pm.

Take Care MRPA friends and have an enjoyable day.

John Nissel

MRPA President

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MRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE IS VIRTUAL

Please register by March 31!

Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Office Suite

Date: Friday 5/7/2021

Time: 12:00pm

Speaker: Alissa Harrington

Description: Whether you distribute content by email, on the web or in a meeting chat, it’s important to ensure your information is accessible to all users. Online accessibility creates equal access to the learning experience, which many of us take for granted. Participants in this workshop will discover 10 ways to create online content with accessibility in mind, including design and formatting considerations. We will explore accessibility strategies for Microsoft Office, PDF files and multi-media.

About the speaker: Alissa Harrington draws from more than 20 years of industry experience as an instructional designer and technology educator. In addition to her role as the Senior Instructional Designer for McDaniel College, she is also an Instructional Designer for Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Safe and Healthy Schools. Alissa holds a degree in Education from Towson University, and currently serves as the Education Liaison for the American Institute of Architects' Committee on Architecture for Education.

Leadership Lessons of a Career Professional/Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun (.3 CEUs pending)

Date/Time: Wednesday, 5/19, 9 AM - 12:00 PM

Speaker: Joe O’Neill

Description: The instructional story is used to explore a wide variety of Leadership and Management Concepts experience throughout Joe's 43 year career in the files of Public Parks and Recreation.

This training is being offered through Howard County Recreation & Parks.

Silent Auction

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate

Three power players in the Tampa Bay business community have joined together to educate business and community leaders on the essential practices and tools designed to increase employee diversity and to create a business model that embraces equity and inclusion. The University of South Florida Muma College of Business will offer a free, seven-week certificate program, sponsored by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jabil, that will focus on ways organizations can create a more diverse workplace as well as address equity issues and foster inclusivity.

The certificate program begins Mar. 24 and runs through May 5. It consists of seven two-hour modules, aired live on Wednesdays from 5- 7 p.m. ET (but participants have two weeks to view the recorded session).

While the program is free, advance registration is required.

Click here to learn more and register!

Vetting and Training Youth Coaches: Are

Recreation Departments Falling Behind

(.15 CEUs Pending)

Date: Wednesday 3/31/2021

Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm

Speaker: John LaMalva

Description: The rate of youth sports “incidents” (including negative behaviors, injuries, and various forms of abuse) has continued to rise, garnering national attention. Recent national and state initiatives to improve coach vetting and training have resulted in mandates for specific action in an increasing number of youth sports organizations. While several segments of the youth sports market have made dramatic improvements in vetting and preparing youth coaches, in general programs offered by recreation departments have made less progress. Participants in this session will have an opportunity to learn how the landscape has changed, how legislation (including the Safe Sport Act) affects them, and what actions they can take now to address the growing risk they face in offering youth sports programs. Participants will be given a framework to help them assess their risk and identify potential actions to improve their programs. Time will be allocated to a group discussion of the risks, challenges, and best practices involved in youth coaching. A real time survey of participants will be used to help drive this discussion, and will enable participants to see how they “stack up” in these areas vs. other agencies in their state.

About the speaker:

John LaMalva is the founder of Alpha Youth Sports (AYS), which provides services to youth sports organizations that use parent and other volunteer coaches. AYS provides a coach recruiting and administration platform to youth organizations in more than 30 states. Prior to founding AYS in 2011, John led systems integration, production management, and consulting teams as an SVP at Fidelity Investments and as a Partner at Accenture.

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MRPA Challenge

MRPA Social Justice, Racial Equity &

Inclusion Committee

Invites you to take the

#MRPAChallenge!

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MRPA QUARTERLY AWARD

The MRPA Quarterly Award gives credit and recognition to a MRPA member who has contributed to the improvement of the Association through their involvement and accomplishments during each quarter. This quarter recognizes members contributions from January to March 2021. Nominations for Member of the Quarter are due by 6pm Thursday, March 25, 2021. To nominate a member, follow the link; https://www.mrpanet.org/page/QuarterlyAwards.

MRPA Elections

2021-2022

MRPA Members: Don't forget to vote for MRPA Board of Directors and branch leaders!

Voting opportunity closes Tuesday, March 30.

Exercise your right to vote!

It's time to vote for the 2021-2022 MRPA Board of Directors and Branch representatives.

View the candidate bios and vote here.

If you are a member of a branch, after casting your vote for MRPA Board of Directors, please return to the main voting screen to proceed to branch voting.

You must be logged in with your MRPA ID and password. If you don't know your ID and/or password, please send an email to [email protected]

Voting begins March 12, 2021 and ends March 30, 2021

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Governor Larry Hogan has proclaimed the month of March as Sportsmanship Month in Maryland. Spread the word!

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TR & Inclusion PLC:Essential Eligibility Criteria and Confidentiality

When: Tuesday, April 27 from 10 -11:15am Where: Zoom!

Join us as we discuss and share best practices for developing essential eligibility criteria as well as ensuring participant confidentiality. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with other TR and Inclusion professionals from across the state and learn about ways to better serve your participants.

Camps Professional Learning Community

When: Wednesday, May 12 from 10:00am-11:15am Where: ZOOM!

COVID hit camps hard in 2020...how will we reclaim the fun in Summer ’21?

Please join us for all things summer camp! Network with professionals from across the state, identify best practices, compare policies and procedures, discuss trends and share innovative ideas

TR & Inclusion PLC: Staff Training and Manuals

When: Tuesday, May 18 from 10 -11:15am Where: Zoom!

How do you make sure your staff are prepared for their roles while also keeping training engaging? Join us as we discuss ways to improve your staff trainings and create a thorough staff manual. From training topics and methods to information that should be included in your staff manual, we will discuss it all! You won’t want to miss the opportunity to network with other professionals, discuss best practices, and brainstorm new ideas.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN FOR THE RECREATION & EVENT PROFESSIONAL (CEUS PENDING)

Annie Frisoli is the Founder & CEO of Creating Community, LLC and Creator and Designer of Leadership.Innovation.Teamwork (L.I.T.) Workshop Series for Recreation and Event Professionals. Annie earned her bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation from The University of Toledo and her Master’s degree in Recreation Management from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Annie is a Certified Festivals & Events Executive (CFEE), gaining her certification through the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School. Annie is also certified in the Foundations of Design Thinking and received her train-the-trainer certification in Experience Innovation. Annie has worked with numerous recreation and event teams in a variety of capacities including time spent with operations for the Volvo Car Open and the St. Louis Art Fair, she has acted as the non-profit development coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association, has developed numerous campus-wide events at a variety of universities, and also works as a community engagement specialist for public parks and recreation agencies during design planning. Finally, as a current adjunct faculty with Ohio University, she enjoys having an impact on future recreation and event professionals.

Experience Design for the Recreation & Event Professional Session 3

March 25

The online workshops will discuss numerous strategies to assist with creating engaging online or face to face experiences. Participants will not only gain insights on experience design but will also actively participating in the workshop to assist with understanding the impact engagement strategies can have on participants. Discussions and strategies will revolve around dissecting your community members journey through your experience, understanding the stages of an experience, tapping into all five senses/learning styles, and creating unexpected human connections in order to create community.

Session 3:

• Designing for delight and unexpected human interactions • Touchpoints and transitions and their impact on community and sense of belonging

These sessions will be cumulative and we encourage registrants to attend all three; however, you may registration for each individually.

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View our completed projects!

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Take Care Of Yourself So you can take care of others Series

Staying Engaged and Advancing Your Career As a Remote

Employee When: Wednesday, April 28 from 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Zoom!

All classes begin at 10 AM and are 60 minutes; 45 minutes of content and 15 minutes for Q&A.

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Civility in the Workplace

When: Wednesday, May 5 from 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Zoom!

All classes begin at 10 AM and are 60 minutes; 45 minutes of content and 15 minutes for Q&A.

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The Impact of Attitude on Work and Life

When: Wednesday, June 23 from 10:00am – 11:00am

Where: Zoom!

All classes begin at 10 AM and are 60 minutes; 45 minutes of content and 15 minutes for Q&A.

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MRPA YouTube VIDEOS

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Career Center Job Openings

Click Here For Info To Post Job Openings

Summer Seasonal - Baltimore County, MD

Adventure Assistant Manager - North East, Maryland

Park Services Associate I Multiple Vacancies - Annapolis, MD

Park and Recreation Director - York County, PA

Landscape Architectural Project Manager II - Montgomery County, MD

Equipment Operator II - Prince George's County, MD

County-Wide Sports Coordinator - Riverdale, MD

Look for the Weekly Update every Thursday in your in-box!

MARYLAND RECREATION & PARKS ASSOCIATION

Prince George's Stadium | 4101 Crain Highway, Suite 201 Bowie, MD 20716

Office | 301.352.7203 * Fax | 301.352.7464 * Email | [email protected]

Website |www.mrpanet.org

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