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38 Parks & Recreation | A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 | W W W . P A R K S A N D R E C R E A T I O N . O R G

Whether in a small town or large metropolis, our park and recreation programs

can be integral in tying our communi- ty together and vital for the success of our youth. Those who regularly partici- pate in the arts are more likely to have academic achievement, be elected to a class office position, win awards, read for pleasure and perform community service. For those at-risk youth, the arts can deter truancy and delinquent behav- ior and increase academic performance, according to Americans for the Arts.

Understanding the community’s inter- est in the arts is paramount in prioritizing program depth and breadth. Americans

for the Arts suggests first determining what your community wants from an arts program, what it wants to achieve and where interest lies; then determin- ing how the arts are supported politically and financially in your community and what funds are, or could be, utilized for programs. Americans for the Arts also has resources for marketing, establishing a local network and creating relation- ships with local businesses.

Arts programs come in many shapes and sizes — from traditional summer camps and afterschool programs to high- ly specialized and focused programming. Finding the right fit for your community is the key to a successful program.

Afterschool Arts While there is often a plethora of activ- ities and classes available for preschool- and elementary-school-aged children, our middle and high school students seldom have much available to them. According to Afterschool Alliance, “On

school days, the hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime, and quality afterschool programs for young people offered during those hours can help prevent youth violence.”

The city of Austin, Texas, created the Totally Cool, Totally Art program specifi- cally to reach this age group. The Har- vard Family Research Project says the goals of the program are to “increase youths’ (1) sense of belonging and feel- ing that they have safe, positive and cre- ative environments in which to partici- pate during free time; (2) opportunities to expand knowledge, skills and possible career interest in art; (3) trust and respect for other youth, adult mentors, artists and other authority figures; (4) ability to work cooperatively with other youth and communicate effectively in a group; and (5) ability to make creative and positive choices through self-expression.”

The Totally Cool, Totally Art program was established in 1996, originally to thwart gang violence. To date, the program has re-

By Paula Jacoby-Garrett

Creating Successful, Lasting Arts Programs

Art enables us to find

ourselves and lose

ourselves at the same time.

— Thomas Merton

Unleashed:

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A R T S U N L E A S H E D

ceived the Nickelodeon Television Award for Best Local Teen Art Program, and sever- al NRPA awards, among others. Offerings have included culinary arts, fashion design, soft sculpture, painting, STEAM, ceramics, metalsmith, jewelry making, mask making, drumming and urban painting. Each ses- sion runs five weeks, with instructors rotat- ing between recreation centers.

“We just finished our 21st year of this regional and national award-win- ning program,” says Kelly Hasandras, program specialist for the city of Aus- tin. “We serve 150 teens a week, ages 12– 18, in eight recreation centers, and we create different classes every year to keep it fresh. We are trying to help two differ- ent communities with this program. We hire emerging artists in the community to teach these classes so they get valuable experience teaching. And, it is valuable for the students who take the classes.”

Arts and Culture As the recipient of the 2016 National Gold Metal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the town of Cary, North Carolina, takes its cultural resources very seriously. “Our arts pro- grams run the gamut from hands-on class-

es in painting, pottery, fused glass, metals, woodworking and textiles to performance classes in drama and dance, and vari- ous music areas, including guitar, piano, voice and our popular bluegrass summer camps. In addition, we offer classes in filmmaking, video game production and history camps,” says Lyman Collins, cul- tural arts manager. Programs are available for those 18 months old to seniors.

The Town of Cary also hosts a robust film festival, national musical and theat- rical acts, and cultural events such as the Diwali Festival, which is celebrated with the local Indian-American community. “A new off-season program at the am- phitheater is the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival, where incredible Chinese ‘lanterns’ — tall, intricate cloth-covered figures lit internally — are built on-site by Chinese craftspeople and then left on-site for six weeks. [They] drew over 90,000 visi- tors this past holiday season,” says Collins.

“Because the Cary Arts Center brings together the visual and performing arts in one facility, we have nurtured oppor- tunities for programs to complement each other. For example, for a perfor- mance with a touring artist in our Mar- velous Music series, our arts classes have

worked with young people on drawing to the music — expressing their art based on the music they hear,” says Collins. The city also works with more than 30 local arts organizations to assist in facili- tating its programs and goals. This wide range of arts programs and activities are what has made the Town of Cary suc- cessful and nationally recognized. As Collins says, “variety is our strength.”

Art not only can engage our youth, but also can work toward social change. Along the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans, a team of young community members creat- ed a mural that not only documents the his- tory of the greenway, but also incorporates themes of hope and reconciliation. Truly a team effort, the project was spearheaded by the Welcome Table New Orleans Mid- City Circle, the Young Artists Movement (YAM) and Prospect New Orleans.

“The lead artist, Keith Duncan, led workshops with young people to teach skills in mural-making. [After community engagement], he worked with them to cre- ate the ultimate image that would be creat- ed at Lemann Pool,” says Alphonse Smith, director of the Arts Council New Orleans. “We had over 100 community members participate, putting on the initial coats of paint. We had people from ages 5 to over 60 coming out to kick off the project. From there, the young people who were chosen to participate in the project completed the rest of the mural.” Today, the mural stands as a reminder of the talent of our youth and the power of community arts projects.

Dance When a program is successful, it lasts, and the San Diego Civic Dance Arts program has done just that for 75 years. Through the years, the program has in- troduced hundreds of thousands to the art form of dance, and has been lauded as the standard by which other citywide dance programs nationwide measure themselves. The program serves San Di- ego residents from 3 years old to senior citizens across 20 locations.

40 Parks & Recreation | A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 | W W W . P A R K S A N D R E C R E A T I O N . O R G

The Town of Cary, North Carolina, provides a variety of programming for those from 18 months to seniors.

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The program runs more than 200 class- es weekly from ballet to hip-hop to Bolly- wood, and many other classes in between. It provides youth summer camps, ad- vanced training camps, master classes, an adult workshop, and a workshop specifi- cally to increase the participation of boys.

“There is less interest in the tradition- al arts programing, such as ceramics and crafts, and more interest in perfor- mance-based arts, including dance, sing- ing and dramatic arts,” says Deputy Di- rectors Kathy Ruiz and David Monroe.

A large part of the program’s success is the caliber of instructors it brings to the program each year. World-class instruc- tors and choreographers give the classes a level of quality and professionalism not typically seen in a city-run program. Be- yond the number of classes it offers, this program has successfully secured more than 25,000 hours of volunteer support on an annual basis. This volunteer sup- port helps offset personnel costs and es- tablish community support. Financially, the San Diego Civic Dance program holds its own — in 2016, the program netted more than $300,000.

The program has received a multitude of awards, including the 2017 nomination for Bravo Award for Best Dance Concert, 2016 Bravo Award for Best Dance Con- cert, 2016 Presidential and Mayoral Vol- unteer Awards to two long-term volun- teers, 2014 Bravo San Diego Award, and the 2013 Presidential Volunteer Award from Barack Obama, among others.

“The program is successful because the staff and I are dedicated to its suc- cess,” says Andrea Feier, dance special- ist. “Many of the staff have grown up in this program and now teach for it out of a love for both the program as well as a passion for dance and the arts.” “Three of my staff have been teaching for 38 or more years, and most of the others have been here 10-plus years. As a graduate of The Juilliard School, I utilize my contacts in the world of dance to bring in guest artists from major modern dance compa-

nies, Broadway, and film and television to uplift and inspire our dance community.”

Filmmaking For the Camacho Activity Center in Austin, Texas, outdoor education and nature-based programing are its usual fare, but it has expanded its horizons into filmmaking and photography. There are filmmaking camps during winter and spring break and several during the sum- mer for students ages 5–18.

“Each week-long camp incorporates filmmaking education, including writ- ing, camera operation, sound, lighting, acting, editing and more. Each camp films an original story that is later show- cased in our annual film festival in the fall,” says Ryan Eaker, Camacho activity supervisor. “In addition to these film- making camps, we lead nature photog- raphy outreach programs throughout the school year to primarily underserved populations, lower-income schools, rec- reation centers and community groups.”

Filmmaking and photography are pop- ular with youth, and today’s cellphone technology has allowed students to take high-quality images and video without the

added cost of expensive equipment. These classes are extremely popular. For Eaker, it is about staying current: “It’s crucial to stay on the forefront of the technological front, and remain pioneering in the ways that you teach and educate the public.

“Now it’s about teaching those par- ticipants to look at the world around them in a different way and expose the art and beauty in the objects and envi- ronment that surround them, which they honestly aren’t noticing with their heads buried in their phones,” says Eaker. “We allow kids to take a handful of selfies to get that out of the way and then focus (so to speak) on getting physically close to natural objects and playing with per- spective and vantage points, lighting and storytelling through photography.”

Theatre For Hasandras, her latest challenge is ex- panding an already successful program in a new direction. This is the second year of the Totally Cool, Totally Art Theatre Camp. This fast-paced theatre camp takes stu- dents ages 12–17 through the process of creating a theatrical production.

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Filmmaking and photography classes at the Camacho Activity Center in Austin, Texas,

are offered during the summer and during winter and spring break.

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Students attend workshops in acting, directing, improv comedy, dance, design and puppetry. They also visit a professional theatre to see a show and tour backstage. The students then create their own production and take it to local parks.

“We bring together kids from all over Austin. We have four weeks to write, cast, direct, write songs, and make costumes and set pieces for the production. Then, we take the production out to our summer playgrounds program, a free outdoor playground camp for children 6–12, primarily for kids with high needs, most of whom have never seen a play before,” says Hasandras.

Conclusion Regardless of the size of your budget, number of constituents or type of facilities, the key to creating and maintaining a success- ful arts program is finding what works for you and your residents. “Give them a ‘tribe’ to belong to that instills discipline, commit- ment, integrity, artistry, self-expression and teamwork. Find teach- ers who are dedicated to teaching and to continuing to learn them- selves,” says Feier. The programs mentioned all have one thing in common: they cultivate ties within the community, resulting in a strong, healthy community for years to come.

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Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada (paula. [email protected]).

parks, was really more about specific things: How does moss grow on the roots of a tree? How do pebbles collect in clusters, what do they look like, and how do we make that look natural? While it seems effortless, when you’re placing pebbles by hand in a 3D en- vironment, it’s very difficult to make those things appear natural.”

Careful attention was also paid to the natural attributes of the char- acters. For example, the squirrels featured in the film walk around on two legs and gesture with their arms. Brunker says that when they are running, however, they’re always seen moving on all fours. “We try to keep certain animal behaviors consistent.”

Hollywood Thinks Green Surprisingly, Tinsel Town has long embraced stories that center on environmental themes. In fact, these types of animated movies date back decades, entertaining children while educating them about green issues like land conservation and climate change. They include classics such as: “Bambi” (1942), “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (1992), “Over the Hedge” (2006), “Happy Feet” (2006) and “WALL-E” (2008).

Dickson contends there are Hollywood directors and writers who believe they have a moral obligation to bring awareness about these issues through storytelling. However, “the real challenge is to do that without hitting the audience over the head, because people tend to act negatively when they think they’re being preached to. It’s not our job to tell people how to think; it’s our job to make people aware of issues. And, if we offer a solution, it’s just our solution for our charac- ters. Everyone has to make up his or her own mind,” he says.

Surly Across America To promote the film’s August theater release, Surly and “The Nut Job 2” gang have embarked on a 30-city tour across the United States, participating in a series of Park Day events. The first Park Day event kicked off on June 10 during National Get Outdoors Day at Sloan’s Lake Park in Denver. On July 4, Surly appeared at Kansas City’s Cor- porate Woods for its Star Spangled Spectacular, taking photos with children while encouraging them to clean up the park. Other stops included Heritage Park in Las Vegas (July 6), Pancakes in the Woods at Chicago’s Emily Oakes Nature Center (July 9), and Dallas End of Summer Bash at Dallas Parks & Recreation (July 21). This month, fans of the movie can meet Surly in person at Seattle Seafair in Genesee Park, August 5–6.

What’s the Takeaway? Dickson says “The Nut Job 2” is about the strength of friendship and the commitments we make. “It’s more than just a story about a squir- rel,” he points out. “It’s a story about Surly dealing with something bigger than himself for the betterment of the community.”

Brunker agrees. “It happens to be a story about animals, but the theme is really about us all taking care of each other. We’re all human beings and we’re all in this together. We’ve got one world and we have to look out for each other by looking out for our planet.”

Vitisia Paynich is a Freelance Writer based in Chino Hills, California ([email protected]).

Copyright of Parks & Recreation is the property of National Recreation & Park Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

By Kellie May

Before and After School Programming

Promoting active lifestyles for children

R ECENTLY, stakeholders from several disci- / «•

plines came together at the Weight of the Na- tion Conference in Washington, DC, sponsored by

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to dis- cuss the rising obesity epidemic. Several ideas were presented to reduce rising obesity rates. Many of these ideas can be found in the re- cent report "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention," published by the Institute of Medicine and available at www.icm.edu/fnb. Park and recreation agencies were iden- tified at the conference as leaders in fighting the obesity epidemic due to their abil- ity to help increase physical activity levels of children by delivering programs which improve their overall health.

Henderson, Nevada

Specifically, park and recreation agencies have a unique opportunity to provide programs that help children increase their physical activity levels and im- prove nutrition in before/afterschool programs. Oual- ity before/afterschool programs are critical because they provide much needed opportunities for growth, learning, and fun. Children who participate are in a safe environment where they can do a variety of ac- tivities, including study, exercise, and learn. Below are five innovative programs that highlight unique part- nerships and activities in before/afterschool programs at park and recreation agencies across the country.

Henderson, Nevada Henderson, Nevada (a growing community of 270,000 located in the Las Vegas area), began ad- dressing obesity and improving physical activity of residents with the development of the "Healthy Hen- derson" program in 2003. Specifically, they have implemented a program known as "Safekey," which is part of CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health). This is a partnership between the city and the Southern Nevada Health District.

The program features a combination of holding educational sessions on nutrition, serving healthy snacks, and providing 30 minutes of physical activity.

Children increase their physical activity through play, burn calories, increase their metabolism, and are encouraged to make good nutritional choices. Since the program was incorporated in August 2011, over four million minutes of physical activity have been completed, eliminating over 1,515 pounds of fat. One child lost over 13 pounds.

San Clemente, California The City of San Clemente, California, has a unique af- terschool program, "Fun on the Run," which is a free mobile recreation program that travels to neighbor- hood parks in the city, providing an unlimited amount of activities and sports to children ages 4 to 11. The truck is equipped with sports equipment, board games, jump ropes, hula-hoops, arts and crafts, and much more. Every month there are visits from vari- ous community partners including the Orange Coun- ty Sheriff Department, firemen, lifeguards, and the Orange County Health Department. These organiza- tions visit the sites to empower kids with the knowl- edge to make healthy choices. Program staff lead and conduct games, crafts, and various sports. Aiming to teach the community's children about living healthy lives and making good decisions, staff teach the par- ticipants about the importance of eating healthy.

w w w . N R P A . o R G JULY 2012 Parks & R e c r e a t i o n 33

PUBLIC HEALTH continued from page 33

Staying active, and the benefits of follow- ing the USDA dietary guidelines.

Along with mobile recreation. Fun on the Run supports an elementary school sports program. Goal Zone Sports. Coal Zone Sports is a low-cost sports program that allows kids in grades 1 through 5 to learn a variety of sports, including bas- ketball, soccer, and flag football. The program emphasizes skill development, proper nutrition and health, and fun. Chil- dren are taught the value of exercise, good sportsmanship, and how to "eat like an athlete" while measuring their fitness level. Their progress is measured through the collection of daily food logs and the as- sessment of their body mass index (BMI). The information is shared with parents and schools in hopes that the knowledge will equip them to better serve the needs of their children.

Madison, Wisconsin In Madison, Wisconsin, Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR) has an afterschool program called The Healthy Self program which began in 2003 in collaboration with the Croup Health Co- operative, which funds the program, and Madison Metropolitan School District school nurses. The program teaches el- ementary school children the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. The Healthy Self Pro- gram is incorporated into MSCR's Safe Haven afterschool program at Emerson, Clendale, and Falk Elementary schools and at the Allied Learning Center.

Healthy Self participants participate weekly during their afterschool program in nutrition education activities, cook- ing, and fun fitness activities. Each year, MSCR staff organize Healthy Self family nights to share this critical information with parents and other family members.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Last year, Philadelphia Parks and Recre- ation piloted "Youth Councils" at four af- terschool programs. A mentor met with the youth councils every other week to discuss nutrition, physical activity, and

healthy lifestyles with the children. Cnce the children on the council learned the lesson/activity, they then taught it to the other children in the program.

As an example, one of the lessons re- volved around screen time. The children on the youth council were asked to esti- mate how much screen time they had in a day. As they were sharing their answers, even they were surprised by the amount of screen time indicated. They discussed the consequences of too much screen time and healthy alternatives. The Youth Council kids then conducted the same survey and discussion with the other chil- dren in the program.

The children have learned how to make healthy snacks, read nutrition la- bels, and play new games to stay active.

Madison, Wisconsin

Forthe 2012-13 afterschool program, Phil- adelphia will expand the youth councils to 25 sites who will meet with a leader on a weekly basis.

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska, developed Fitness Totes for their afterschool programs. Each tote focuses on a different fitness com- ponent. The three fitness components focused on are muscular flexibility, mus- cular strength and endurance, and car- diovascular endurance. The Fitness Totes were designed to be easy for staff to pull out and have all the materials and equip- ment for fitness circuits. The fitness cir- cuits were intended to be a fast, easy, and a healthy alternative to TV and gaming in the early mornings and late afternoon times in before/afterschool and summer programs.

Parks and recreation agencies are playing an essential role in providing be- fore/afterschool programs for children to engage in healthy physical activity and improve their overall health. With the growing obesity epidemic, this essential service cannot be overlooked and agen- cies must continue to improve and en- hance their before/afterschool programs with innovative programming ideas.

For more information on NRPA's health and Wellness programs please visit: http://www.nrpa.org/Crants-and-Parf- ners/Health-and-Livability. •

KELLiE MAY is NRPA Program Manager.

3 4 P a r k s & R e c r e a t i o n J U L Y 2 0 1 2 W W W . N R P A . O R G

Copyright of Parks & Recreation is the property of National Recreation & Park Association and its content may

not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written

permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

igh school students today are busy. Many of them participate in after-school activities spon- sored by their schools—such as band, theater,

and sports—or outside organizations, including reli- gious organizations, recreation centers, and arts-based programs. School clubs, such as art, agriculture, and social justice clubs, are also increasingly popular as students try to form bonds, develop interests, and demonstrate involvement. Indeed, as students know, college and university admissions teams are looking at their after-school involvement in their evaluations.

High school students are also at the age when they are starting to date and hang out with friends more outside of the regular school day. Moreover, students in all types of schools are charged with completing what can be described as mountains of homework. I talked with a high school student in a suburban school a few weeks ago who shared with me that he sometimes spends two to three consecutive hours on homework at least twice per week. This student also said that he was busy with other after-school respon- sibilities: playing sports, working with his school’s upcoming play, and tutoring his younger brother in math. I grew concerned for him when he said he sometimes falls asleep during his morning classes because he is so exhausted. But the student did not seem concerned. For him, this was a normal part of what it meant to be in high school, and this normal- ization of a packed schedule had begun as early as middle school, when he became more active in sports.

I have met students in different types of environ- ments (suburban, rural, and urban) who are working part-time jobs. Their reasons for employment differ. The suburban students who work part-time tend to be working to “build responsibility,” to pay for prom or graduation expenses, or to have money for clothes or gas for their starter cars. Students in rural and urban communities with part-time jobs, by contrast, tend to have to work out of need. In extreme cases,

they need income to help support their families. In Pittsburgh, where I used to work, students did every- thing from shoveling snow to tutoring younger stu- dents. Regardless of students’ reasons for taking jobs, however, working part-time obviously adds one more dimension to their daily schedule and may make it dif- ficult for them to keep up with academic expectations.

Connecting Students’ Worlds Given all the things students are doing, it seems prob- lematic to me that, as educators, we don’t do more to make connections between the various parts of their lives. School-sponsored nonacademic activities tend to be classified as extracurricular. They are well-regarded, perhaps, but rarely honored as a central part of the formal curriculum of schools. Instead, they are seen as tangential

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