Something I’ve really begun to take notice and appreciate at CPC is how my organization empowers community members to help with our programming. When putting on events or different activities that will require volunteers/workers Chandler Park always looks to train community residents so that they can fill those roles. For example, we were able to train 6 different community residents so they are now certified archery instructors and will be able to get paid to teach archery classes at the park. Additionally, the summer camp that I’m leading has a site supervisor who lives in Parkside and was trained to be able to serve all of the kids lunch and monitor the program. Including community members as active helpers and leaders in Chandler Park events helps to make all of the residents more involved. Community members are able to share feedback about events that we may not have realized if we didn’t have them on our team. Also, hiring residents to work for our programs is a small way we can combat the unemployment/poverty in the area. How to properly involve the community is something really important I’ve learned this summer, and is something I plan to continue in any future non-profit work.
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Erin, my organization does the same thing and it’s really cool! They’re always looking for ways to connect community members through our park either through giving them tasks or by asking for their feedback.