Parks & Recreation: Parks & Recreation serving your needs! - Rec Room - Brief Article

Parks & Recreation, June, 2002

Thanks to the interest and enthusiasm of NRPA members, Parks & Recreation will have a new look and focus starting with the July issue. Thousands of members responded to our readership survey, and from that information we have developed a plan to improve Parks & Recreation ... just like you requested.

Parks & Recreation is one of the most recognized aspects of The National Recreation and Park Association. It is a tool to educate members, promote our profession, and support the value of NRPA membership and services.

Timely Schedule

Members should receive their issue of Parks & Recreation the first week of the issue's month. Starting with the April issue, NRPA staff has been moving deadlines up one week each issue, until we obtain this goal.

Professional, Authoritative Design

The look of Parks & Recreation should be consistent with the style of the National Recreation and Park Association. Adjectives that will describe the look of Parks & Recreation will be natural, clean, uncluttered, inviting, fun (but not childish), inclusive, and professional.

The look will reflect the fact that NRPA is the national leader in parks and recreation. The design will include a vigorous use of photos that highlight humans and their relationship to parks and recreation.

Thoughtful, Accurate, Timely, Proactive Reporting

Parks & Recreation editorial staff will stay abreast of the parks and recreation profession and report on issues that reflect the concerns and needs of the membership. The editorial calendar will be based on input from staff, the readership survey, and members. Articles should be thought-provoking and include NRPA core messages.

An Editorial Advisory Board made up of leaders and experts in various fields will be developed. This committee will review articles for accuracy, as well as suggest articles and authors for publication. Authors will be given edited versions of their manuscripts to assure accuracy and ownership.

Thorough Review of and Exposure for NRPA Programs, Services and Branches

A section will be set apart that will allow easy access to NRPA news. It will stand out when one flips through the magazine, and will not include advertising. NRPA in Action will cover all of NRPA's branches and programs. Every month you will be updated on what interests you in NRPA. The amount of space devoted to these areas will vary each month depending on what's happening.

Within NRPA in Action there will be a section that highlights NRPA members and their programs by region. In time we'd like to highlight activities in each state. Our goal is to highlight success stories, programs, meetings, and people from each state.

Inclusive Format that Provides Value in Each Issue for our Diverse Membership

With each issue, a member should be able to learn something that will positively affect their goals regarding parks and recreation: how to do their job better, how to convey their message better, how to enlist support. Parks & Recreation should provide practical, useful information that members can act on.

Feature topics will cover national affiliates, national partners, and teaching moments in parks and recreation. Features will regularly tie into NRPA programs so all members can find more ways to benefit from membership.

Be an Instrument of Change

Want to be part of the solution? Parks & Recreation is looking for experts to join the Editorial Advisory Board. If you'd like to help make sure Parks & Recreation provides cutting-edge, timely information, please contact NRPA Director of Communications Susan Kalish at skalish@nrpa.org. We need members who have a strong background in all of our association's core areas, as well as various branches and regions. In a cover letter explain your area of expertise and provide a resume or CV.

Write an article for Parks & Recreation. We have redeveloped the procedures for submitting articles. Send all outline to sdouglas@nrpa.org of your goals for an article, or visit www.nrpa.org to review the Editorial Guidelines.