President's Message
“Smart” Recreation Isn’t Child’s Play
By PFP President Jack Foley
Recreation is a powerful medium. It is an emotional condition that flows from wellbeing and self-satisfaction. As a state of mind, it is independent of activity, leisure or social acceptance. Unfortunately, organized recreation has often locked into specific activities believed to lead to certain socially desired ends. For these practitioners, the activity becomes an end in itself.
If properly organized, though, recreation can dramatically improve low-income youths’ lives. “Smart” recreation programs use this power to achieve life-affirming, positive social goals. Last summer, People for Parks worked with Karl Stephens and Gregory Thomas at the Nickerson Gardens Recreation Center to inaugurate our South L.A. Initiative with two such programs.
The Character Building Basketball League recruited 75 young residents of three local housing developments – Nickerson Gardens, Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts – each of which is home to a well-entrenched street gang. The genius of the program was a draft that “shuffled the deck” so that 11- to 14-year-olds learned to rely on teammates who didn’t necessarily live in their project. Games were held at Markham Middle School, a site the gangs consider neutral territory.
Coaches were selected for their lifestyle skills, not just basketball acumen. A character-developing curriculum was introduced to build social skills and introduce role models. The tenet was “life-skills first, basketball second.” The goal was to reduce gang-related activity at Markham. This fall the participants’ behavior is being monitored to see how much progress was made.
A second “smart” program is the Vista Hermosa Garden, also at Nickerson Gardens. The social goal was to increase nutrition and lower food bills for an urban community with virtually no access to organic produce. Vista Hermosa brought together the recreation staff, housing management, L.A. Conservation Corp and L.A. Community Gardening Council to build dozens of 8’ by 4’ planting beds. A second phase of the program will be an inner-generational component where older residents teach young people to garden.
People for Parks is consulting with City and County parks departments and the Better L.A. Foundation on using “smart” programs as a low-cost gang-prevention strategy to give young people a stake in their neighborhoods.
I look forward to your feedback. Please send your comments to me directly at jack.foley1@verizon.net |
