College Corner

Post Conference Refl ections

By Jonathan Hicks | Associate Professor, Minnesota State University

To work in recreation and parks is to do the most important work on earth. I tell our students this in virtually every class they take. At fi rst, they do not believe me. Then, over the course of their time in our program, we demonstrate to them how we build communities, boost economies, educate people of all ages, enhance physical health, provide hope, preserve mental health, and engage with people from all backgrounds. In short: we enhance quality of life. By the time students enter their senior internships they know they are not just seeking a career; they are pursuing a calling. On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, I was joined by Michelle Margo and Dr. Rachelle Fuller in back-to-back sessions at the Annual MRPA Conference in Brainerd. Perhaps the most exciting part of the conference is being surrounded by others who hear the same calling. As faculty at Minnesota State University in Mankato, we work daily with the recreation professionals of the near future. We prioritize bringing as many of them as possible to the conference so that they might begin their career-long processes of collaboration and creativity. Currently, those processes are in jeopardy. Agencies are reporting increased diffi culty in hiring and retaining employees. Academic programs such as Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services (RPLS) are experiencing diminishing enrollment. Our sessions sought to identify the shared goals of the fi eld and the academy and provide strategies for increasing recruitment in both spaces. Pleasantly surprised to have a full room for both sessions, we began a robust dialogue. Of particular importance was a roundtable discussion with current students, members of Generation Z. They spoke candidly and eloquently about the demands on their time and fi nances. They spoke about their relationships with technology and what they seek in supervisors. They spoke about their distrust in powerful systems and how the pandemic impacted their mental health. Perhaps most importantly, they spoke about what drew them to parks and recreation and their high hopes to fi nd meaningful, rewarding work. We were also able to engage in a dialogue with current practitioners, during which we shared our recent research. That research highlighted that when students hear about parks and recreation careers, it is almost never (less than three percent) from having worked a seasonal parks and rec job. In other words, practitioners are not talking enough about college programs, and college programs are not providing enough students to work seasonally. It is easy to see how this could become a negative spiral very quickly for all involved. Fortunately, much of our sessions involved identifying shared communication strategies. What we were reminded of was that we are all in this together, and the prosperity of each relies on the other.

Key takeaways:

1. Members of Gen Z have a complex relationship with technology; they know too much is bad for them, but they do not know how to communicate without it. 2. Members of Gen Z are charismatic and capable, but they are unlikely to settle for low pay. 3. Academic institutions need to reach out with greater frequency to agencies and provide materials to be distributed to staff who might be interested in a parks and recreation career. 4. Practitioners need to share with seasonal, part-time, and other staff members the potential for formal education to lead to a meaningful career. Author’s Note:

We recommend MSU! 5. We all need to abandon the “you won’t get rich in this fi eld” narrative. In parks and recreation, you can make a comfortable living with great benefi ts and a high quality of life. That is the story we should be telling, and we should be telling it to anyone who will listen. We do the most important work on earth. Now is the time to shout it from every park, playground, and pool. Toward that end, we heard what you had to say and want to continue our dialogue. RPLS Day is a new spring tradition that seeks to connect practitioners, students, alumni, and faculty in much the same way as the conference. On April 14, 2023, we want to welcome you to the Minnesota State University campus in Mankato for an afternoon to Reconnect, Play, Learn, and Socialize. A second annual event, we will showcase student, alumni, and partner achievements and celebrate everything that makes parks and recreation great. We hope you will be there. Even if you cannot, please do keep in touch and continue to let us know how we can be helpful. You have our word, we are listening.