Health and Wellness

Volunteering Enhances the Well-Being of Older Adults

Discover how older adults can cultivate social connection, community engagement and well-being through volunteerism.

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FitPHX: Citywide Health and Wellness in the Heart of Phoenix

Learn how FitPHX, a citywide health and wellness initiative, builds a healthier, happier Phoenix.

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Partnership Powers the Groton Wellness Hub

Explore how local partnerships between park and recreation and public health agencies can advance health equity.

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Transforming Park Maintenance One Seed at a Time

Discover how the Watering Can Mentoring Program helps teens develop technical skills through park maintenance.

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Partnering With Food Banks to Support Nutrition Security

Learn how food banks and park and recreation agencies can partner to advance community health and well-being.

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Youth Volunteer Corps Powers Partnerships

Explore how park and recreation programs engage teens in impactful volunteer service.

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Explore the Seven Dimensions of Well-Being at the NRPA Annual Conference

Learn how park and recreation professionals advance health and wellness through Community Wellness Hubs.

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Parks and Recreation Supports Aging in Place

Explore how park and recreation agencies support healthy aging across one’s lifespan.

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Creating Equitable Community Wellness Hubs

Discover how Community Wellness Hubs leverage community assets to foster improved health and well-being for all.

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The Fun Run Formula

Explore how the Centerville-Washington Park District engages families in fun-based fitness.

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Creating Resilient Communities

By preparing for natural disasters and severe weather, park and recreation professionals promote community resilience and well-being.

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Whitesburg Wellness Hub Supports Flood Victims in Eastern Kentucky

The Whitesburg Wellness Hub helped provide relief for flood victims in eastern Kentucky.

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Inclusive Aquatics Environments Start With You

All patrons of inside aquatics environments have the right to feel safe and welcomed, and to experience a sense of belonging in any public space.

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Get Active!

Here are strategies to increase the use of parks, trails and greenways for physical activity.

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Implementing Mentorship Programs for Community Health

In 2016, Carter County Drug Prevention in Tennessee began working to change staff culture around those impacted by substance use disorder.

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Healthy Communities as an Equitable Investment

Today, there are a lot of equity-enhancing resources available for parks and recreation.

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Hierarchy Anarchy

Understand how and why you should change your approach to recreational programming.

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Thinking Out Loud: An Alternative Perspective to Recreation

By building community, Black participants can feel a sense of safety and connectedness to an activity or facility, and will be more inclined to continue to utilize the service and introduce it to others.

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Measuring Health and Wellness Impact

Program evaluation provides managers, staff and the community an opportunity to better understand current programs and to identify opportunities for improvement.

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It Takes a Village

Learn how park and recreation agencies can emphasize mental well-being.

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Supporting Healthy Aging Through Parks and Recreation

As the aging population becomes more diverse, it's important that park and recreation agencies learn more about centering equity in the delivery of services, programs, facilities and operations.

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Revitalizing Senior Centers: Then and Now

While more than 11,000 U.S. senior centers serve 1 million older adults per day, little is known about who attends and why.

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Farmers Markets Play a Key Role in Resiliency Efforts

Farmers markets are a key part of the impact parks and recreation has on community health and well-being.

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Implementing Safe Zone Training to Create More Inclusive LGBTQ+ Spaces

These trainings allow people to deepen their understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and give them tools to foster more inclusive spaces.

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Reshape Your Workplace: Starting a Wellness Movement Through Affirmation, Voice and Choice

Starting a wellness movement at work not only supports the mental and physical health of staff, but also creates an opportunity to work together as a community.

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Learning to Live to the Fullest

Writer and speaker Mirna Valerio encourages people to live their lives to the fullest via outdoor experiences in whatever spaces and ways they enjoy most.

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Connecting the Dots to Health

To determine what “healthy” means for our communities, we must ask our community members.

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Building Resilience in Your Community

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, building resilience requires safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments.

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Parks, Recreation and Mentoring: What’s the Catch?

As community-based providers of social-emotional development services for youth, local park and recreation professionals also function as mentors and role models.

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Parks and Recreation: A Vital Community-Based Solution to Support Healthy Aging

NRPA supports park and recreation professionals in implementing evidence-based physical activity programs to enhance the quality of life for 54.5 million U.S. adults with arthritis.

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Parks and Recreation: The Public Health Breakout Star of COVID-19

The park and recreation profession has proven time and again that it is committed to promoting and protecting health and wellness where people live, learn, work and play.

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The Importance of Inclusion and Access in Youth Sports

Youth who engage in sports not only grow up more physically active but also gain mental and social health benefits that follow them into adulthood.

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Together, Apart

The benefits of intergenerational programs during COVID-19 and beyond.

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Can Parks Leverage Libraries?

Understand how park and recreation agencies can enhance services by working smarter with libraries.

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Inclusive Health in Parks and Recreation

The movement toward inclusive health can start small and grow from simple conversations with people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in your community.

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An Urgency to Act

NRPA’s objective is to create a future where all people have access to the benefits of quality parks and recreation.

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Health and Wellness: Top of Mind During NRPA Virtual

With more and more restrictions due to the pandemic and no clear end in sight, it’s no surprise that mental health has become a large focus.

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Remembering Self-Care When Planning Events

Here are a few self-reflection questions and conversation starters for you and your team to explore during the holiday season.

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Virtual Programming: Innovation in the Midst of a Global Crisis

Local park and recreation staff have risen to the challenge to support communities through virtual programming to let them know that parks and recreation is still a go-to resource for staying healthy, happy and connected.

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Integrating Equity, Social Justice and Inclusion Practices

Park and recreation programs have played a historic role in our country’s struggle toward social equality and civil rights.

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Confronting Substance Use Disorder

Taking a closer look at the comprehensive response to substance use disorder, which is a public health crisis for park and recreation professionals.

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Mobile Recreation for Fun, Health and Wellness

Mobile recreation may be an appropriate strategy to meet the urgent need for additional recreational opportunities in underserved areas.

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Older Adult Health and Well-Being: Still a National Priority in a 'New Normal'

It is more crucial than ever before that we help older adults maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Seattle P&R Tests Glyphosate Alternatives

To address the potential health threat posed by glyphosate, many agencies, like Seattle P&R, are reducing or eliminating their use of glyphosate products to ensure everyone has access to safe and healthy spaces.

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Designing Quality Play Spaces

Find out how active play can lead to positive health outcomes for children.

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Want Better Health? Get Back to Nature

Spending time in the great outdoors may have a positive impact on your overall health, including your heart and brain.

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Farmers Markets, Parks and Rec, and Healthy Meals

Pairing fresh, local produce with healthy meals is the perfect connection to strengthen the bonds between the community and the local agriculture system.

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Keeping It Real: A Different Approach to Discussing the Social Determinants of Health

Get to the heart of what “social determinants of health” really means, and what role parks and recreation can play.

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Parks and Recreation as Community Health and Wellness Hubs

Local park and recreation agencies are uniquely positioned to serve as health and wellness hubs in communities across the country.

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Parks for Inclusion Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary

This NRPA program has already reached 1.7 million people in the two years since its launch, surpassing the original goal of 1 million!

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