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Park & Recreation Departments

Park and recreation settings provide a natural fit for We Can!™ due to their ongoing activities and community events that promote healthy living. Often, these settings are well-known within their communities to involve both parents and children in programs.

A variety of park and recreation departments have already joined the We Can! movement. We Can! sites, such as the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, are using program materials and messages to improve community health.


Roswell Recreation and Parks Department
Team Effort between the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department and Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services

The City of Roswell Recreation and Parks Department and Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services participated in a joint effort as a We Can! Intensive Site State Team. This site provided program implementation and outreach to elementary schools, recreation departments across the state, and the YMCA with all three youth curricula: CATCH, Media-Smart Youth, and S.M.A.R.T. CATCH was conducted at three elementary schools in Roswell and in an after-school setting with the Fourth Street Elementary School in Athens-Clarke County. The program had 60 participants, including 31 girls and 29 boys.

This site also conducted outreach to diverse audiences and tailored sessions and materials to meet the cultural needs of its audiences. The site held Community events such as National Gymnastics Day and Friends and Family Day. Both of these events emphasized healthy living, involved different members of the community and promoted the We Can! program and its materials. As well, the site reached out to local media and had TV coverage of the "End of Summer Celebration" on RCTV, the local government television station, as well, as a print press release about the 55th Annual Youth Day Parade in The Roswell Neighbor.

Roswell and Athens built on existing partnerships and extended their programming needs to support the We Can! program with incentives, funding, participant recruitment, and production support for the curricula. For example:

  • North Fulton Regional Hospital provided financial and staff support for the CATCH Curriculum food component
  • Athens Regional Hospital also provided staff support at National Gymnastics Day to describe healthy nutrition alternatives, first aid, and athletic safety information
  • The Alpharetta YMCA provided staff support, recruitment, and facilities for implementing the CATCH Curriculum.

Read more about Roswell Recreation and Parks Department


Other We Can! Sites Running the Program in Park and Recreation Settings
Use the links below to read brief descriptions of other park and recreation groups that are involved in We Can! Their hard work and successes exemplify what is possible when park and recreation groups join the We Can! movement.

 

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