This month’s issue focuses on disaster and the role parks and recreation plays in supporting our communities through the most harrowing of times. More than one story herein mentions the unique impact disasters of all kinds — tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, mass shootings, floods and others — have on children, and the particular care that is needed in tending to them. 

Children are fragile, but they’re also resilient and, when given the proper opportunities, tools and motivation, incredibly strong and motivated. Harvey Chipkin’s July, 2011, article, “A Few Good Kids: Youth Conservation Corps Make Parks Better and Society Richer,” is not about how to care for children or families during disaster. Rather, it highlights the remarkable capacity children and teens have to care for and give back to their communities. 

Chipkin invokes President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program to dig into the state of youth involvement and local volunteerism during the Great Recession that began in 2008. “With the Great Recession now echoing parts of the Great Depression, some see a revival of the CCC — in spirit and mission if not in fact,” he writes. The parallels Chipkin draws between Roosevelt’s CCC initiative and the modern phenomenon of youth corps and similar programs include:

• Governments and nonprofits calling on citizens — volunteer and paid — to help maintain and restore parks and natural areas;
• Opportunities for young people to learn about nature and the environment and to enjoy potentially career-changing experiences; and
• National networks and organizations — governmental and nonprofit — that seek to emulate, at least in part, the CCC ethos.

Chipkin goes on to detail youth corps programs across the country that made a significant impact on their communities, parks, educational systems and local governments. He notes the many and varied benefits of such activities, including the completion of infrastructure or beautification projects; the facilitation of additional parks programs; cultivating deep and meaningful connections to nature and the outdoors; valuable exposure to the professional realm and different careers, including those in municipal government or parks and recreation; and instilling community pride. 

It’s true — children are our future. We need them to step up to fight for our environment, health and overall well-being. What we’re reminded of, via Chipkin’s inspirational column, is that children are ready, willing and able to accept the challenge, if only we’ll support them along the way. 

In Conclusion

This month we bring the Archive Throwback to a close. Conceived as a fun and fitting way to celebrate NRPA’s 50th anniversary, this space allowed for reflection on the challenges that have vexed our field for decades, as well as marvel at the many advances we’ve made. From the magazine’s black-and-white, text-heavy iterations of the mid-1960s to today’s colorful, glossy pages, Parks & Recreation has been NRPA’s mouthpiece for news, calls to action, inspiration, recognition of excellence and discussion of pressing social and political issues. We plan to continue this proud tradition into 2016 and beyond, and we welcome your ideas and feedback.

Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine.