Urban Parks as Partners in Youth Development

1. THE URBAN INSTITUTE THE WALLACE FOUNDATION
Urban Parks as Partners in
Youth Development
Margery Austin Turner
Urban parks have long played a vital role in The latest thinking about youth develop-
community-based programs for young people. ment—contained in a landmark report by the
Traditionally, they have been thought of National Academy Press—makes a powerful
mainly as venues for play. Open spaces, play- case that children and adolescents are best
grounds, sports fields, and recreational pro- served by a constellation of community-based
grams make an important contribution to activities that help them build essential skills,
children’s lives. But to realize their full poten- knowledge, and aptitudes.1 This new direction
tial as community resources for youth devel- in public policy “places children and adoles-
opment, parks can and should go beyond cents once again at the center of neighbor-
To realize their full potential
recreation. At their best, they can offer a wide hood and community life, where they can
as community resources for variety of high-quality opportunities for chil- engage with caring adults inside and outside
youth development, parks dren to build the skills and strengths they their families, develop a sense of security and
can and should go beyond need to lead full and rewarding lives. personal identity, and learn rules of behavior,
expectations, values, morals, and skills
recreation.
Recent research provides important lessons needed to move into healthy and productive
about how community-based programs can adulthood.”2
be structured to promote youth development
most effectively. And the experiences of a
The assets children and youth need for
new generation of youth programs in urban
healthy development fall into four major
parks—including several funded by The Wal-
domains: physical, intellectual, psychological
lace Foundation’s Urban Parks Initiative—
and emotional, and social (see box 1 for exam-
illustrate how these lessons can be applied on
ples of assets in each domain). Individuals do
the ground.
not necessarily need the entire range of
assets to thrive. But the odds of success are
better if one has assets in all four domains.
Reaching Healthy and
And community-based programs that are fun
Productive Adulthood can help kids acquire assets in any of the four
Requires a Range of Assets domains. For example, a wrestling program is
Too often, we think of youth development not only fun but also can help kids lose weight
programs as designed to solve problems, and get fit (domain 1). A debate league is not
such as drug use or delinquency, or to target only fun but also can help kids develop critical
young people “at risk” of these and other thinking and reasoning skills (domain 2). A
problems because they come from vulnera- chess competition is not only fun but also can
ble families or difficult neighborhoods. Con- help kids build a motivation for positive
tinuing efforts to prevent problem behaviors achievement through mastering a difficult
and help at-risk youth are clearly needed. But game (domain 3). Designing and planting a
merely mitigating acute problems is not community garden are not only fun but also
enough to produce well-functioning adoles- can stimulate in kids a commitment to civic
cents and adults in today’s world. engagement (domain 4).
1

2. BEYOND RECREATION A Broader View of Urban Parks
Personal and Social Assets That Facilitate Positive
Youth Development
Domain 1: Physical development
• Good health habits
• Good health risk management skills
Domain 2: Intellectual development
• Knowledge of essential life skills
• Knowledge of essential vocational skills
• School success
• Rational habits of mind—critical thinking and reasoning skills
• In-depth knowledge of more than one culture
• Good decisionmaking skills
• Knowledge of skills needed to navigate through multiple cultural contexts
Domain 3: Psychological and emotional development
• Good mental health including positive self-regard
• Good emotional self-regulation skills
• Good coping skills
• Good conflict resolution skills
• Mastery motivation and positive achievement motivation
• Confidence in one’s personal efficacy
• “Planfulness”—planning for the future and future life events
• Sense of personal autonomy/responsibility for self
• Optimism coupled with realism
• Coherent and positive personal and social identity
• Prosocial and culturally sensitive values
• Spirituality or a sense of a “larger” purpose in life
• Strong moral character
• A commitment to good use of time
Domain 4: Social development
• Connectedness—perceived good relationships and trust with parents, peers, and other adults
• Sense of social place/integration—being connected and valued by larger social networks
• Attachment to conventional institutions (school, church, nonschool youth programs)
• Ability to navigate in multiple cultural contexts
• Commitment to civic engagement
From the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, Community Programs to Promote Youth Development (Washington, DC:
The National Academy Press, 2002), pages 6–7.
Programs designed to reach children with How Parks Can Help Youth Acquire
special needs or prevent risky behavior can
Assets for Development
certainly be useful. But to maximize effective-
ness, their overall focus should be more inclu- Urban parks have always been vital in
sive—promoting healthy development for providing youth with recreational opportuni-
children generally. All children, for example, ties and enriching program initiatives. But a
need health risk management skills, not only few are breaking new ground, with innova-
those who live in drug-infested neighbor- tive programs for children and adolescents
hoods. All children need conflict resolution that are in keeping with recent advances
skills, not only those who number gang mem- in policy thinking. Three examples from
bers among their peers. beneficiaries of The Wallace Foundation’s
2

3. A Broader View of Urban Parks BEYOND RECREATION
Urban Parks Initiative illustrate these new Building Creativity and a Sense of
directions. Efficacy: Garfield Park’s “Empowering
Youth” Initiative
Building Self-Esteem and Health
Knowledge: Central Park’s North Meadow The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance is
Recreation Center devoted to making Chicago’s Garfield Park,
particularly renowned for the flower exhibits in
Central Park’s North Meadow recreation cen- its Conservatory, a place where members of
ter coordinates with local schools and com- the surrounding community can enjoy and
munity groups to teach basic anatomy and benefit from the park more generally. One of
wellness principles along with interactive fit- its most innovative community-oriented pro-
ness activities. All programs are designed to grams is its Empowering Youth initiative.
enhance student health/science programs as
they relate to requirements for New York City
and New York State curriculum frameworks. The core of this initiative is a Student Advisory
Board. Each year, a new group of 15 fourth-
The exterior of the Center has been preserved through seventh-graders designs a permanent
to protect its landmark status. But the interior display for the Elizabeth Morse Genius Chil-
has been remodeled to include a cushioned dren’s Garden. The students work as real
exercise floor, high ceilings, and a community designers, exercising their brainpower and cre-
room with computer stations. These comput- ativity in a team environment as they develop
ers are part of the Center’s focus on fitness models, determine a budget, and collectively
and general health, in addition to sports. Ani- decide on the year’s winning design. This pro-
mated CD-ROM programs teach children gram not only provides intellectual content but
basic anatomy and wellness principles, with a also helps young people understand that they
talking skeleton chattering its way through can plan and work together, master chal-
each lesson. lenges, and make a lasting contribution to their
community, all key assets in the domain of
The staff uses a variety of approaches to psychological and emotional development.
encourage self-esteem among the students
who take the Center’s courses. One instructor
may teach basketball refereeing skills and This program exploits the park’s best asset—
another may teach wall climbing on one of the public gardens of its Conservatory—to
two climbing walls (one inside, the other out- teach community children life skills. Other
side). Students learn how teamwork can solve parks could use their natural assets in similar
problems that no one can solve alone; and ways. A park with a good nature trail, for exam-
how fitness, nutrition, and exercise can con- ple, could develop a program in which kids col-
tribute to richer, fuller lives. lect their own nature specimens and plan and
implement an exhibit displaying their findings.
One way the center entices youth into its pro- Or a park well-endowed with trees could
grams is through its invitational basketball establish a bird watching post. Equipped with
tournaments. The Center hosts competitions camcorders, a youth program could help kids
for teams (of girls as well as boys) in several track the birds they see and the sounds they
age groups between 9 and 18 years. Youth make—researching the birds they identify and
may initially be attracted to the recreation cen- compiling a video for display at a community
ter for a basketball tournament. But once happening. Such programs offer young peo-
there, they discover the broader opportunities ple an activity they enjoy while they also use
to build their skills, self-confidence, and their research skills to learn about nature and
knowledge of what it means to be fit and their planning and creative skills to show off
healthy. In other words, the Central Park pro- what they have learned.
grams help young people gain critical assets
not only in the physical development domain
Building Leadership Skills:
(good health habits and health risk manage-
Prospect Park’s Youth Council
ment skills), but also in the psychological and
emotional development domain (positive self- The Prospect Park Alliance is devoted to
regard, mastery motivation, and a sense of restoring and preserving Brooklyn’s Prospect
personal autonomy). Park and making the park overall a safe and
3

4. BEYOND RECREATION A Broader View of Urban Parks
pleasant place for New Yorkers of all ages to First, the most effective programs do not try
enjoy. The Youth Council was launched when to be all things to all young people. No single
the Alliance realized that people under 21 program can or should try to serve all the
were not represented, despite making up a children and adolescents in the community.
large part of the park’s usership. Young people naturally have different inclina-
tions and need different activities to build
specific sets of strengths. And even among
The Youth Council is a standing volunteer
children with the same interests, how best
group, whose composition changes annually to serve those interests changes with their
as members graduate. Each year current age. Parks should design their youth initia-
Council members contact youth groups tives around the unique assets and oppor-
throughout Brooklyn, making presentations tunities their particular facilities offer. As
and inviting new recruits for the Council. The discussed earlier, Central Park took advan-
Council’s goals are to create opportunities for tage of its newly refurbished North Meadow
teenagers to learn leadership skills, become recreation center to teach health and well-
stewards of the park, and plan events and ness skills. And Garfield Park capitalized on its
activities for other teens. Council members renowned Conservatory to offer young peo-
plan and participate in teen events, leadership ple experience in exhibit design. Similarly, the
training, park assessments and surveys, rou- San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners
tine park maintenance, and visits to local politi- (SLUG) took advantage of some leftover
cians and community groups. In addition, the herbs from the harvest at its Youth Farm—a
Council renovated the Youth Resource Cen- large garden adjacent to a subsidized hous-
ter (with assistance from Home Depot, the ing development—to teach young people
home improvement company), creating a how to can and preserve fruits and vegeta-
space exclusively for youth programming. bles, and potentially generate some income
for the program.
Each incoming group, ages 14 through 20,
Second, high-quality youth programs are
goes through a training program with four
aimed at specific age groups to maximize their
components: leadership/teamwork, under-
effectiveness. As we know from our own
standing the park, civic responsibility, and
families, children’s interests, attention spans,
safety/judgment. During the understanding-
and capabilities change as they grow. A pro-
the-park training sessions, for example, they
gram that works well for 10- and 11-year-olds
divide into groups and do a visioning exer- will bore most 16-year-olds. And a program
cise—pretending they were the original park that can hold the attention of older teens is
designers and creating mission statements of likely to frustrate and discourage younger
who would use the park and why. For civic teens.
responsibility, youth discuss their values and
what defines them. Programs like this teach
Parks are increasingly recognizing this impor-
young people the value and rewards of ser-
tant principle. SLUG, for example, now has
vice to their community, along with leader-
two separate programs for teens. The Youth
ship, moderation, and self-reliance.
Garden Intern program is for ages 11–14. In
three sessions—spring, summer, and fall—
young teens are taught such skills as bee-
Quality Counts in Youth keeping, rose maintenance, and low-flow
Development Programming watering systems. As they become profi-
cient, they are promoted to help supervise
To make a real difference, quality matters in or teach in the classes. The Urban Herbals
park-based youth programs. Programs that program is for ages 18–24. These partici-
mean well may nonetheless fail to engage and pants, in addition to preparing jams and
strengthen young people if they are not effec- infused vinegars, are responsible for selling
tively designed and administered. Recent their products. This involves traveling around
experiences among innovative programs the city and making presentations at farmers’
launched by urban parks suggest several key markets, enterprise fairs, and so on—“learn-
lessons to consider. ing how to look strangers in the eye and
4

5. A Broader View of Urban Parks BEYOND RECREATION
speak authoritatively,” as the Urban Herbals people can be energetic, enthusiastic, gener-
manager puts it.3 ous, and full of new ideas and perspectives.
But first we have to overcome stereotypes
about young people to benefit from what they
Portland, Oregon Parks and Recreation recog-
have to offer.
nizes the principle of age-specific program-
ming in its Summer Nature Camp initiative.
Forest Magic, for example, is for children age Prospect Park’s experience, again, is instruc-
5–6. It helps young children learn about the tive. Its Youth Council has two explicit goals:
forest, its inhabitants, and its hidden secrets 1) enhancing the lives of young people, but
through legends, songs, nature games, and also 2) improving programming for children in
hikes. Eco Explorer is for youth age 9–12. It the community. In order to do both well, park
takes participants to investigate the ecology authorities realized they should listen to youth.
of forest, field, and stream with microscopes, As one Youth Program director put it: “Some
soil/water testing kits, and computer mapping. people don’t understand how to work with
youth. You have to give them more meaning
There is more than one way to design age- than just telling them to stuff envelopes. They
targeted initiatives. For some parks managers, want to be respected more than anything.
it may make sense to develop an array of They want to be asked, not told.”
related programs, each targeted at progres-
sively older groups. Others may decide to In response to the input of the Park’s Youth
start more modestly, focusing exclusively on a Council, and with their planning help, Prospect
single age group, and only expanding their Park has programmed a series of “Events for
programs as they gain experience. Teens.” This includes a Teen Summit with the
Brooklyn Public Library and a teen-themed To make a real difference,
Garfield Park’s array of programs provides an after-party for a park “Greenathon” fundraiser quality matters in park-based
excellent example of age-graded offerings. walk. The youth gain a sense of confidence and youth programs.
Pre-kindergarten through second-grade chil- the park gets a set of events that are powerful
dren, for example, have Butterflies, Bees, attractions. Youth Council members also con-
and Beetles. Participants learn about color duct a community assessment and evaluation
and light using kaleidoscope kits and plant through sample surveys. They find “places
material to build their own naturescopes. where kids hang out and make presentations
They also explore the world of photosynthe- on what they find.”4 This helps youngsters
sis and learn how a leaf uses light. For grades learn that they can make their community bet-
four through eight, there is Survival on a ter by working collectively, at the same time
Tropical Isle, in which participants imagine that it helps parks keep control of their spaces.
their airplane crashes in the Amazon Forest. Perhaps most striking, Youth Council members
They learn map skills, find clues to help them travel to the New York State Congress each
survive in a tropical environment, and discuss year to help make the case for parks. Their tes-
how people have adapted to life in tropical timony helps young people gain a sense of
regions. For grades nine through eleven mastery at the same time that it helps parks
there is the High School Docent program. get much-needed public support.
Docents go through core training that
provides team building, leadership develop-
San Francisco’s Neighborhood Parks Council
ment, and education in botany, public speak-
(NPC) has also benefited from really listening
ing, and career planning. Then they volunteer
to youth. The germ of the idea came when the
throughout the year to help staff the Conser-
NPC found that teens were misusing a park
vatory Alliance’s special programs.
facility and began to ask why. In answering
this question, they investigated teen program-
Finally, the most successful programs for ming in their district and found there was
youth recognize and value what young peo- almost none, particularly for older teens. So
ple themselves can offer. Those who think of they went straight to the youth and asked
young people merely as having problems, them what they wanted to see happen in the
needing services, or requiring instruction are facility they had been misusing. This simple
overlooking an important resource. Young solicitation led to the idea and implementation
5

6. BEYOND RECREATION A Broader View of Urban Parks
of Park Sessions, a youth-organized, youth- removed to discourage the “wrong” people
created young artist programming initiative open from using the park.
to all youth living throughout San Francisco.
TNL has since evolved into six groups of
The first Park Sessions event featured a teens working on different issues. Notably,
Visual Art Area where local youth showed one group is working in conjunction with
their work, which was curated by their peers, national youth coalitions to amend the Higher
as well as open mike performances by youth Education Act of 1965. The amendment
bands, poets, and dance performers. Volun- would establish a scholarship program to
teer chaperones and youth coordinators man- encourage and support students who have
aged security, as well as the coat and bag contributed substantial public services. Thus
check. Throughout the planning process far, TNL participants have attended national
youth engaged in successful problem solv- meetings and met with congressional staff to
ing. They decided to deal with graffiti, for encourage representatives to pass the
example, by taping butcher paper to a wall amendment.
outside. “At the end of the evening the paper
was in bags and the building was clean.” 5
The community benefited from a popular and Conclusion
well-attended event. The youth planners ben-
efited by coming to understand the real- Community leaders concerned about local
world problems involved in planning events youth development can look to urban parks for
attended by older teens. All benefited from more than playgrounds and recreation. High-
providing a forum for young artists. quality parks programs can be effective in
The most successful pro- building the assets young people need for
healthy development:
grams for youth recognize Teen Neighborhood Leaders (TNL) is the solu-
and value what young peo- tion that Slavic Village, a Cleveland neighbor-
• Physical development. Youth programs
ple themselves can offer. hood, came up with to address problems of
that provide opportunities to run, play, mas-
vandalism and harassment surrounding the
ter athletic skills, and participate in team
Village’s middle and high schools. The Slavic
sports are essential. Parks can and should
Village Development Corporation decided to
play a central role in developing and deliv-
invite students to a community meeting,
ering these kinds of programs for youth.
where young people readily acknowledged
• Intellectual development. Nature trails/
that their peers might be causing problems.
ecology, historical assets, and performance
These students said they would like to have a
major role in improving the situation and spaces for music and theater can all be
decided to form a group for the purpose. As a used to help young people hone their
first step, TNL drew up a list of what was knowledge of essential life skills, acquire
important to them. critical thinking and reasoning skills, and
improve their school performance.
• Psychological and emotional develop-
They agreed to make improving Barkwill ment. Many different kinds of park
Park, a park frequented by teens and consid- programs can build psychological and
ered one of the worst in the city, a top prior- emotional assets at the same time they
ity. The teen group teamed up with the parks challenge young people physically or intel-
department, their local councilman, the Slavic lectually. Working in teams to design and
Village Development Corporation, and the implement youth-centered programming
Barkwill Park Committee to create a “dream- can instill coping and conflict resolution
scape” for this mostly concrete space. In skills. Helping with the long-term planning
addition to designing and planning this proj- of a major annual event can build a com-
ect, TNL raised funds of their own to help mitment to good use of time.
pay for new playground equipment, orga- • Social development. Programs that chal-
nized community park-cleanup days and, lenge young people to work in groups,
notably, convinced the parks department to address the needs of others, and con-
restore the basketball hoops that had been tribute to the well-being of their community
6

7. A Broader View of Urban Parks BEYOND RECREATION
all help build social development skills. Par- 2. Community Programs to Promote Youth Devel-
ticipating in volunteer activities such as opment, page 3.
park clean-up days, for example, can help 3. See http://www.pps.org/tcb/slug.htm.
foster a commitment to civic engagement.
4. See http://www.pps.org/tcb/prospect_ park.htm.
Communities need all the help they can get 5. See http://www.pps.org/tcb/park_sessions.htm.
in providing a wide range of high-quality
opportunities for young people to help them
become the nation’s next generation of
About the Author
skilled, competent, and responsible adults.
Urban parks can serve as important resources Margery Austin Turner is the director of the
in these efforts. Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and
Communities Center and a nationally recog-
Notes nized expert on urban policy and neighbor-
hood issues. Much of her current work
1. As described in National Research Council and
Institute of Medicine, Community Programs to focuses on the Washington metropolitan area,
Promote Youth Development (Washington, DC: investigating conditions and trends in neigh-
The National Academy Press, 2002). borhoods across the region.
The Wallace Foundation’s Urban Parks Initiative
The Wallace Foundation’s Urban Parks Initiative was designed to improve the quantity and
quality of urban parks for public use, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, and to broaden
urban leaders’ understanding of the importance of parks to the health and vitality of cities.
From 1990 through the initiative’s conclusion in 2003, Wallace supported 19 public/private
partnerships in 17 cities for creating new parks in underserved neighborhoods, reforesting
urban areas, restoring landscape, and bringing new activities to both neighborhood and metro-
politan parks. Wallace’s initiative helped secure 350 acres of new parkland and 50 miles of
greenway trails, restored 300 acres of existing parkland, and leveraged more than $150 million
in public/private commitments. The Foundation also supported national and regional forums to
share lessons on park development and their contribution to community revitalization.
The Wallace Foundation commissioned the Urban Institute to evaluate the effectiveness of
funded activities in parks in 11 cities. The Institute collected information on how parks improve-
ment efforts may have induced changes in the numbers or types of people who used the
parks. Researchers also examined the partnerships parks agencies formed with nonprofit
organizations to undertake these improvements, as well as the ways in which they engaged
citizens in their efforts.
Parks Publications
This brief is one of three short studies focused on a new and broader view of the roles parks
can play in urban communities: “The Public Value of Urban Parks” and “Understanding Park
Usership,” by Chris Walker; and “Urban Parks as Partners in Youth Development,” by Margery
Austin Turner.
Other publications stemming from the Urban Institute’s evaluation of the Wallace Urban Parks
Initiative include Partnerships for Parks: Lessons from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest
Urban Parks Program, by Chris Walker; Public Use of Urban Parks: A Methods Manual for
Park Managers and Community Leaders, by William Kornblum, Chris Hayes, and Ryan Allen;
and Communities for Parks: A Framework for Building Engagement, by Chris Walker, Maria-
Rosario Jackson, and Robin Redford.
All these publications can be obtained from the Urban Institute’s online bookstore,
http://www.uipress.org, or by calling 202-261-5687.
7

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E-mail: pubs@ui.urban.org research findings through publications, its web site, the media, seminars, and forums.
Through work that ranges from broad conceptual studies to administrative and technical assistance, Institute
researchers contribute to the stock of knowledge available to guide decisionmaking in the public interest.
The Wallace Foundation
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The Wallace Foundation
New York, NY 10016 The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national private foundation established by DeWitt and Lila
Acheson Wallace, the founders of The Reader’s Digest Association. Its mission is to enable institutions to
Phone: 212-251-9700
expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people. It does this by supporting and sharing effective
Fax: 212-679-6990 ideas and practices.
E-mail: info@wallacefoundation.org
To achieve this mission, The Wallace Foundation has three objectives:
—Strengthen education leadership to improve student achievement
—Improve after-school learning opportunities
—Expand participation in arts and culture
For more information and research, please
visit http://www.wallacefoundation.org.
Copyright © 2004
The views expressed are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect
those of the Urban Institute, its board,
its sponsors, or other authors in the
series. Permission is granted for repro-
duction of this document, with attribution
to the Urban Institute.