AgriLife Urban and Municipal Parks Workshops

We are teaching a series of municipal parks workshops for Extension from December through April (see list below). While our primary audience is practitioners and community advocates, we are offering a student discount to these workshops. This is a great opportunity for students in related fields to learn more about parks. It is also a good fit for students looking for ideas and background for professional master’s projects, undergraduate capstone projects, or professional development opportunities. 

The list of programs and link to the registration site are available at https://agrilife.org/urbanparks/home/programs-and-assistance/workshops/

I also pasted the list of workshops below. 

2024 – 2025 Workshop Series 

CPTED for Parks

December 3, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour morning workshop)

In this workshop, attendees will learn Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) basic principles, evaluate a site, learn how CPTED is integrated into park plans and policies, and devise related action steps.

Park Maintenance Planning Basics

December 3, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour afternoon workshop)

This course is designed to motivate you to start or update maintenance and operations planning. The workshop reviews the value of maintenance plans, discusses key components of maintenance plans, helps you start to identify what is meaningful for your organization, and allows you time to brainstorm how to get started on maintenance planning in your organization.

Small Community Park Master Planning, Trail & Connectivity Planning, and Park Site Planning

December 4, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour morning workshop)

Learn how to compile or update Community’s Parks and Open Space or Trail & Connectivity Master Plans. The workshop reviews the common components of plans, , helps you start to identify what is meaningful for your organization, and allows you time to brainstorm how to get started on implementing a planning process for your community.

Grant Writing 101 for Parks, Trails, and Open Spaces

December 4, 2024 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour afternoon workshop)

Attendees will learn the basic concepts of grant writing including how to look for grants, best practices in writing grants, and key terms such as logic models, milestones, etc. Attendees will review grant opportunities and practice reviewing key sections and support materials required for grants.

Community Engagement

February 19, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour morning workshop)

The introductory workshop aims to help practitioners, volunteers, and community leaders learn the basic principles of community engagement. During the session, instructors will highlight various types of processes. The session will also highlight the engagement continuum which develop higher level involvement with local partners and advocates. 

Youth Engagement

February 19, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour afternoon workshop)

This session covers the basics of working with youth and engaging them in park planning, upkeep, and development. Various youth programs will be highlighted. Attendees will have time to develop ideas to apply in their communities.

Developing and Assessing Your Engagement Continuum in Parks and Recreation Summit

February 24, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (Half day, afternoon summit)

Modern day park systems are strengthened by their social systems. Engagement is more than just talking with and listening to people. It involves everything from communication to co-production. This summit reviews the literature and case studies on engagement, community systems, and co-production. Attendees will learn how to assess and develop their engagement continuum to support their park and recreation outreach, equity, and outcomes. This summit will provide a space for attendees to discuss issues and trends, share and deliberate ideas with peers and experts, and develop action plans for their local efforts.

Asset-based Approaches to Community Development in Parks and Recreation Summit

February 24, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (Half day, morning summit)

Asset-based approaches helps leaders identify, build, and empower local communities based on their strengths and resources. This approach guides local advocates to focus less on the “needs” culture that has often lead to deficiency-laden planning processes, dependency on external resources, and feeling broken. The program helps leaders learn and identify processes to focus on identifying community resources and strengths, how it can work together, and what it can accomplish by working together via co-production. This program is designed for communities of all sizes with all levels of resources. This summit will provide a space for attendees to discuss issues and trends, share and deliberate ideas with peers and experts, and develop action plans for their local efforts.

Social & Behavioral Marketing

April 2, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour morning workshop)

Learn the fundamentals of social and behavioral marketing and how to have purpose with your messaging and communication. Social Marketing (SM) focuses on supporting the behavioral change of willing and interested individuals.  The short-term goal is to impact a person though their daily habits while in the big picture, enhancing the long-term health of communities.  The workshop will cover case study examples such as increasing park knowledge and use, gaining support for programs using native plantings, or getting people not to litter!

Wayfinding and Social Cognition Summit – More than signs helping you find your way!

April 2, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour afternoon workshop)

This session will cover the key concepts of wayfinding and nudge theory. Attendees will learn how people organize and understand their environments, how we use these concepts to connect people, both visually and physically, to parks and trails, and how to get started in applying these concepts in their communities.

Activating Environments

April 3, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour morning workshop)

This initiative provides practitioners and community leaders with an overview of successful programs and concepts to activate spaces. It reviews the basics of placemaking, pop up play, open streets, playability, and usability. The instructors will highlight key steps used to plan and implement a programs, as well as share highlights on how outcomes and impacts are measured.

Playability

April 3, 2025 in Dallas, Texas (3 hour afternoon workshop)

Review best practices and outcomes for Pop up Play, Painted Places, Open Streets, and Mobile Play programs. The workshop guides local groups through site or community evaluation techniques and related action planning steps to incorporate play into the daily fabric of their organization or community .

Jamie Rae Walker
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Urban and Municipal Parks 
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension 
jamie-rae-walker@tamu.edu