Originally published on SaportaReport
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager
“Being part of PSA gave me the strength to not be afraid to do the big things for my park.” That’s how a 2023 grad described her experience with Park Pride’s Park Stewardship Academy (PSA).
This summer, our Education Team is excitedly preparing for the incoming 2024 PSA class. Now in its second year, PSA is a three-month educational and skill-building program that equips community members with the knowledge and skills needed to become stronger stewards and leaders for their neighborhood parks.
The 2024 cohort includes:
- Linda Adams, June E. Mundy Park – City of Atlanta
- Shana Arnold, Chosewood Park – Atlanta
- Genia Billingsley, Grove Park – Atlanta
- Greta Hutto, Daniel Johnson Nature Preserve – Atlanta
- Nicholas Isom, Mozley Park – Atlanta
- Shannon Norwood, Mozley Park – Atlanta
- Maya Teague, Ella Mae Wade Brayboy Memorial Park – Atlanta
- Martha Wilber, Adair Park I & II, Bonnie Brae Park – Atlanta
- Curtis Free, Needham Park – DeKalb County
- Pat Garvey, Medlock Park – DeKalb
- Katie Paden, Ira B. Melton – DeKalb
- William Dynan, LaVista Park – City of Brookhaven
Starting in September, these 12 community members will learn crucial skills to have a greater impact on their park and neighborhood. The program will include the following topics: how to fundraise for their park, tips to be an effective leader, ways to engage elected officials and how to plan a volunteer project. There are a few exciting new modules on the agenda, including storytelling for your park and hosting park programming.
We’ll also have a few guest speakers, including City of Atlanta Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet, DeKalb County Commissioner Michelle Long Spears and 2023 PSA graduates.
The program will be led by Director of Education Eli Dickerson and Advocacy & Education Specialist Vanessa Miot, who are passionate about helping residents become stronger advocates and stewards of Atlanta’s parks. They are both parents who love taking their kids to parks and will also bring different perspectives to the program as Eli has lived in Atlanta for 20-plus years and Vanessa is fairly new to the city. Vanessa also has extra insight into the needs of community park leaders, as she was originally a member of the Friends of Deerwood Park.
“[PSA] starts to feel very much like a family. We all have things in common, but we’re all very different in a lot of ways too,” Eli said. “I’m looking forward to building that fellowship among the cohort and getting inspired by them. I also can’t wait to learn from them and see their growth throughout the semester.”
The program will conclude with graduation in December, and each graduate can apply for a grant that supports an effort to bring people to the park. A few previous grads have already put their funds to use, like the recent Great American Campout & Environmental Career Day at Hairston Park.
Our incoming cohort spans our service area and features a diverse group of residents who are passionate about making their park the best it can be.
Maya Teague, representing Ella Mae Wade Brayboy Memorial Park, applied to PSA because she wants to bring more park amenities and events to the Hunter Hills neighborhood.
The Friends of Ella Mae Wade Brayboy Memorial Park already has great momentum. Through Park Pride’s Park Design Workshop last fall, the Friends group was connected with Perkins&Will, an Atlanta-based architecture firm that provided pro-bono design assistance. With about 17% of the neighborhood under the age of 10, the Friends group hopes to build a playground at the park. Maya sees the park as a community hub and wants to host events like back-to-school giveaways, family movie nights, potlucks, food drives and more.
Katie Paden, with Ira B. Melton Park, is looking forward to connecting with other passionate park stewards and learning how to garner sustained resources – both volunteer and financial – to continue their invasive plant removal efforts.
“While I’ve been ‘learning by doing’ for a while now with long-time volunteers, I would love to take advantage of the networking and community-building aspects of PSA,” Katie said. “[I plan] to apply my PSA training for years to come and help engage current and future waves of park users.”
Martha Wilber, representing Adair Park I & II and Bonnie Brae Park, recently moved into the neighborhood and is looking for ways to serve her new community. Through PSA, she hopes to learn how to best address maintenance issues, reinvigorate the community garden and engage fellow residents to use and help care for the park.
“Our parks are beautiful, cool, shady oases filled with huge trees, nests with baby hawks, pairs of redheaded woodpeckers, dogwalkers and children,” Martha said. “I want them to be the best they can be.”
Ultimately, Eli said that the goal of PSA is to graduate a cohort of park lovers who are inspired and empowered to lead park improvement and activation efforts in their local parks.
“As a PSA graduate from last year said, I hope that this year’s cohort walks away ‘not afraid to do the big things’ in their parks,” Eli said. “I’m confident that the connections made and the confidence built will flow from them into their Friends groups, their parks and the larger community. When they reach stumbling blocks along the way, as we all do in life, they know that Park Pride and their fellow PSA graduates will be right there to get them back on track. We’re a family of park lovers that supports each other!”
Stay tuned for updates and snapshots of our 12 park-leaders-in-training as they go through the program! Follow along on social media (@parkpride) and click here to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.