Join the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation online for our 1^st annual Citywide Parks Workshop on November 14, 2020! With dynamic speakers and interactive panel discussions, you will learn how to engage with city staff, corporations, community members and financial sponsors to activate your local Oakland park.

Don’t miss this free opportunity to collaborate, network and learn from other Oaklanders working to improve our city’s parks and recreation system. Whether you are an experienced community leader or a new volunteer just getting started, this is the workshop for you.

As individual community members, park activation can seem daunting. How do you coordinate volunteers? What resources are available from the City of Oakland? Where can you find project funding? And, above all, how do you create sustainable and equitable improvements for your community?

Attend the Citywide Parks Workshop to learn the answers to these questions and to tell the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation how we can better support you as a community leader and parks advocate. We’ll cover what’s possible during these times of COVID-19 and prepare for the recovery to come.

---

---

Citywide Parks Workshop

Presented by the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
in Partnership with The Trust for Public Land

Saturday, November 14, 2020
9:00am to 1:00pm
Free to Attend
via Video Conference

9:00 – 9:30am
Opening Remarks: The Promise of Oakland’s Parks

In a year that calls us to rethink and repair how we live together, Oakland parks are more essential than ever. They serve the natural human need for play and connection, while working at the fulcrum of justice – elevating equity when properly stewarded, but driving disparity when neglected. What is the role of parks as part of a solution for environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion?

Speakers:
Heather Kuiper, Former Board President, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
Ken Lupoff, Executive Director, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation

---

9:30 – 10:30am
Park Activation Panel: Actionable Ideas for Improving Your Parks

Many of us gather in parks with family and friends, build community with neighbors during cleanups and enjoy our redwoods, creeks and open spaces. Activated parks make these transformative experiences accessible to others. How do we bring sustainable, equitable improvements to our local parks? Hear from community, corporate and non-profit leaders about taking ideas from concept to reality.

Speakers:
Holly Alonso, Executive Director, Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
John Bliss, Former Board President, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
Mark Olson, Executive Director, Oakland Feather River Camp
Dan Pitcock, Owner and President, Roberts Electric
J. Nicholas Williams, Director, Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development

---

10:30 – 11:30am
Interactive Small Group Discussions: Equity, Mental Health & Community Engagement

Join a breakout session to take a deeper dive into issues of equity, mental health and community engagement. Learn concrete best practices for activating a park, connecting parks with mental health benefits and applying principles of environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Collaborate, network and learn from other Oaklanders working to improve our city’s parks and recreation system.

Speakers:
C.N.E. Corbin, Former Chair, Oakland Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission
Heather Kuiper, Former Board President, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
Tasion Kwamilele, Corporate Branding and Engagement, California Waste Solutions
Rue Mapp, Founder and CEO, Outdoor Afro
Mike Perlmutter, Team Supervisor, Environmental Services Division, Oakland Public Works
Lena Zentgraf, Race Director, Oakland Running Festival

---

11:30am – 12:00pm
Closing Remarks: Putting Plans Into Action

Armed with tools, resources and knowledge, where do we go from here as park advocates and community leaders? What goals can you achieve in the year before we meet again as a group? Learn about how the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation can support your efforts as a community connector, marketing voice, fundraising partner and fiscal sponsor.

Speakers:
Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, Board President, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
Heather Kuiper, Former Board President, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
Ken Lupoff, Executive Director, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation

---

12:00 – 1:00pm
Special Session: Building a Stronger Community Group

Representatives from Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation fiscal accounts are invited to stay for a special session about new services available to our community partners. Meet our staff, learn about our new online donation platform and have your questions answered about program development, marketing and fundraising.

Speaker:
Ken Lupoff, Executive Director, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation

More speakers to be announced.

---

---