I Am Not Diversity Training”
Exploring the Experiences of Diverse Parks and Recreation Professionals Through Socio-Ecological Systems Theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11217618 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lisa Meerts-Brandsma (0000-0002-9563-8220, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, The University of Utah, corresponding author), Eric Legg (0000-0002-3575-1053, Arizona State University), N Qwynne Lackey (0000-0003-0114-8392, SUNY Cortland) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 778-799 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Leisure Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0149-0400 • E-ISSN: 1521-0588 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01490400.2024.2335940 |
| OpenAlex | W4394743194 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 40 |
As a public leisure service, parks and recreation is philosophically oriented and legally obligated to be accessible. However, a misalignment between who works for agencies and the communities they serve can perpetuate existing power dynamics where decision-makers reflect the mainstream population. In some cases, this dynamic may slow the rate at which agencies become more inclusive and equitable. This study used a socio-ecological framework to qualitatively investigate the experiences of diverse parks and recreation professionals (N = 20) with the aim of identifying supports and challenges they have experienced. The findings were largely consistent with workforce diversity literature but also offered unique considerations. For instance, as a public service, diverse employees manage biases from coworkers but also from the community members they serve. Additionally, the recreation workforce is often recruited from former participants, emphasizing the importance of promoting leadership that can advance policies and practices focused on equity and inclusion
Diversity (politics · Equity (law · Inclusion (mineral · Mainstream · Political science · Population · Public relations · Recreation · Social science · Sociology · Workforce · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts
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Mindful and Masculine
Understanding access and use of municipal parks and recreation through an intersectionality perspective
Organizational Barriers to Diversity in the Workplace
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Race and racism
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |