Growing a "Meaningful" New Friends Group for Anacostia Park
Erin Garnaas-Holmes is the Ambassador to the Urban Waters Partnership for the Anacostia Watershed, and a member of the Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative. He writes a monthly blog post about the Anacostia River.
On September 22, a group of community leaders joined the National Park Service and several park programming providers at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, each six feet apart and wearing a mask, to brainstorm future activities in Anacostia Park. Everyone had been invited by Akiima Price, Community Liaison to Anacostia Park, who has led the “Meaningful Engagement Cohort” that has brought a diversity of partners together with the National Park Service to create park events and activities that benefit stressed residents of Wards 7 and 8.
It was invigorating to see a community of park partners, even when 6’ apart and wearing masks.
It was a gorgeous and invigorating day to be in the Aquatic Gardens, a reminder of how powerfully outdoor experiences can improve mental health and overall wellness. Akiima opened the event with a reminder that the benefits of being outdoors are enormous, and that the goal of the Meaningful Engagement Cohort has been to unlock that kind of power to help people who struggle every day with violence, poverty, racism and other forms of trauma. This healing-focused work not only resonates with community groups responding to those issues, but it also aligns with the National Park Service’s “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” initiative, which seeks to harness the power of parks and public lands as a health resource.
A network of partners in Anacostia Park are working to both improve “Visitor Engagement” and “Community Engagement”
Attendees at this event participated in a speed-dating exercise, allowing people like “Mr. Q”, a longtime leader and organizer in the Kenilworth community, to meet people like Ariel Trahan, Director of River Restoration Programs at Anacostia Watershed Society. Akiima believes that establishing these one-on-one relationships is a crucial step to unlock Anacostia Park, allowing, for example, Mr. Q to now link his network of young people or elders with Ariel’s ability to provide free motorized boat tours of the Anacostia River.
Michael Chambers is the Chief of Partnerships, Volunteers and Youth with National Capital Parks-East (NPS)
Everyone also heard a few major updates, including an introduction to Michael Chambers, the new Chief of Partnerships, Volunteers and Youth with National Capital Parks-East (NPS) and an update from the National Park Foundation on the creation of a new nonprofit partner for Anacostia Park. Michael is working to streamline the park’s engagement with programming providers and people who want to host events or activities, while the future Friends Group will help curate and expand those kinds of relationships while raising funds for infrastructure and improvements within Anacostia Park.
With both of these developments, Anacostia Park will not only be better equipped to not only engage its increasing number of visitors, but NPS and traditional park partners will build the relationships required to meaningfully engage stressed residents who live nearby as well.