The City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Park Pride, will kick off the month of February by hosting its second annual “Love Your Park” volunteer month initiative. The effort will service 30 greenspaces throughout the city of Atlanta — This year, the collective aims to recruit 1,000 volunteers with projects available for all ages. In addition to volunteers to help enhance our greenspaces, the Department of Parks & Recreation is recruiting volunteers to serve as coaches for sports, dance, esports, and more. Phillip Smith, a community outreach specialist, from the Department of Parks and Recreation joins us to discuss the many opportunities to volunteer.
Smith shares that young people ages 5 – 12 and teens ages 13-18 can participate in recreation center classes and the Track and Field season is about to start.
They also have an Internship Fair & Expo coming up in March with the Division of Communications for Social Media interns this summer.
All volunteers complete training courses and pass a verified background check. Smith speaks fondly about his time as a youth at his local recreation center.
Smith speaks about the importance of recreation centers where young people can learn social and emotional health while mastering teamwork. Often volunteer coaches go on to mentor the young people from their teams for a lifetime.
For anyone interested in volunteering you can reach out to Smith here. You can also reach out to the Department of Parks and Recreation here. Smith also recommends visiting your local recreation center and speaking with the facilities manager.