Board Club

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Board Club is a new program in the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation which promotes skateboarding in a positive way while providing opportunities to expose children and teens to different board sports such as wakeboarding, snowboarding and surfing. The club was created shortly after the opening of a new skatepark at Belvedere Park in East Los Angeles. In order to deter vandalism, the use of drugs and the presence of gang members, the Department of Parks and Recreation felt that organized programming needed to be implemented at the skatepark. The department has been very fortunate over the years because when a new amenity is installed at a park, constituents take pride and ownership and help take care of these local recreational facilities. The Board Club has not only given the opportunity for children and teens to participate in innovative activities in the water, snow and parks, but it has also given children and teens a sense of ownership and as a result, the community is proactively helping to deter vandalism in the parks. Undoubtedly, the diversity of the program has attracted a larger audience of participants and has collectively fostered friendships and positive behavior in an area where teens often find themselves exposed to gang violence and criminal activity.