Connecting Communities to Nature (CC2N)

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Connecting Communities to Nature (CC2N) is a Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation (MCPR) initiative which infuses nature into traditional recreation programming. CC2N is a collaboration among various groups within the department, including nature centers, recreation centers, Master Naturalists, 4-H Cooperative Extension, horticulture, and the Office of Management and Budget. Through these partnerships, we have developed a comprehensive program that brings nature programming to each recreation center to match the skills and abilities of the staff at each site. The initiative has 5 parts: 1. Resource Guide: Hands-on activities in three different skill levels. 2. Adopt-a-Center: Provides recreation centers access to resources and expertise from nature center staff. 3. Continuing Education: Free courses to learn new skills. 4. Research: Evaluating the effectiveness of the program for two user groups. 5. Gardening: Tools, equipment and resources for container gardens. Since September 2017, 36 recreation specialists have been trained and provided programs to more than 700 participants. Pre-test surveys for the research component have been administered to these recreation specialists as well as pilot participants at two recreation centers. Post-tests will be done in May and data used from both surveys will be utilized to make improvements to the initiative.