A National Platform
NRPA invited community practitioners to speak to the parks and recreation field at its 2026 annual conference in Philadelphia.
People hurt. Parks heal.
NatureFest, 2024
Thrive DC Teen Respite, 2023
Help address chronic stress related to intergenerational poverty, violence, injustice, and other forms of harm by reconnecting people and communities with and through parks.
We do: Community Consultation · Green Workforce Development · Affective Curriculum · Development Partnership Development · Presentations, Woke-shops™, and Talks · Program Design
Thrive Outside Day, 2023
Our Model
‘Restorative park engagement’ (RPE) is nature-based social work designed to engage people that traditional environmentalism doesn't reach.
Park Love: Stimulate people's innate connection to nature.
Considerate care: Support an individuals' mental, physical, and social wellbeing.
Meaningful Fellowship: Generate a sense of community, safety, caring, respect and belonging.
Healthy connections: Spark an appreciation of park experiences that motivate park users to invest their gifts of time, voice, or money.
Updates
RPE Is Going National
The first professional credential in Restorative Park Engagement comes from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and Friends of Anacostia Park.
A Credential for the Field
The NRPA credential is for parks and recreation staff. They learn to recognize RPE when a neighbor is doing it in their park, and to clear the way with a permit, a space, or an introduction. The curriculum comes from FoAP's work at Anacostia Park and the practices the Fellows documented.
Friends of Anacostia Park runs the Fellowship through its capacity development and innovation program. It takes neighbors who already do this work and pays them to do it in the park.
Research Partners
Trust for Public Land and George Washington University are working with FoAP to measure what RPE does for people and parks. That research is the evidence behind the credential.
Our Approach
Community-centered and nature-based programs designed to engage residents living in economically stressed communities.
Martha’s Table Produce Give-a-way, Anacostia Park, Washington DC
Workforce Development: Pairs meaningful employment with park revitalization. Employment and training programs that build individuals’ transferable skills and employability while cultivating their sense of safety, pride, belonging and community.
![Man holding up a card reading "I am free from sadness", "don't change for others", "figt [sic] for others & the world", "be happy be strong think strong!"](https://parkslove.us/cms/custom/uploads/2025/02/addfe63a5111f39509e4a846f88f3caf-scaled.jpg)
Nature card making w/ National Reentry Network
Trauma Informed Approach: Recognize the role of trauma in the lives of residents for whom crime, drug use and incarceration are part of their daily lived experience. Parks and nature are community assets recognized as a central part of people's continuum of care.
Meaningful Family Engagement community listening session, 2019, Anacostia High School, Washington DC
Restorative Engagement: Listening to, valuing, and understanding people’s lived experiences to inform park programming that helps address community needs. 11% of people in the United States live in poverty.
Visual and tactile activities to address literacy barriers
NACE Anacostia Park Late Skate Event. October 29th, 2022. Photos: NPS / Kelsey Graczyk
Programs that empower parents to engage with their kids
Culturally relevant activities like fishing, hand dancing, and roller skating
