(WCE) Women in Consulting Engineering Vancouver’s Post

Inclusive pickleball events are revolutionizing community engagement and accessibility in Texas! 🌟 The "Pickleball for All" program is breaking barriers, welcoming participants of all abilities to enjoy this fast-growing sport. Once a month at Chicken n Pickle, individuals with disabilities can join in a relaxed, judgment-free environment and discover the joys of pickleball. The benefits are profound: - **Physical Health**: Playing pickleball is gentle on the joints and an excellent cardiovascular workout. - **Social Connections**: These events are a hub for forging new friendships and building community. - **Mental Well-being**: Engaging in sports can be a great stress reliever, offering fun and camaraderie that rivals therapy. How exciting is it to see sports becoming more inclusive and accessible? Do you know of similar initiatives in your area? It’s a movement worth celebrating, and there’s a spot for everyone on the court. Mark your calendars for the next event and consider volunteering to support this incredible initiative! #Pickleball #Inclusivity #Community #Accessibility #SportsForAll #HealthAndWellness

What a great event! The 15th Annual TWU Golf Outing was a rousing success. Union members care and want the best opportunities in life for their children. Our sponsors (Independence Blue Cross and United Concordia Dental) have supported these efforts to provide scholarship opportunities for the last 15 years. Each year at least 10 receipents recieve a college or trade school scholarship. We are enternally grateful. However, what about health equity and necessary work to eliminate health disparities? How do we address the life expectancy in specific zip codes such as 19121 or 19146 or 19131 to list a few? What's being done to address chronic condition such as asthma and obesity? Summer is fast approaching. Where are the sponsorship of gymnasiums or expansion of recreation center hours or corporate (partnership) hiring of life guards for pools? What about sponsoring summer basketball leagues at the local Big 5 universities? What about eliminating food deserts within these zip codes? More can be done to help eliminate the long list of things that negatively impact our collective community.

🏀🏠 Bringing the Madness to Homeowners Associations! 🏠🏀 As March Madness sweeps the nation with its exhilarating basketball tournaments, it's time for Homeowners Associations (HOAs) to join in on the excitement! 🎉 Much like the teams competing for victory on the court, HOAs strive to foster a sense of community and collaboration among residents. Just as coaches strategically plan each play, HOA boards carefully navigate through decisions to enhance the quality of life within their neighborhoods. Here's how HOAs and March Madness share common ground: 1️⃣ Team Spirit: Just as basketball teams rally around their colors and mascots, HOAs can cultivate a strong sense of community pride. Encouraging residents to display team flags or host themed events can foster camaraderie and unity. 2️⃣ Fair Play: March Madness emphasizes fair competition and sportsmanship. Similarly, HOAs uphold rules and regulations to ensure fairness and equity among homeowners, creating a harmonious living environment for all. 3️⃣ Strategic Planning: In both realms, success often hinges on strategic planning and effective communication. Whether it's mapping out a winning game plan or orchestrating community initiatives, proactive leadership is key. 4️⃣ Celebrating Wins: Just as basketball fans celebrate every buzzer-beater, HOAs can recognize and celebrate the achievements of their community members. From beautification projects to volunteer efforts, acknowledging contributions fosters a culture of appreciation and encouragement. This March, let's channel the energy of March Madness into our neighborhoods! 🎊 Whether you're cheering on your favorite team or strengthening your community bonds, let's make this month a slam dunk for HOAs everywhere! 🏆🏡 #MarchMadness #CommunityUnity #HOALeadership #hoamanagement

It is essential that kids develop empathy early on. Fortunately, there are many ways that empathy-building fits naturally into recreation programming that kids already love. Building community with peers and developing positive mentorship relationships with adults are good building blocks for being in touch with the emotions and experiences of others. #empathy #lifeskills #mentorship #outdoorrecreation #positiveyouthdevelopment #youthrecreation #youthsports #healthycompetition https://lnkd.in/gFBsTDVD

Neighborhood Sports Play is the Last Affordable Youth Sports Option The belief that youth recreational sports is the last affordable sport option is an urban myth since the average cost for 3 months of youth recreational sports costs $300-$400 per player for 3 months of play (compare that cost to the average monthly food budget for a family of 4 in California is just under $300) As parents we need to ask ourselves, why do we need coaches, uniforms, referees or umpires, parents and sport field rentals for our kids to play a sport that most of us played in our neighborhoods with our friends until about 2 decades ago --and while most of us believe that neighborhood play option is gone-how can we reintroduce that play culture back into our neighborhoods.

Social skills are the cornerstone of a thriving society, yet their cultivation often begins on the fields and courts where children lace up their cleats and grab their rackets. Through teamwork, communication, and camaraderie, youth sports offer a fertile ground for nurturing these vital abilities. 🌱 As we witness our young athletes dribble, pass, and score, we recognize the profound impact sports have on their development beyond the game itself. 🏀⚽ Beyond the wins and losses, it's the lessons in teamwork, communication, and resilience that will propel them toward success in life. #GEAR #YouthSports #BuildingBonds #SocialSkills #Teamwork #YouthAthletics #FinancialConstraints #FinancialBarriers #YouthEmpowerment #AthleticsForAll #MakingADifference #UnlockPotential #BreakBarriers #EmpowerYouth #LevelThePlayingField #SportsForAll #AthleticEquality #YouthEmpowerment #CommunitySupport #YouthDevelopment

Scouting is a big part of my life but it can't happen without volunteers. Literally, can't happen. I'm a leader at my local scout group - 3rd Buckingham Scout Group - and I encourage you to think about Scouting and what you can do to help young people. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. At 3rd Buckingham Scouts we believe in preparing young people with skills for life. We encourage our young people to do more, learn more and be more. But to do that we rely on our volunteer leaders. Our volunteers do not necessarily have experience of scouting, it is this variety that helps us to build a programme that engages our young people - everyone has something to offer. The one thing that unites all volunteers within the Scout Association is an energy and enthusiasm for the young people and a sense of sharing their knowledge. Whilst all our volunteers are passionate about what they do, many help on a flexible basis due to other commitments. Some may help out once a week or fortnightly and others help once a term or at certain troop activities. You don’t have to be an adventurer like Bear Grylls to get involved with Scouting. Do you have first aid knowledge? Are you good with numbers? Handy in the kitchen? Or are you a DIY whizz? We all have useful skills and you can volunteer and help in many ways. As well as gaining externally recognised skills and having a brilliant time, Scouting also offers the chance to build on personal skills, like teamwork, confidence and leadership. So why don't you approach your local scout group? #scouts #scouting #beargrylls #volunteer #volunteering

One thought: The power of listening to understand I recently took a Duck Tour in Boston with my kids. It was a blazing hot day, nearly unbearable to be outside, and yet our tour bus/boat encountered a pack of teenagers taking full advantage of the Lynch Family Skatepark. They sped across the flat terrain, flew over the jumps, spun, kicked, flipped–and certainly looked to be having a heck of a time–even in such weather. While their resilience in the heat impressed me, what interested me more was learning how this community hub came to be.  A little more than a decade ago, the spot where this skatepark now sits was a barren piece of land. Today, it hums with activity, thanks to the efforts of Nancy Schön, the sculptor known for Boston's iconic "Make Way for Ducklings" statues. When Schön found that skateboarders were using her sculptures as a playground, she confronted them to ask why. But instead of just venting her frustrations or simply shouting at them to get off (which had been her original plan), she listened to their reason. She heard that these young skaters simply had nowhere else to go. They had tried to have a skate space dedicated or built by the city, but to no avail. So, she took action and helped them advocate for a skatepark. She fundraised, conducted stakeholder consultations,and convened public design meetings to make it happen. And finally, after years of work and countless hours of labour, the park came to fruition.  Schön's journey from adversary to advocate shows how genuine engagement can transform conflict into collaboration. By listening to the skaters and understanding their needs, she catalyzed a movement that culminated in the creation of the largest skatepark in the Northeast. It's a story of perseverance and empathy—one that reminds us, especially in these polarized times, of the transformative power of truly hearing one another. And in the power of listening to find common ground and to create change. -JD #Communications #CommunityEngagement #EmpathyInAction #UrbanDevelopment #ListeningMatters

Students, now is your chance to try out that sport, club, or volunteer opportunity you’ve been thinking about. Colleges love to see students who engage with their community—it’s more than just grades! #MoreThanGrades #Extracurriculars #CollegePrep #CareerPrep #PathfindersAdvisors #DestinationSuccess #PathfindersPulse

How does parks and recreation impact your community? The #1 purpose of parks and recreation departments is to provide high quality facilities and services to their local community. This can happen in a variety of ways, but let’s take it one step further. While municipalities invest millions each year into their parks and recreation departments across the country, it is more important now that ever before that we show return on investment. Investing into your parks is an investment into your whole community. Here is a quick snapshot of our crown jewel baseball/softball facility, Freedom Park. Freedom Park bosts 12 baseball/softball fields as well as 1 state of the art Mircle League synthetic surface field. This facility is utilized for our local youth and adult baseball and softball leagues throughout the week, and doubles as a tournament facility on the weekends.Since partnering with Placer.ai we have gained much insight on our parks visitation rate, number of park visitors, where they come from, and how long they stay. Not only are we providing high quality programs and facilities to our locals (the most important), we are generating tourism dollars throughout our entire community! It is our responsibility as parks and recreation professionals to tell our story, and educate the public on ALL the benefits of investing into parks and recreation.Excitied to see our impacts in 2024! #parksandrecreation #tellyourstory #sportstourism #sportseta #youthsports #georgiatourism #GRPA #competevaldostalowndes #TitleTown