Applied Anthropology: WikiProject Part 2
Brandi Gray
ANT464: Applied Anthropology
Jessie Cohen
July 14, 2014
Understanding the task at hand, a local parks and recreations department is in need of
assistance with making changes to the recreations area. Besides knowing the mission, we must
also understand the subject. As described earlier in week one, degradation of community
atmosphere affects all. This includes children and parents, as local parks are often used as a
means of recess and physical fitness for both the child and the parent. It also affects the
observation of the community. Meaning, if the communal area looks poverty stricken to an
unfamiliar person, they may also assume this of the local neighborhood. Also in week one,
different factors pertaining to various dimensions of community recreation and statistical data of
who was affected and how they were affected was also discussed. For the purpose of this paper
and the assignment, through Methods and Sources of Data For Needs Assessments, I will attempt
to suggest specific methods of needs assessments to the social problem with parks and
recreations. Here, I will discuss the specific methods, sources of data, and actual logistics of
assessing the needs of the people involved in this issue.
Prior to suggesting the specific methods of needs assessment, I think having a basic
understanding of what needs assessments is intended for is very important. Ervin states that,
“needs assessments can be required for a number of purposes. They can be used in preparing for
grant applications and other funding requests. They are used for budgeting, setting priorities, and
developing programs. They might be commissioned to raise public awareness about undesirable
situations or to clarify views of particular client groups. They might also be the fulfillment of a
political promise…for all these reasons, the researcher must understand the purposes of the
research and understand consequences of findings” (Ervin, p81 2005). I feel this quote gives
substance to the mission of helping with improvements. In detail and with the local parks and
recreation organizations, needs assessments will be used to prepare ideas, establish positive
image management, and build on curriculums. As a greater illustration related to parks and
recreations, Ananda Mitra, author of Thinking of Recreation Needs Assessments, tells us that,
“A needs assessment is a scientifically reliable statistical study to gain an understanding of the
community-wide recreation needs, attitudes, opinions and behaviors of the constituency served
by a recreation service provider. The goals and skills needed in conducting a needs assessment
are presented, along with information on who is best qualified and the what the tasks and
outcomes of a needs assessment should be” (Mitra, p18 2001). In my opinion, Mitra
demonstrates there is an essential need to comprehend the issue and the subjects and to
understand the business environment of the situation. For this purpose, I think identification of
varying methods should be addressed. There are three types of needs assessments: the
discrepancy, marketing, and the decision-making model. Recognizing the characterization of
each type of assessment and how they relate to the mission of parks and recreations, all types of
needs assessments would be applicable and beneficial to the operation. The discrepancy model is
based on a group setting in which the group establishes particular goals and has distinguished
ways to reach the goals. Should the group fail in the attainment of reaching the goal, they
determine there is a need for process improvement. This method would be beneficial in the
overall achievement of improving the local parks and recreations area because it implies group
cohesiveness and collaborations. It also helps to establish common goals in terms of positive
production and holds the process of accomplishment accountable. For example, the group
establishes the local parks and recreations need a pool during the summer to aid with
summertime camp organization and programs for kids and teens. Consequently, a large number
of falls are reported due to slipping hazards. This approach advises the team redirect their
approach to incorporate slip proof products. The second type of assessment, the marketing model
is probably the most beneficial for parks and recreations. This model “is agency centered and not
always completely service oriented. Take the situation of an agency that has been designed to
meet a number of needs, but its clientele has been steadily shrinking, and it is in danger of losing
its funding from government or charitable agencies. In order to discover how to best serve its
clients’ needs, it conducts a needs assessment, searching out felt and expressed needs. It can then
redesign or initiate policies and programs to best suit these needs and use the findings to seek
funding for its own survival. The agency might be sincerely involved in a marketing campaign to
improve its services and perform legitimate public service” (Ervin, p81 2005). I think this
approach is most beneficial in the set mission due to the nature of what needs to be done. In
order to support the local parks and recreations community, a foundation should be laid in terms
of how to gather information for improvement. Essentially what is the goal of the assessment?
And how will it be accomplished? To answer these questions we would need to assess areas such
as resident satisfaction, “address the level of quality, quantity, and management of existing
parks, programs, facilities and services. Determine current resident usage levels of programs and
facilities and appropriateness of when and where these services are offered. Identify what levels
of spending are acceptable via fees and charges, for recreation programs, park and facility
improvements. Identify the community's interest in the addition of future facilities. Explore and
suggest efficient ways of providing opportunities that take into account the economic and time
constraints of the community. Assess the public's awareness and perception of the agency's
current programs and facilities in terms of how well the programs and facilities satisfy the needs
of participants” (Mitra p19 2001). To do this I think the best plan is to devise a questionnaire for
the local community and the key players in which the redevelopment of the parks and recreations
will benefit. The last model which I also think plays a noteworthy proportion is the decision-
making-model. Here, this model suggests that if the focus is on the needs and worth of the
community, the services provide by the organization will be greater. I think this is a true ideal, in
that focusing on the community as whole and determining how and by what means of needs can
the parks and recreations establishment be better. Taking into account wants versus needs,
priorities, budgets, and so forth would also be considered under this method. (Ervin, 2005).
In terms of sources of data and the actual logistics of assessing the needs of those
involved, there would need to be tremendous effort on behalf of the organizations and the
community. With that, the number one source would be the local community. This would
include those who currently use the parks and recreations area as is, and those who would make
use of a renovated site. As stated before, the best way to approach the situation would mostly
likely be through questionnaires. This is would probably be most beneficial as a blueprint as a
result of other limitations, such as people not being home for door-to-door service. In addition to
sources of data, open community meetings and presentation data to the community would be
beneficial. From here, this would assist in assessing the needs of the community. With forums
the organization will be able to address the direct wants in correlations to the needs for a better
community and better parks and recreations.
In brief knowing the team, the mission of the parks and recreations, and desired outcomes
for the community helps build a blueprint with a reduced amount of errors. Furthermore,
understanding the subject and how to approach the situation with what is given can help increase
community moral. Here within this paper, and through Methods and Sources of Data For Needs
Assessments, I have attempted to suggest specific methods of needs assessments for the social
problem with parks and recreations.
Reference:
Ervin, A. (2005). Applied Anthropology: Tools and Perspectives for Contemporary Practice, 2/e
Vitalsource eBook for Ashford University [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved
from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781256507901/id/pg80
Mitra, A. (2001). Thinking of Recreation Needs Assessments. Parks & Recreation, 36, 1820. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198101554?accountid=32521