In October 2012, IPRA launched its Leadership Academy. The Academy is an intensive, six-month program that will benefit you regardless of what stage you are in your career. There are three levels to the Academy, and the curriculum at each level will focus on building great leaders to strengthen parks and recreation agencies.

The Office of Recreation & Park Resources and the Recreation, Sport & Tourism Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are the proud sponsors of the IPRA Leadership Academy. As one of the first colleges to offer a degree in parks and recreation, the university understands the importance of leadership and continuing education in our field. At the completion of each level, individuals will receive a Certificate of Completion from the University of Illinois.

IPRAConnect is the Illinois Park & Recreation Association's members-only online community. It is your connection to an invaluable resource: each other!

The IAPD/IPRA Program Committee is currently accepting proposals for the 2017 Soaring to New Heights conference program. This is an excellent opportunity to share your best practice case studies, innovative program ideas, and the latest research and emerging trends with a multi-disciplinary audience of nearly 4,000 professionals and commissioners in the parks, recreation and conservation field.

Having a valid plan in place helps agencies to make realistic, justifiable decisions that can easily and quickly be implemented. This session will give an overview of different types of planning projects that can be completed, what they contain, which plan is relevant to which situation, and how to obtain a high-quality plan with the least amount of resource investment.

Learn to use Purpose Driven Programming and Evaluation tools developed by presenter, Dr. Keith Fulthorp. These tools will elevate the impact of recreation programs, and expedite the efforts of staff utilizing the tools in their daily programming efforts. Attendees to this session should remember to bring their laptops or tablets!

Certification is important to demonstrate that you have an understanding of the basic competencies needed to be successful in the park and recreation profession.

Park Pursuit is modeled after the TV show "Amazing Race." It allows members of IPRA to engage in a day-long race where team building, healthy competition, and recreation take center stage. Participants navigate through the host town based on clues and complete challenges. The registration deadline is tomorrow, April 22!

Spend the afternoon networking with your parks and recreation colleagues while enjoying a day at the track.

The IPRA Teen Committee wants to invite you and your teens on a Kayak Trip on Wednesday, July 6!

The Teen Committee is excited to hold its fifth annual Teen Camp Challenge! The Teen Committee wanted to develop a teen program, targeted toward 5th - 8th graders, that would be convenient for Teen Supervisors to offer, as well as bring teens together for a fun and rewarding experience.

• Aquatic Director
• Assistant Fleet Mechanic
• Finance Assistant - Full Time
• Marketing Specialist
  

Did you know that IPRA Members can post Internship positions for FREE?

Visit the IPRA Career Center for details!