The Catalyst Program is a four-year project that identifies three to four historically under-served parks and dedicates itself to galvanizing support for and commitments to:
Convene people to identify and work toward shared priorities: Catalyst builds local excitement and interest in waterfront parks, bringing together diverse stakeholders including youth, local residents, educators, community leaders, and business owners to exchange ideas and develop goals for the future of their parks and waterfronts. Through large community visioning workshops and small, facilitated meetings, local partners are encouraged to see how a unified effort can leverage substantially more resources than can individual efforts. Community meetings, information sharing, and coordinated activities help groups to identify shared goals and a group identity.
Facilitate collaboration through communication and problem-solving: Because the road to meaningful collaboration can be a long one, we support community efforts each step of the way. Catalyst forms and strengthens strategic partnerships with tools ranging from practical advice and information sharing to mediation and negotiation.
Link grassroots efforts to funding resources and decision-making opportunities: As partners come together, Catalyst facilitates their access to and participation in parks decision-making. Support can often be as basic as sharing deadlines and making first introductions to agency staff. In other cases, we provide focused opportunities for community partners to actively influence planning for their parks by inviting agency representatives to community meetings, collecting and broadcasting studies, and promoting public forums. Catalyst also provides training on working with elected officials and understanding the City budget process. Catalyst helps our partners increase their familiarity, confidence, and capacity to be advocates for their parks and waterfronts.
© City Parks Foundation
