Citizen Action Committees (CAC)

Identifying or Creating a Citizen Action Committee

The InRRDP strives to help communities help themselves. Thus, the InRRDP only works with communities that show measurable efforts at organizing and sustaining new park, recreation, leisure, and tourism services. To achieve measurable and sustainable outcomes, each community must have a functional organization of concerned citizens and community leaders that will take long-term responsibility for the development of sustainable services.

Therefore, InRRDP will work with your community liaison to identify an existing community group or create a new group to be responsible for park, recreation, leisure, and tourism services development in your community. The citizen action committee in each community is responsible for the decisions and actions that take place in their community in relation to the development of community recreation and park programs, services and facilities. The InRRDP prefers to work with an existing town park board that is in existence via state law (e.g., IC 36-10-3). If a community does not have a town park board, then the InRRDP prefers to work directly with the town board or a nonprofit organization that is supported, through board membership and public decree, by the town board.

The InRRDP strives to provide your CAC with the necessary resources, training, skills, and technical assistance to achieve local community goals and our mission. The goal for providing these resources is to empower citizens to gain the skills necessary to self-sufficiently administer park and recreation programs and services in their communities. The success of community park, recreation, leisure, and tourism services in your town depends on your CAC. The InRRDP staff is here to assist and advise along the way.

Planning Worksheet to Work Towards Sustainability

For communities to continue to receive assistance from InRRDP, each CAC must demonstrate that they are making honest and effective efforts to achieve sustainability of community park and recreation programs and services. Some indicators of working toward sustainability are: attending the CAC training seminars, regularly using the CAC web board, working with other community development organizations, developing a formal organizational structure, gaining formal support by the town board, and securing funding through grants, sponsorship, and/or local government policies.

InRRDP Citizen Action Committee Awards

The InRRDP staff will present the following awards to deserving participating CACs in the future:

The CAC Excellence Award for Significant Progress in Community Organizing and Sustainable Development
The Horizon Award for Notable Progress in Community Organizing and Sustainable Development

CAC Training Seminars

Each year, the InRRDP hosts training seminars on Indiana State University's campus on topics related to developing sustainable park, recreation, leisure, and tourism services. Click on CAC Training Seminars to view full-length video of past training seminars, and download all handouts and power point presentations. Also, announcements regarding upcoming training seminars and registration information is available.

Recommendations for Developing and Sustaining your CAC

View a number of time-tested tips related to developing and sustaining your Citizen Action Committee.

Benefits of Parks and Recreation

Educate yourself about the individual, community, economic, and environmental benefits of public and nonprofit community park and recreation services. Use this information to educate other key community leaders and the general public about the benefits of parks and recreation.

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