Increasing Hispanic Participation in a Public Recreation Center

This study analyzed the reasons why a limited number of Hispanic parents take their children to a local public recreation center. The center historically serves the African American population of the community, with many African Americans living in the area surrounding the center. However, in the last decade, Hispanic families of Mexican decent have moved into this particular neighborhood, yet only a limited number of Hispanic children are currently enrolled at the center. The current study sought to 1) understand the historical context of the recreation center in relation to the African American population; 2) understand the attitudes held by Hispanic parents toward the use of the center; and 3) make recommendation to the center management of possible ways to increase Hispanic participation.

The research was conducted over a three-month period in the community surrounding the recreation center. Information was collected through the use of participant observation, autoethnography, historical and archival documents, and interviews. Findings suggest that the history of the recreation center is responsible for the large number of African American users at the facility. The facility had its origins as a segregated African American high school, and even today it serves an important community function in the African American neighborhood. Additionally, Hispanic parents identified a number of barriers to participation including language, lack of awareness, cultural differences, cost of participation, bullying, and negative perceptions of the center and neighborhood. Community members also discussed the lack of enforcement of outreach material available to recruit Hispanics.

In order to increase Hispanic enrollment, the recreation center should take action in several areas. First, the center must extend ownership by implementing programs applicable to other ethnic groups. The center may also want to consider displaying photos or posters of Hispanic role models in order to build Hispanic pride; such methods are already in place for the African American users. Moreover, the implementations of trainings targeting bullying may prove to be useful in limiting bullying of Hispanic participants. Finally, implementation of the ideas contained in the outreach material provided by the Boys and Girls Club may lead to increases in Hispanic enrollment.