The longest running state recreation conference in the country, put on by the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association, will be September 24-25 this year at Lake Morey Resort and Conference Center in Fairlee, VT. The theme of our 71st Annual Conference is “Recreation Within Reach: Connecting People, Parks, and Programs.”
We believe this is a great opportunity for students who are considering going into the recreation, hospitality, tourism, sports management, outdoor education, natural resources, and forestry fields and are offering free conference registration to students who join the VRPA. The membership fee of $25 provides discounted registration to all VRPA sponsored programs, meetings, and activities, a weekly recreation check-in with information about job openings, training opportunities, and funding resources, the chance to network with other recreation professionals and vendors, and more.
Wednesday will feature six 3-hour institutes to choose from, lunch, and an evening vendor social with dinner and entertainment. Thursday, students will enjoy networking with professionals during a breakfast roundtable session, a great keynote speaker, three education sessions (with 12 offerings to choose from), an awards luncheon, exhibitor hall, the opportunity to win prizes in raffles and a silent auction, and a complimentary delegate gift. We have education sessions relevant to those entering the municipal, private, school, and environmental recreation fields. So far, session topics include outdoor fitness, communication, workplace etiquette, marketing, grant writing, trail design, and non-profit collaboration. We are also working to develop student-specific sessions. Not only will this conference provide students with the chance to network and build their resumes, there are also volunteer and leadership opportunities, as well as the possibility of finding internships and jobs.
We invite and encourage you to join us for the 71st Annual Governor’s Conference on Recreation this September. Please refer to https://www.vrpa.org/ for more informatio.