Demetria’s Desk: Leveraging the Power of Parks

By: Demetria Smith, PEAK Executive Director

PEAK is proud to call Tiefenthaler Park home.  Our Milwaukee County Parks are a wonderful resource and PEAK, as a strength-based organization, intentionally leverages this asset for the greatest good.

Did you know that Tiefenthaler Park has over 30,000 visits per year? That’s a lot of folks using their neighborhood park!

Healthy, active urban parks are vital to a thriving community. According to the City Parks Alliance, city parks provide access to recreational opportunities, increase property values, spur local economies, combat crime, and protect cities from environmental impact. PEAK is working to ensure that Tiefenthaler Park serves as a vibrant community resource for the Midtown Community and the city at large! 

PEAK@Tief, PEAK’s park activation project launched in 2019, provides free programming in the park for visitors of all ages. From Community Camp to park events to community dinners, PEAK@Tief engages visitors in activities that build connections to the park and to each other.  PEAK@Tief is a different beast than our other programs and, through trial and error, we’ve learned valuable lessons about how to operate successfully:  

1. Consistency 

Showing up is half the battle! Tuesday through Saturday, PEAK staff is out there with smiles and games, being a consistent positive presence in the park, whether there are 10 participants or 100.

2. Inclusivity 

Ages 2 - 102! We intentionally craft activities that can be modified for a range of ages so that people of all ages can meaningfully engage. From Fitness Bootcamp (shout out to Milwaukee Recreation!) to bubble stations, we curate offerings to meet a variety of desires. 

3. Flexibility

The mix of park visitors is different everyday, in age, abilities and interests. Over the years, we’ve adapted our structure to accommodate the reality that you can’t predict what is going to happen in a public park!  Activity stations with a mix of independent and staff led activities are key to our structure. Thanks to the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention Summer of Healing grant for the funds that allowed us to add more activities this year!

We’re always looking for more ideas! What’s the best activity/event you’ve seen in a public park?