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Commission seeks comprehensive gender-participation data from Norwalk Parks & Recreation
Summary
Norwalk Parks & Recreation reported rising female participation in youth volleyball and basketball; commissioners asked staff to collect a full gender breakdown across city-run and private programs for evaluation of equitable access and resource allocation.
The commission heard updates from Norwalk Parks & Recreation and asked staff to compile comprehensive participation data showing the gender breakdown for youth sports and field use across city-run and non-city programs.
Joy reported she had met with Will Schwartstein, the director of Norwalk Parks & Recreation’s children’s athletic program, who provided participation figures for city-run programs: volleyball saw “about a 28% increase” and basketball an increase of “about 10%,” with variations by age group, Joy said. Joy also told commissioners that third- and fourth-grade girls’ basketball in one age cohort rose from 0 to 7 participants and that the total number of girls in the city-run youth basketball program was “about 42.”
Commissioners stressed the initial figures covered city-run programs and asked for a broader data pull that would include private clubs and leagues that use city fields or facilities. Commission member Sharon said the city maintains a “huge Excel doc” tracking field and gym use and that Will could likely provide more comprehensive records.
Commissioners discussed next steps: Joy said she would ask Will to provide a broader breakdown; Commissioners also suggested making a formal, written request to Parks & Rec so the commission had an authoritative record. “He gave me two examples of children’s programs… and total number of girls participating youth basketball is coed, obviously… total number of girls is about 42,” Joy told the group.
Ending: Commissioners instructed staff and committee members to pursue a full gender-disaggregated dataset that covers city-run programs and third-party organizations that use municipal facilities, and to return findings to the commission for potential follow-up actions on programming or outreach.
