As South Philadelphia’s biggest park and public space, FDR Park serves a large and diverse constituency of users and communities. Through its FDR Park Ambassador Program, the Friends of FDR Park has identified and hired emerging leaders from communities who represent the breadth of race, class, and culture across South Philadelphia.
Ambassadors receive support and resources to design their own nature programs tailored to their communities. The programs are intended to introduce new audiences to the incredible natural spaces in FDR Park.
Rihab Tchantchane, an active leader in her Muslim Algerian community, has organized events that combine cultural traditions with nature activities. In April, Tchantchane hosted an Eid celebration in the FDR Park Boathouse, an historic structure and popular event space.
Eid al-Fitr is a major Islamic holiday that celebrates the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.
Tchantchane partnered with a local restaurant to provide catering and with park partner Discovery Pathways to offer free boating for community members who attended the event.
FDR Park “is a place that offers activities for all,” Tchantchane says. “Little ones enjoy the new playground, big kids like soccer in the spacious fields, and adults love the nature and the greenness of it.” Her event was a huge success, particularly for families in her community who brought their children and got to experience the lake from the boathouse and on the water itself.
Another ambassador, Eric César Morales, is a Mexican-American community organizer who has put together interactive and bilingual workshops that have brought new audiences to FDR Park.
Working with local artist and fellow ambassador Ivonne Pinto-Garcia, he organized a paper-making workshop using invasive species found in the park.
César Morales also partnered with a nonprofit arts organization, Mamadêlê Foundation, to host a Recycled Sounds workshop. The workshop taught people how to create percussion instruments with found objects in the park.
Both workshops attracted a largely Spanish-speaking audience and expanded FDR Park’s slate of bilingual programs.
“A good park provides more than a nice walk in the woods,” César Morales says. “It helps residents venture into the wilderness around them, grow their curiosity about the different plants and animals, create opportunities to interact with nature itself, and deepen people's roots in the community. Through the FDR Park Ambassadors Program, we have been able to help residents connect with each of these aspects, while also giving them the feeling that the park is a place for them, rather than a space near them."
