Maricopa County Community Needs Assessment /
Analysis of Recreation Programs

Letter from Shawna James, Executive Director, Maricopa Council on Youth Sports and Physical Activity

This multi-stage project is funded by the Maricopa Council on Youth Sports and Physical Activity which is an extension of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority’s Youth and Amateur Sports Advisory Committee.

The project’s purpose is to describe the current level of youth sports and physical activity programs offered throughout Maricopa County. There are several levels of information that are necessary to describe the scope and prevalence of services offered. First, is the identification of providers; second is the specification of services/programs provided; and third is a specification of individuals served. These data will be compiled to integrate with an existing GIS map of sports/recreation areas and facilities.

Year one (2004-2005) will entail a pilot phase to identify providers, develop the data collection instruments and strategies, identify key data information sources, and test a data collection methodology. The challenges of compiling information from potentially hundreds of different entities (e.g., public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, and for profit enterprises) is significant. The primary objectives during the pilot phase include the development of individual and institutional networks that will supply the necessary programmatic information and the creation of a data collection infrastructure that facilitates the efficient management of data.

If funded for years two and three, this project will expand the data collection to the remaining regions of Maricopa County and further refine the data collection strategies. The outcome will be a more comprehensive description and specification of youth sports and physical activity programs in Maricopa County.

For more information please contact the research investigators:

Carlton Yoshioka, Ph.D. (480) 965-5059 PO Box 874703 Tempe, AZ 85287-4703 E-mail:yoshioka@asu.edu