Parks and Recreation is a public agency which employs over 4,000 employees (11,000 at the summer peak). Its principal mission is to keep the parks, playgrounds, and sitting areas clean and safe, while developing the City's recreational opportunities by offering quality facilities, programs, and events to meet the needs of all New Yorkers. Parks & Recreation is the steward of more than 29,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds; we manage four major stadia, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches; we care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums; we look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal provider of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. The work of the agency goes far beyond the maintenance of 14% of New York City's land. Parks is the City's leading programmer of cultural, athletic and social activities, including nature walks, concerts, learn-to-swim classes, sports clinics, historic house tours, and much more. Each year Parks hosts annual events such as the WinterJam, Adventures NYC, the Pumpkin Festival and several others. In addition, Parks produces many special events, including concerts and movie premieres. In the summer, Parks' busiest season, the agency organizes free carnivals and concerts, and sends mobile recreation vans to travel throughout the five boroughs providing free rental equipment for skating, baseball, and miniature golf. The Parks Commissioner is appointed by the Mayor to oversee and direct the work of the agency. The Commissioner appoints Deputy Commissioners, Borough Commissioners, and Assistant Commissioners who are responsible for managing the agency's divisions. These senior officials supervise the work of thousands of Parks employees. They work with elected officials to complete capital improvements for parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers. They work with the private sector to sponsor free public events. They get the community involved in Parks through volunteer initiatives and educational and athletic programming in recreation and nature centers. They prepare Parks' budget and monitor the work of Parks' ice-skating rinks, golf courses and other concessions. UNIT DESCRIPTION The Computer Resource Centers (CRCs) provide a familiar place for New Yorkers of all ages to learn and grow 21st century technology skills. Housed in Recreation Centers city-wide, CRCs offer computer and internet access, training, career services, academic support, and arts enrichment. RECYouth, hosted at ten of our centers, offers free digital technology workshops and classes for pre-teens and teens, and exposes them to marketable multimedia skills as they discover their creative imaginations, develop community awareness, make movies, photographs, animations and music. After school programs, hosted at 29 of our centers, encourages young people, especially those 9-11 years old, to think critically about media - television, radio, magazines, the Web, and become makers of their own media messages.
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