I. INTRODUCTION
A. BACKGROUND
In 2014, partners and key stakeholders of the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL NH) initiative developed
the New Hampshire Healthy People Healthy Places Plan (HPHP) calling for the implementation of policy,
systems, and environmental strategies aimed at improving the places where people live, learn, work, and
play, particularly in NH’s most vulnerable communities. The workgroup agreed that an inventory of public
recreation spaces in several communities would develop a better understanding of what safe access to
recreation trails, facilities and parks looks like in New Hampshire. An Active Recreation Inventory was
created and identified Nashua as one of the 10 communities in the state with the “highest need” for
enhanced access to trails, facilities and parks based on demographics, health status, and geographic
characteristics.
The information and photographs in this report are the outcomes of a multi-week research project with
youth members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (BCGN) in Nashua, NH. The area surrounding
the club, including Mines Falls Park, as well as the tree streets, and Stellos Stadium, was the focus of the
project. The BCGN partnered with the National Park Service, Foundation for Healthy Communities, and a
national non-profit, GP RED, to administer the activities. The BCGN PhotoVoice and Umap project
explored opportunities for improving safe, non-motorized access to parks and recreation areas in Nashua.
Community health initiatives in Nashua have made great strides in improving active play opportunities
across the city. Several previous PhotoVoice projects previously administered by the Nashua Public
Health Department in partnership with Nashua Police Athletic League, Boys & Girls Club of Greater
Nashua, Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, and Nashua 21° Century have informed the development
of a culture of listening to the youth perspective in the City.
B. ACTIVITIES
Staff from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua, the National Park Service, and GP RED conducted the
following activities:
PhotoVoice
Fourteen club members ranging in ages from 8 to 14 years old participated in the Photovoice and Umap
project. For the PhotoVoice component, participants met at the BGCN and received training in the
purpose of the project and how to take photographs to effectively capture images and tell a story. Over a
four-week period, walking photography tours were taken and participants took photographs of the
positive aspects of their community and areas that needed improvement. Each participant identified two
photos that they felt represented the different aspects of active access to recreation in their community,
and drafted captions for each image explaining their perspective and inspiration for the image. The
students captured graffiti, trash, public scooters, flowers, and public artwork among other subjects.
