AMERICA WALKS INC

PUBLIC EDUCATION - AMERICA WALKS EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ABOUT WALKING AND WALKABILITY. WE SERVE AS A PUBLIC VOICE FOR WALKING AND WALKABILITY IN THE MEDIA, BY PROVIDING INFORMATION AND RESOURCES TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SIGN UP FOR OUR PUBLICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.THE INTERSECTIONS INITIATIVE BEGAN IN 2022 AND CONTINUED INTO 2023 AS A CDC-FUNDED PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AMERICA WALKS, THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS, AND THE SAFE ROUTES PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE FEDERAL PROGRAMS FOR WALKING AND BIKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW MORE APPROACHABLE FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

WALKING COLLEGE - WE GRADUATED 26 FELLOWS FROM OUR 2023 NATIONAL WALKING COLLEGE CLASS, AND THEY JOIN 200+ PEOPLE BEFORE THEM. THIS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IS OPEN ANNUALLY TO ANYONE IN NORTH AMERICA LOOKING TO HONE THEIR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AROUND CREATING VIBRANT, SAFE, ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, INCOME LEVEL OR PHYSICAL ABILITY.PARTICIPANTS, PAIRED WITH EXPERIENCED LEADERS IN THE FIELD AND PEERS WORKING IN SIMILAR CAPACITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF THE CAR-CENTRIC TRANSPORTATION LANDSCAPE (CONTINUED ON SCHEUDLE O) AND THE BASICS OF DESIGN AND POLICY THAT FOSTER SAFE, INCLUSIVE, ACCESSIBLE DESIGN FOR NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION WHILE DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM, THEY ALSO CREATE A BLUEPRINT FOR TAKING ACTION ON A PARTICULAR PROBLEM IN THEIR COMMUNITY.AARP STATE WALKING COLLEGES - IN EARLY 2021, AARP LIVABLE COMMUNITIES ENGAGED AMERICA WALKS TO DELIVER STATE-LEVEL VERSIONS OF ITS NATIONAL WALKING COLLEGE PROGRAM. IN 2023, AMERICA WALKS STAFF WORKED WITH AARP LIVABLE COMMUNITIES AND THE AARP STATE OFFICES IN INDIANA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, ALASKA, AND NEW MEXICO. EACH STATE WALKING COLLEGE PROGRAM WOULD CONSISTED OF AT LEAST 15 FELLOWS AND A SMALL TEAM OF EXPERIENCED MENTORS FROM THE STATE. FELLOWSHIPS WERE OFFERED PREFERENTIALLY TO AARP STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS, SUCH AS AGE-FRIENDLY NETWORK COMMUNITY COORDINATORS, AS WELL AS AN OPEN APPLICATION PROCESS. THE SIX LEARNING MODULES (THREE WEEKS PER MODULE) WERE DELIVERED OVER AN EIGHTEEN-WEEK PERIOD STARTING MAY 1ST, 2023, WITH SUBMISSION OF WALKING ACTION PLANS IN OCTOBER 2023. AS A RESULT OF THE 2023 AARP STATE WALKING COLLEGE, A TOTAL OF 72 LOCAL ADVOCATES FROM 7 STATES GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM AND WROTE PERSONAL WALKING ACTION PLANS FOCUSED ON ORGANIZING FOR POLICY CHANGE TO CREATE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES. MINI-GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO 9 OF THE FELLOWS IN VERMONT TO PAY FOR SPECIFIC EXPENSES RELATED TO INITIAL PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION. ACCORDING TO SURVEYS, THESE FELLOWS HAD A HIGH LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE COURSE, ACHIEVED THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF THE MODULES, AND SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THEIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE TO ACCOMPLISH KEY TASKS. IN THIS WAY, THEIR CAPACITY TO INCREASE WALKING AND IMPROVE WALKABILITY IN THEIR COMMUNITIES HAS EXPANDED (THE GOAL OF THE WALKING COLLEGE).ARKANSAS STATE WALKING COLLEGE - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (ADH) AND THE ARKANSAS COALITION FOR OBESITY PREVENTION (ARCOP), AMERICA WALKS PROPOSED TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN ARKANSAS STATE WALKING COLLEGE BASED ON OUR NATIONAL WALKING COLLEGE MODEL. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (ADH), THE STATE HAS BEEN WORKING TO ADDRESS OBESITY FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES. THE ARKANSAS STATE WALKING COLLEGE CONSISTED OF 14 FELLOWS FROM ACROSS THE STATE AND 2 EXPERIENCED MENTORS. THE SIX LEARNING MODULES (THREE WEEKS PER MODULE) WERE DELIVERED OVER AN EIGHTEEN-WEEK PERIOD STARTING FEBRUARY 27, 2023, WITH SUBMISSION OF WALKING ACTION PLANS IN JULY 2023. THIS PROGRAM WAS UNIQUE AS IT INCLUDED AN IN-PERSON WORKSHOP AT THE END OF THE CURRICULUM. AS A RESULT OF THE 2022 ARKANSAS STATE WALKING COLLEGE, A TOTAL OF 10 LOCAL ADVOCATES GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM AND WROTE PERSONAL WALKING ACTION PLANS FOCUSED ON ORGANIZING FOR POLICY CHANGE TO CREATE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES.