PAPRN+ Network Call – 7/30/2015
Roll Call:
[See Amanda’s Notes]
CDC Updates:
Last week Tom presented on PAPRN+ to the administration and they are happy with the
direction that the Network is going and are really excited and hopeful about the Working
Groups.
Updates from Field:
Amanda: ALR abstracts are due August 28th. We will actually have working group posters at the
conference – each Working Group will have a poster to advertise what they are doing within
the PAPRN+ Network.
Stephenie Lemon: Paper from last round of PAPRN is being featured next month on a webinar.
The webinar is on August 26th. When she receives final details she will send it over to us to put
out to the Network.
Jamie: A while ago we got a call for volunteers to work with us on doing our aerial photography
coding. We are wrapping up the training materials and will touch base with people who
expressed interest previously soon.
Guest: Scott Bricker, Executive Director of America Walks
- In 2014 America Walks did a survey of local organizations that reported out doing work
on walking or walkability. 532 organizations reporting from every state. We found that
the majority of these organizations are understaffed and underfunded (1 full-time staff
member and an immediate budget of about $7000)
o Highlights emphasis on need for partnership and reaching out to highlight these
organizations
o America
- Case studies from around the world hosted on their website online
- Ongoing webinar series – all recorded and available online
o Provided at different levels (from 1 on 1 to Advanced)
- Developed a new program called The Walking College
o Working with 25 independent advocates to build their soft skills and help them
better communicate their ideas and advocate for the cause
o Compendium of curriculum materials will be out at the end of the year
o All fellows and 12 mentors will be attending National Walking Summit
- America Walks provides other local technical services
o Currently delivering state and health transportation workshops in 4 states
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Piloted an elected officials training in Mississippi this year. Looking to provide more
trainings like this.
Everybody Walks Collaborative
Working with PAPRN+ and ALR on putting forward an NIH grant application for
Advancing Dissemination and Implementation Research on Walkability
Working on organizing 2nd National Walking Summit
o Urges PAPRN+ members to attend
o Washington, D.C. on October 28-30, 2015
Leading 2nd Walk the Hill Day
o Lobbying congress around walkability
Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking & Walkability
Q&A
Amanda: Can you talk to the rural settings working group about specific issues or walking
advocacy groups that work in more rural areas that they could tap into?
Scott: I would encourage you to look at the small town aspects of rural settings. If I was going to
be looking at rural and small towns, I would focus on main streets and the importance of having
places that are connected and how that is important to our society culturally and how that has
dissipated and the revival of that. There are small towns making a “comeback” instead of letting
their populations die out. One of the most recent polls I’ve seen said that many young people
are OK living in small towns and suburbs, but they are concerned about walkability. Safer
Schools have also done stuff stuff around bussing and getting children to school safely. Those
are some of the areas I would look at.
Jenn Carroll: Have you tried to target communities that are most in need of interventions using
other sorts of data?
Scott: I would say that we have not done that level of analysis. The general analysis is that NYC
is better off than upstate NY from a standpoint of being represented – the metropolitan centers
are more likely to have more robust efforts going on around walkability (when compared to
smaller towns or even midsized cities). When we were selecting our Walking College fellows we
specifically aimed to have participation from different states, different sized towns and cities,
different perspectives, and people at different stages in their careers.
Who from PAPRN+ is going to the walking summit and try to coordinate a meetup.
Working Group Updates
Amanda: Thank you all who stepped up to be leaders for the Working Groups. We just wrapped
up the calls with the leaders and will soon be distribute the Working Group survey to the
leaders for their approval before we send it out to the entire Network for a response. This
should all be done by next week.