About the Program
The Arthritis Foundation Walk with Ease Program is an evidence-based physical activity and self-management education program that can be done by individuals using the Walk with Ease workbook on their own, or by groups led by trained leaders. The group format is a structured six-week program that meets three times a week. The groups are led by trained leaders who have successfully completed a 3-4 hour in-person training or this web-based training module.

Leader Pre-requisites
To be eligible to be a Walk with Ease leader, you must have CPR certification and it is desirable if you can also meet the other qualifications listed below. You will be asked to send a copy of your current CPR certification to your local Arthritis Foundation office. You will also be asked to sign a Statement of Understanding indicating your agreement to meet the program policies and to teach a class within 6 months. PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED WITH REGISTERING FOR THIS WEB-BASED TRAINING IF YOU CAN NOT MEET THESE CONDITIONS.

• Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required; first aid certification is strongly recommended.
• Affiliation with a facility or organization that can provide space for the classes and insurance coverage for the program is desirable.
• Other desirable abilities include:
  • Empathy toward people with arthritis and related diseases, gained through personal or professional experience.
  • Interest in working with groups of people with arthritis and related diseases.
  • Experience in teaching physical activity classes and skill in group process and instructional techniques.
  • Desire and ability to help others.
  • Strong belief in the value of regular physical activity.
• Existing Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program instructors are ideal candidates to become Walk With Ease leaders as there are many similarities in the two programs’ health education and exercise components.
• Agree to sign the Statement of Understanding form. Click here to review and print the form

Registration Fees
The cost of this web-based training workshop is $50. After successfully completing the training and sending the required documents to the Arthritis Foundation, you will be sent a set of materials including the Walk with Ease participant workbook, Walk with Ease Leader’s Guide, a set of posters and a lightweight backpack. If you have received a scholarship for this training, you must obtain a discount code from your local Arthritis Foundation office and insert this when asked for payment during the registration process.

Step 1:

Register at http://walkwithease.kintera.org/.