Our youth programs reach thousands across the county through our work in and after school by teaching youth how to ride a bicycle, bicycle and pedestrian safety skills, bicycle mechanics and through our work to address barriers to the use of active and sustainable transportation.

You can bring these programs directly to your school or community through our new Freedom to Ride: Bicycle Education Curriculum. It is available as a free resource for all with downloadable lessons and related materials. Visit our Curriculum webpage here!

How can youth and parents get involved?

Our youth are our future and there is no better way to teach responsibility than to start at a young age at home. Youth can become involved in supporting active and sustainable transportation by taking simple actions such as walking and bicycling to school and encouraging their friends to do so. They can write letters to city officials and even speak at public meetings. We encourage all youth to get involved and be part of the environmental movement. If you would like to support our work at a local school or with a local non-profit please contact the Education and Encouragement Coordinator in your region.

What do we offer in schools?

Our program follows the Safe Routes to School model of engaging, addressing equity issues, engineering, encouragement, education and evaluation working in partnership with almost all schools across the county. We begin (engaging) by listening to students, families, teachers, and school leaders to address barriers to walks and bicycling. We address equity issues by ensuring initiatives benefit all demographic groups. We work with municipal staff (engineering) to address physical barriers. We help coordinate programs and events, such as helmet distributions, (encouragement) that generate enthusiasm. We provide education by working with teachers to instruct youth on how to ride a bike and pedestrian and bicycle safety skills. We assess (evaluation) which approaches are more successful and conduct bi-annual counts.

What do we offer in the community?

We partner with a variety of non-profit organizations throughout the county to teach youth how to ride a bicycle, pedestrian and bicycle safety skills, bicycle maintenance and we lead rides encouraging youth to explore their natural and cultural environment by bicycle.

How can youth volunteer at our community bike shops?

We are always excited to engage youth at our community bike shops, Bici Centro. To learn more, contact the Bicycle Shop Manager in your region.