- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Bike Collectives Doing Advocacy Work
by Rich Points 05 Sep '07

05 Sep '07

Hey All, Community Cycles in Boulder has recently decided to take on an advocacy role in addition to our shop activities. We will now speak on behalf of the cycling community to the Transportation Advisory Board, City Council and other decision makers who influence infrastructure, policy and cyclists rights. I'm sure there are other shops out there doing advocacy work as well. We'd like to hear your stories of success and/or failure. This might be a good topic for a Bike Bike session next year. Peace -- Rich Points Community Cycles Director Rich(a)CommunityCycles.org 720-565-6019

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Re: [TheThinkTank] Bike Collectives- Advocacy Work
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 03 Sep '07

03 Sep '07

Yes YBEN was rocking for Years before BNB. Smaller back yard programs have been alive for decades before that. This is not a new idea, it is just getting better. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

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dealing with volunteers who have been really offensive?
by rachael spiewak 27 Aug '07

27 Aug '07

does any shop have a process for dealing with volunteers who have stepped far over the line? to the point that the volunteer had to take a break from the shop? and then the volunteer wanted to come back? let's say that this volunteer, although a very dependable one, makes other shop participants feel so uncomfortable that they avoid coming to the shop when they know that this volunteer will be there. how do you reconcile your politics with your feelings when that volunteer personally wronged you repeatedly in and outside of the shop? two wheels good, rachael

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background checks for mechanics/volunteers who work with kids?
by veganboyjosh＠gmail.com 27 Aug '07

27 Aug '07

this is something i've been meaning to talk with our shop members about, since i'm involved in the kid's program(s), but how do some of you handle background checks/interviews with shop employees, volunteers, or facilitators who work with kids? what about those who don't work with kids? any background checks at all for them?

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Re: [TheThinkTank] dealing with volunteers who have been really offensive? part two
by danny wood rocknroll lazer 25 Aug '07

25 Aug '07

i forgot to include why it helps that we're small/non-sanctioned-non-profit. all the (current) members of the collective have similar ideas of what we want from the bike shop, and share ideas about what's appropriate and what's not. we are in regular contact (which i think is impressive for a collective of 15-20 people) and are able to stay more or less on the same page about the daily goings on of the bike shop pretty easily. and we never have to get through red tape to get things done (e.g. kicking people out of the shop). > we've definitely had some issues with this. i think it helps to > some degree that we are small and that we aren't an officially > registered non-profit- we don't have bureaucracy, we have the > monthly meeting. > we're all friends, we all see each other on a regular basis > (outside of the bikeshop). > > however, it also hurts us sometimes. we've had one former mechanic > and one former volunteer in particular who had serious problems > with un-called for aggression and violence in the community at > large and in the shop. in both situations, in part because we are > so small, collective members have been wary of confronting them... > we also lacked the mechanisms for supporting these people in > addressing their problems, and now they're both moving to other > communities (asheville, NC and St. petersburg, FL). > for the most part, we've survived pretty well by just setting the > tone with our own behaviors. > i just wish we were able to do more than just boot people from the > project, and that we had been faster to address these problems in > the first place. > > = > > > -- > Powered By Outblaze > _______________________________________________ > Thethinktank mailing list > Thethinktank(a)lists.bikecollectives.org > http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… > = Gatlinburg, TN Cozy Cabin Rentals Escape from the city to relaxing romantic getaway, a family vacation or a business retreat. We're confident you'll be pleased with Parkside Cabin Rentals in beautiful Gatlinburg, TN. http://a8-asy.a8ww.net/a8-ads/adftrclick?redirectid=81c21c7f232b69b840b1050… -- Powered By Outblaze

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Re: [TheThinkTank] dealing with volunteers who have been really offensive?
by danny wood rocknroll lazer 25 Aug '07

25 Aug '07

we've definitely had some issues with this. i think it helps to some degree that we are small and that we aren't an officially registered non-profit- we don't have bureaucracy, we have the monthly meeting. we're all friends, we all see each other on a regular basis (outside of the bikeshop). however, it also hurts us sometimes. we've had one former mechanic and one former volunteer in particular who had serious problems with un-called for aggression and violence in the community at large and in the shop. in both situations, in part because we are so small, collective members have been wary of confronting them... we also lacked the mechanisms for supporting these people in addressing their problems, and now they're both moving to other communities (asheville, NC and St. petersburg, FL). for the most part, we've survived pretty well by just setting the tone with our own behaviors. i just wish we were able to do more than just boot people from the project, and that we had been faster to address these problems in the first place. = -- Powered By Outblaze

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The Bicycle Farm
by Ariel raymon 25 Aug '07

25 Aug '07

Dear bike enthusiasts, Hello from Portland, OR. I may have already contacted some of you, but decided this was a better route to go. My name is Ariel or RaRa. I'm hoping to start a bike mechanic collective here in Portland, as we don't yet have an affordable space for the public to go to work on bikes and learn from experienced mechanics for free. I've come up with 6 questions that would help me on my way to actualizing this idea. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your interest in this project. Questions for Bike projects: 1. How did your project begin? (tell me as much or little about what was involved to get you started…. From idea to actualization) 2. What was the process of filing for a 501c3 and if you're using an umbrella organization, how did you find them? 3. Do you have a lawyer, or lawyer friends that might give me some legal advice pro-bono? 4. Where did you get your funding? 5. How did you enlist volunteers and keep them? 6. What do you wish you had known going into this process ahead of time?

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Re: [TheThinkTank] dealing with volunteers who have been really offensive?
by BovineOaks＠aol.com 24 Aug '07

24 Aug '07

We have one rule that covers most behaviors. Rule #1: Act like a positive professional. The kids and adults all have to follow that rule at all times. If they do not follow rule one, then they must leave for the day, they are invited to come back the next day if they have not done criminal activity. We will not tolerate antisocial criminal behavior assault, battery, theft, are instant reasons to call in professional police to handle anti social behavior. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

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Booth at Interbike
by Jonathan Morrison 24 Aug '07

24 Aug '07

All, Interbike (www.interbike.com) is an incredible opportunity for bike collectives, do we (as a collective of collectives and co-operatives) want to set up complimentary advocacy booth there? This would be next to IMBA, Thunderhead Alliance, LAB, Adventure Cycling, etc.,... The main concern is that we can get the materials created for the booth and then have enough people to staff the booth through the event. So in order to commit to this, we need people to commit to going now. Hopefully we can come up with booth materials at Bike!Bike! -- Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Project Coordinator Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective 2312 S. West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84115 w: 801-328-2453 c: 801-688-0183 f: 801-466-3856 www.slcbikecollective.org

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More BikeBike Party Photos and Bike Collectives Stuff
by Free Ride 21 Aug '07

21 Aug '07

Hey everyone, BikeBike's not over yet (for us at least). Keeping with the momentum, we're just tying up the loose ends, locating all of the library bikes that were left scattered throughout the city, and spending these rainy days doing some data entry so that our good friends in the Bay Area will have an easier time next year. WOOOO!!! First the most important thing.....Brad of Urban Velo's SPANDEXXX party portraits are online!!!!! They are super rad and are located here: www.urbanvelo.org/ bikebikepartygallery Second, i wrote a wrap-up article for UrbanVelo, a locally produced bike culture rag, and I invite everyone to use the forum to post stories about BikeBike, things that you found useful or interesting, impressions of Pittsburgh, loves lost and found, you name it. A link to the article is here: www.urbanvelo.org/bikebike Lastly (and really the most important), save us some time and energy on the data entry tip and make California's job easier next year by posting your shop/project's contact info into the Bicycle Collective Network's (BCN) database. It helps if you create a username so that after you enter it, and you need to change something like your address, you can edit the information yourself and not bother Jonathan in SLC. This is located at www.bikecollectives.org and you just need to click "directory." Thank you all again!! We had an amazing time! -erok free ride pittsburgh, pa

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