- TheThinkTank - lists.bikecollectives.org

Community Bike Shops and academic research.
by andrew bushaw 09 Sep '10

09 Sep '10

Community Bike folk, I'm trying to settle on a topic for a masters thesis and I'm interested in doing research into the organizational, legal and funding structures of community bike shops. I know that at bikebike minneapolis there was a session called "Plan Voltron" about creating a "cooperative of cooperatives" and some of the folks from our bike shop that made it to toronto mentioned this was also a topic of conversation this year. My first thought is that a qualitative and quantitative overview or survey of community bike shops would give a solid base for further work on this idea by identifying needs, wants, strengths, characteristics, etc. that would be useful to organizing linkages between shops. My main focus of study so far has been the "worker centers" movement, which seem to parallel community bike shops in some interesting ways, such as being relatively new, decentralized, and fast growing. I think this ( http://smlr.rutgers.edu/Unions/FineWorker.pdf) study that was done of workercenters would serve as a good model for one of community bike shops since it's central aim is to be useful for further movement building. So, now to the questions: 1. Does anyone know of any research done on community bike shops, academic or otherwise? 2. Would you see this as potentially useful information? Useful enough to participate in a survey of your shop? 3. If so, what kinds of things would you like to see research on? I would be doing this using both traditional research methods as well as more "strategic investigation" techniques, meaning that perspective would be from within the movement as a participant and their would be a specific strategic "usefulness" for the end result. Wish I could have been at bikebike to pitch this idea personally, but I know sara talked to a few folks about it. Thanks, Andrew FM Community Bicycle Workshop

7 9

Funding Opportunity: Job Access and Reverse Commute Program
by Jonathan Morrison 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

Has anyone been successful in securing these funds? Providing bikes to those in need seems like a perfect fit. http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants/grants_financing_3550.html Sincerely, Jonathan Morrison Executive Director 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 The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

1 0

Bike!Bike! 2010 Notes
by Godwin ! 29 Aug '10

29 Aug '10

Hey folks, we talked a little about this during the thinktank workshop and I know Ainsley was going to send out a notice to everyone that attended but I thought I'd try to get the ball rolling while its still fresh in our minds. I have added an item for each workshop in the Bike!Bike! 2010 wiki page for notes. If you attended a workshop it would be great if you can put any notes you took into that workshop, or even if you just remember what happened that would be helpful as well. If there is already a writeup for that workshop, it would be helpful if you reviewed it and edited if you can make any improvements. If you're not sure how to use the wiki, do what you can or ask someone. Someone else will likely re-format as long as the text is there. You can find the page here. Thanks everybody! godwin. PS Ainsley: I hope I'm not stepping on your toes here, but also if you're planning on sending out another email to all participants it would still be helpful to include this as there are probably a lot of people not on the thinktank that could help out.

4 3

Job at Bikes Not Bombs
by arik grier 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

Hiring: Youth Development Coordinator http://bikesnotbombs.org/node/728 Mission & History: Lasting peace and social justice require equitable and sustainable use of resources. Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) provides community-based education and assists development projects with recycled bicycles, related technologies and technical assistance as concrete alternatives to the militarism, over-consumption and inequality that breed war and environmental destruction. Our organization is part of a worldwide movement for peace and responsible stewardship of the earth. BNB began in 1984 as an environmentally conscious campaign in support of social change in favor of the poor in Nicaragua. In 1990, BNB began to pursue its mission in Boston’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Today, we operate a thriving Bicycle Recycling and Youth Training Center where we offer six unique, high-quality programs that empower and organize youth and their families to work towards long-term change. Our programs create real community, with long-term, positive relationships built across lines of age, race, and class. Position: Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) seeks to hire a Youth Development Coordinator to oversee our youth programs. This is a full-time, salaried position with benefits. Salary range is $30,000 – 32,000. The Youth Development Coordinator reports to the Executive Director. Responsibilities: Administration and Supervision (35%) Practice peer supervision with Youth Programs Coordinator. Supervise, evaluate, and support the professional development and growth of the Youth Programs Alumni Services Fellow. Plan and facilitate regular team meetings with Youth Programs Team. Act as Youth Programs Team liaison, by reporting regularly to Executive Director about program results and needs. In collaboration with Youth Programs Coordinator, recruit, hire, train, supervise, evaluate and support the professional development and growth of youth staff (10-13 during the school year, 20-25 during the summer). Ensure that volunteer and intern needs are met for all youth programs. Oversee and ensure timely data entry for Youth Programs in the CiviCRM database through management of interns, volunteers and Alumni Services Fellow. Develop annual budget for youth programs and monitor expenses. Program Implementation (30%) Implement two Girls in Action (GIA) sessions per year (6-8 weeks each), with the help and support of GIA intern. Facilitate outreach and enrollment of Girls in Action. Identify volunteer and intern staffing needs for Girls in Action. Manage volunteers and interns. Curriculum and Capacity Building (20%) Manage ongoing development of youth program curricula to ensure programs are best fulfilling and strengthening the organization’s mission of youth development, environmental stewardship, and social justice. In collaboration with Youth Programs Team, develop annual goals and objectives for youth programs, and develop and implement tools for effective program evaluation. Co-design, implement, and evaluate a strategy to increase youth organizing and advocacy among the Youth Instructor team. Facilitate exchange and interaction between Youth Programs and other BNB departments. Plan and coordinate periodic Youth Programs events to further youth development and build the BNB youth community. Build BNB's collaborations with other organizations, including Boston area schools and community centers, connecting cycling and mechanics to students' academic success, physical and emotional fitness, and sense of civic engagement. Represent Bikes Not Bombs to funders, allied organizations, parents, and the general public in collaboration with development and youth program staff. Work with fellow community organizations to host events that further youth empowerment and overall BNB mission. Resource Development (15%) With the Executive Director, identify new grant opportunities, draft proposals and reports, and help to maintain yearly grants calendar. Track and report youth programs data (numbers, improvements and anecdotes) for resource development purposes. The ideal candidate will have the following characteristics and experience: Ability to be both a creative, strategic visionary and a practical thinker Self-motivated, highly organized, systems oriented Strong written and verbal communication skills Excellent interpersonal skills (one-on-one and in a group format), cultural competency, strong listening skills Experience in program management and staff/volunteer supervision, with the ability to mentor, motivate, prioritize, and set clear expectations Experience with and interest in developing youth organizing component of programming 2+ years experience working directly with 10-18 year olds Knowledge of Boston neighborhoods, schools, and resources, including the dynamics of the neighborhoods surrounding BNB Understanding of and commitment to positive youth development Strong bike mechanics skills and knowledge of safe urban riding Demonstrated commitment to inspiring environmental stewardship and social justice Facility with Macintosh computers, and experience using MS Word and Excel Experience developing and managing budgets Strong collaborator, able to work with a team and adapt quickly to changing situations Skills in program evaluation and curriculum development Must be willing and able to work after-school program schedule and some Saturdays Multilingual/Bilingual (Spanish, English, Haitian Creole and/or Cape Verdean Creole) candidates highly preferred Must love bikes! Please submit a cover letter and résumé to hiring(a)bikesnotbombs.org by September 10, 2010. Start date is Wednesday, October 6th. Bikes Not Bombs encourages applicants of diverse age, ethnicity, gender, nationality, physical ability, religion, and sexuality. Women and people of color highly encouraged to apply.

1 0

Re: [TheThinkTank] Thethinktank Digest, Vol 48, Issue 9
by fallen.arrows 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Andrew and ainsley, myself and sopo are into it. Andrew, I spoke with sara about an international incubator program. I'm currently on vaca, but ill be home soon and we can go from there. Glad there is lots of positive energy around this issue. tito On Aug 22, 2010 2:13 PM, <thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org> wrote: Send Thethinktank mailing list submissions to thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.… or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to thethinktank-request(a)bikecollectives.org You can reach the person managing the list at thethinktank-owner(a)bikecollectives.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Thethinktank digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Community Bike Shops and academic research. (andrew bushaw) 2. Re: Bike!Bike! 2010 Notes (Angel York) 3. Re: Bike!Bike! 2010 Notes (Geoffrey B) 4. Re: Community Bike Shops and academic research. (Ainsley Naylor) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:15:53 -0500 From: andrew bushaw <andrew(a)fmbikeworkshop.org> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank(a)bikecollectives.org> Subject: [TheThinkTank] Community Bike Shops and academic research. Message-ID: <AANLkTim-s=uFDzPMRXW_8=0pEzfm=rUr2zLGk7tLaEg8(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Community Bike folk, I'm trying to settle on a topic for a masters thesis and I'm interested in doing research into the organizational, legal and funding structures of community bike shops. I know that at bikebike minneapolis there was a session called "Plan Voltron" about creating a "cooperative of cooperatives" and some of the folks from our bike shop that made it to toronto mentioned this was also a topic of conversation this year. My first thought is that a qualitative and quantitative overview or survey of community bike shops would give a solid base for further work on this idea by identifying needs, wants, strengths, characteristics, etc. that would be useful to organizing linkages between shops. My main focus of study so far has been the "worker centers" movement, which seem to parallel community bike shops in some interesting ways, such as being relatively new, decentralized, and fast growing. I think this ( http://smlr.rutgers.edu/Unions/FineWorker.pdf) study that was done of workercenters would serve as a good model for one of community bike shops since it's central aim is to be useful for further movement building. So, now to the questions: 1. Does anyone know of any research done on community bike shops, academic or otherwise? 2. Would you see this as potentially useful information? Useful enough to participate in a survey of your shop? 3. If so, what kinds of things would you like to see research on? I would be doing this using both traditional research methods as well as more "strategic investigation" techniques, meaning that perspective would be from within the movement as a participant and their would be a specific strategic "usefulness" for the end result. Wish I could have been at bikebike to pitch this idea personally, but I know sara talked to a few folks about it. Thanks, Andrew FM Community Bicycle Workshop

1 0

Community Bike Shop in Australia
by Christine Bourgeois 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

If you go to Sydney, check Cycle ReCycle: http://bikeclub.wordpress.com/

1 0

Bike Rental Software
by Rich Points 21 Aug '10

21 Aug '10

Hey All, We're just getting into the bike rental business and we're looking for software to manage it all. Anyone out there have some leads? Ride On! -- Rich Points Community Cycles Executive Director http://CommunityCycles.org Rich(a)CommunityCycles.org 720-565-6019 (W) 303-589-0597 (C) Donate your old car to Community Cycles http://communitycycles.org/get-involved/donatecar.html Volunteer orientations held 6p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

3 2

Local Wiki ... please help!
by Robert McMurry 20 Aug '10

20 Aug '10

Hello all, I apologize in advance for the plug, but I wanted to support a project by the same guys who created the forum that acted as our webpage for approximately 4yrs (http://daviswiki.org/Bike_Church). This is a great community owned way of logging information about your city/town/village and making it available to everyone. If you think this might be a nice addition to your city please donate or spread the word in your communities. They are currently trying to scale up the project(http://localwiki.org/) to make a template, and spread this local media to communities around the country and possibly world. They are currently looking to raise $25K of which people have already pledged over $11K. There is a video with more information on the main page: http://daviswiki.org/ (our collective is featured in the video). from there check out the events board or links from the main page or just search for anything you might like to know about or find in Davis California and if it exists there will be a page about it. I think it speaks for itself. It has comments from the community about any business so you can hear first hand about what others in the community think and also link to pages of some of those users to see what the community thinks of them too. Our current wiki page is here: http://daviswiki.org/Davis_Bike_Collective which is not as well maintained as our old one but links to our current webpage and has community reviews about us. They have less than a month left to try and reach their goal. any support, be it advertisement or monetary is greatly appreciated. I had a blast at Bike!Bike! and can not wait to see what we accomplish over the next year. Thanks, Friar Robbie (Robert McMurry) Davis Bike Collective P.S. you can find me on there as well if you search enough

4 6

Bike!Bike! 2010 !!!
by Ainsley Naylor 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

Hey all Bike!Bike! 2010 wrapped up Sunday and was a great success. We're still not sure how many people ended up attending (have to spend some time with our registration spreadsheets!), but it was an awesome 4 days with fantastic, hot sunny weather (which lead to several late-night group swims) and so many rad guests. We were so happy and proud to have you all here in Toronto. Thanks to everyone who attended, presented, volunteered, donated, and danced their pants off at the dance party. We hope to see everyone next year at Bike!Bike! 2011 in San Marcos Texas!!! Much love, Bike Pirates.

3 2

Detroit bike collective 7mile area
by mars psymons 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

Greetings and namaste! The fireweeduniversecity.org collective is interesting in forming a community bike shop in the Seven mile and Woodward area. We are currently in need of tools and bikes. We have a temporary location to get started in at a garage next to the Penrose art house and garden and support from the growtown redevelopment project. If you or anyone you know is interested knowing more about or helping the Detroit Fireweed build a bike center please don't be shy. All hands on deck, steady as we grow. <3 mars

1 0