To Add to What Christina Already Said . . .
I think one of the keys to our success here in developing our youth
programs is the emergence of the Youth Instructor Program. Youth
instructors are program alumni who are either paid or volunteer in
teaching the Earn-a-Bike and Girls in Action classes. To us, this model
is key for creating the youth network that sustains our programs in
terms of programming and support. Their first hand knowledge of what it
is like to be an Earn-a-Biker is invaluable and enhances their ability
to connect with program participants. I know that youth programs here
would not be as strong as they are without the youth themselves.
Regarding curriculum design, our program works off of one question:
What will it take for a young person to independently repair and
maintain his/her own bicycle? Working back from there, it's just a
matter of answering that question and fitting lessons to work with
that.
Our program currently runs four days a week, m-th, from 3:30 to 6:30.
We structure that time by starting with an ice breaker for the first
20/30 min. We then split the group (normally around 16 young people)
into two. One half goes out on a ride and the other does mechanics. We
then switch. It makes group size much more manageable to do this split
and it also ensures that all youth are actively engaged.
I don't know if these details are helpful, but I thought I'd share them
in hopes that others would share their approach/structures as well.
Matt Picard
Youth Programming Director
Bikes Not Bombs ~ 284 Amory Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-0222 x 101
617-522-0922 (fax)
*note: As of August '08, Matt Picard has replaced Matt Soycher as Youth
Programming Director. Same first name, different last.
On Oct 9, 2008, at 1:26 PM, dragonfly@mac.hush.com wrote:
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Hello, Everyone.
I hope you are all doing well, financial meltdownnotwithstanding.
I'd like to vote for BOTH keeping the education and curriculumthread as part of the list serv AND for having it all together, accessible by wiki.
Also, does anyone know how to create productive bikesensitivity trainings for police departments and city governments?
I've done a couple with mixed-to-positive results, but changingthe culture here in the Motor city area is a ongoing project, and good tips and techniques are always welcome.
Has anyone found a way to reach into driver's ed programs to improve their bike-friendliness?
SashaOn Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:10:11 -0400 Christina Illarmo christina@bikesnotbombs.org wrote:
Hello Think Tank,
It's great to see so many people and organizations across the country communicating to make our work stronger and more meaningful.Greetings to you all.
For those who haven't seen it, our Earn-A-Bike Instructor Training
Manual which we use in our youth programs is available to download off of
our website. We also sell these for $7 but please feel free to download the manual and see if it is useful in your own programming.
http://www.bikesnotbombs.org/EarnABike
We also have a youth made bike safety training video about 45 minutes long which discusses general bike & helmet fit, bike safety checks, rules of the road, bike path etiquette, preparing for a ride, and general tips (how to prep for a ride, crossing train tracks, hand signals right and left turns...). Please contact me directly if you are interested in purchasing this video for $35. All proceeds will go towards supporting our work at Bikes Not Bombs.
peace, Christina
-- Christina Illarmo Girls' Programming & Bike Safety Coordinator Bikes Not Bombs 284 Amory St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (617) 522-0222 x102
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