LOL, strictly on topic, I've made this suggestion to our coop:
- Attend a coop meeting and after the meeting be given a
quick familiarization tour. This would give the new veloteer and idea of what is where and assist the regular staff and volunteers by not having to juggle tasks between patrons and new veloteers when the coop is open.
- Attend two (2) basic classes and an advanced class when one is offered.
The intent is to provide an understanding of what type of work is typically performed in the shop and give them a chance to learn something right away.
- "Try" to have a couple of strippers on hand for new volunteers to take
apart. IMHO it's a good way to learn how a bike is put together.
In return, the new volunteer agrees to provide 6 hrs of volunteer time a month for two months. This will repay the coop the time spent in class.
On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 3:16 PM, Ryne Emory ryne@thebikedepot.org wrote:
Thanks, Dan for this question. We too at the Bike Depot (in Denver) are contemplating this as well. We have also been talking to SOPO bike collective in Atlanta who are also struggling with this idea of how to train volunteer bike mechanics. We are currently thinking of transitioning one of our mechanic positions into a volunteer coordinator who will spend a majority of their time training volunteers.... If anyone has a great system for training volunteers systematically, it is a big need.
On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 10:26 AM, Dan Hock < dan@bikerecycle.localmotion.org> wrote:
Hello All,
I work at Bike Recycle Vermonthttp://www.localmotion.org/programs/bikerecycle/ in Burlington,(you guessed it) Vermont. Our shop structure is all volunteer with the exception of myself. Our program, in short, accepts donated bikes and, with volunteer help, refurbishes them so that they can be sold exclusively to low-income Vermonters. Personally, I have been struggling with training unskilled volunteers that are new to our program. I have many great people coming through the door with great intentions, but limited mechanical aptitude. Our volunteer retention is down because new folks tend to feel helpless and frustrated. In an effort to address this, I am going to start offering structured mechanics training to new volunteers. I am coming to the list with a few questions:
- Are there other programs out there that require unskilled
volunteers interested in volunteering as mechanics to go through mechanics trainings? If so, shed light on what structure you are using?
- If we are investing over 10 hours in each prospective volunteer,
is it reasonable to charge participants or ask them to commit a set amountof hours to our program in exchange for the class? If so, how much is fair in either time or money?
- Does anyone have any curriculum and/or course materials (diagrams,
glossaries, etc) for participants that they would be willing to share?
- Are there any lessons to be learned/advice to be given to someone
in my position.
Thanks in advance for your time!
Dan
Dan Hock Bike Recycle Vermont Program Manager w. 802.264.9687 Bike Recycle Vermont http://www.localmotion.com/bikerecycle 664 Riverside Ave. Burlington
Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.
~Mark Twain
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-- Ryne Emory Program Manager The Bike Depot 2825 Fairfax St. Denver, CO 80207 Office: 303-393-1963 Fax: 303-393-2607 Ryne@thebikedepot.org
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