Recycle-A-Bicycle is thrilled to announce the second annual Youth Bike Summit! Please save the date and thanks for helping us spread the word!

YOUTH BIKE SUMMIT 2012

WHEN: Friday January 13 - Sunday January 15, 2012
WHERE: The New School in New York, NY
ADMISSION: $10/youth; $25/adult

• Call to Workshop Presenters! We are seeking youth and adult workshop leaders! If you would like to lead a workshop presentation, please fill out this form. Deadline: October 29, 2011

• Call to Youth Artists and Writers! Submit your artworks and writing about Bikes + Youth Empowerment to the Youth Bike Summit Art Competition & Essay Contest. For more information and instructions to apply, please click here. Deadline: October 29, 2011

• Fundraising Tips: Want to come to the Youth Bike Summit but need help fundraising for a trip to New York City? Click here for some helpful tips!

OVERVIEW: Recycle-A-Bicycle's Youth Bike Summit is a three day gathering geared toward youth, bicycles, education, and advocacy. This national conference aims to bring people from different disciplines to explore, network, and learn how bicycling can be a legitimate and safe form of transportation for today's youth. Planned with a Steering Committee of officers and educators from youth bike education programs throughout the country, the Youth Bike Summit will offer a dynamic inter-generational exchange through educational workshops and panel discussions that are both interactive and practical. The Youth Bike Summit will also provide tools and information on fundraising and best practices for schools that wish to incorporate bikes into the physical fabric of the learning environment. Learn more about the Youth Bike Summit in this video by Streetfilms.

This year's conference will feature a "staff track" of workshops led by officers, administrators, managers, and instructors from organizations dedicated to working with youth and bikes. These sessions will highlight practical issues such as fundraising, challenges, and best practices.

More than 200 people traveled from 14 states and Canada to attend the first annual Youth Bike Summit in January 2011. The conference took place at The New School in New York, NY and featured a Keynote address by NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Youth Environmental Justice Advocate Kimberly White.

HISTORY: In March 2010, Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) attended the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit with two high school interns who had completed a comprehensive job training program and Earn-A-Bike program at RAB.  Both participants learned they loved bicycles and expressed an interest in learning more about how bicycling fits into policy, the environment, social entrepreneurship, and community-building. Traveling to Washington DC for the first time, the 17 year old participants explored the nation's capital by bike, attended the conference, and lobbied elected officials. As we debriefed on the bus ride home, we discussed the importance of engaging youth in the national dialogue of cycling education and advocacy. As a result, the idea of the Youth Bike Summit came into being. Both young advocates were active participants in the planning of the conference in 2011.