This weekend I had the incredible experience of attending the first ever Youth Bicycle Summit, organized and run by the community program, Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB).  This organization began as a youth training program that took donated and discarded bicycles and taught teens, mostly from underprivileged families, the basics of bicycle maintenence. In addition to teaching this valuable skill and providing a safe, fun atmosphere for unstructured after school time, RAB’s Earn-A-Bike program allowed these kids to reap the rewards of their labor by building a bike for themselves to keep. This program has grown in the 10-ish years since it’s inception and now includes 2 retail stores, 3 training centers, and multiple outreach programs in schools and community centers all over New York City. The program has also expanded its repertoire to include environmental and health-related education in addition to bicycle maintenance and advocacy.

After attending the National Bike Summit with two youth delegates, the director of RAB decided that the whole movement was missing a youth voice.  Out of this grew the idea for a Youth Bike Summit, held at the New School, for young people to gather and share stories, brainstorm advocacy techniques, and learn from workshops how to broadcast the youth voice in the bicycle movement.  An inspiring group of 200 youth and adult supporters convened Maine, New Jersey,  Connecticut, Philadelphia, and all the way from Arizona.  Many were from groups, similar to RAB, that provide education and training for disadvantaged youth in urban settings; groups such as Bikes not Bombs from Boston, Community Cycling Center from Biddeford Maine, and Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage from Tuscon Arizona all attended the Summit.

The Keynote addresses in the morning included a manifest call-to-action by the Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn.  She described the wonderful progress of New York city streets but made clear that opposition is strong and the battle is just beginning to transform American culture into one that celebrates and respects bikes. She announced that a loud, clear voice from all cycling advocates, especially the youth, will go a long way to realizing this goal.  The second keynote address, given by a Manhattan College student Kimberly White, spoke of how cycling and community programs like RAB changed her life and allowed her to discover meaning and passion outside of her run-down Brooklyn neighborhood.  Both speakers successfully set the tone for a productive day of discussion, learning, and sharing for all participants.

The morning workshops, presented by members of the different community organizations, outside speakers, and RAB employees, centered around techniques to create youth programs, bicycle advocacy groups, and other environmental initiatives.  I attended a fascinating talk by the creator of GreenMaps, an environmental mapping group that provides schools, companies, governmental groups, and individuals tools to make their own “green” maps of their neighborhoods, towns, or cities. The second workshop I attended was run by the director of Biddeford’s Community Cycling Center, who talked about effective ways to mentor children and young adults. Other programs included tools for starting your own youth bike group, basic bicycle maintenance skills, and stories from the attending groups on their respective successes and challenges.

After a rousing lecture by the Alliance for Climate Education at lunch, I set up a tape recorder and worked to compile an oral history of the participants at the Summit (the reason I was able to attend as a volunteer). With no idea what to expect, I was blown away by the conversations I had and stories I learned from these children.

I spoke with about 20 participants, almost all male, and all between the ages of 10 and 20. The goal of this project was to orally compile the stories of the youth bicycle movement and the inspirations and reasons for engaging in bicycle advocacy. My questions started with “When did you learn to ride a bike?” and “What’s your favorite place to ride?” and ranged to “Why should youth care about the bicycle movement?” and “What support would help you as we proceed?” With graceful articulateness, each participant voiced their passion for cycling, whether as an after school activity that got them off the streets, or a demanding sport that pushes their limits on the roads, mountain slopes or at a BMX park.  Each had different reasons for their interest in bicycle advocacy: promoting a safe youth alternative, healthy lifestyle, environmentally-conscious mode of travel, or simply the independence youth have on a bicycle seat. They all opened my mind, one of a privileged Middlebury college student who sees the world through green-tinted shades, to the many other reasons behind alternative transportation.  I hope very much that the inspiring work accomplished at this Youth Bike Summit can transpire through the bicycle movement and eventually make a difference in the many streets that need changing.  I hope that the youth bicycle advocates can make their amazing stories and passion heard above the din of critics and close-minded opposition.  And finally, I feel extremely lucky that I was able to meet these crusaders and participate in this incredible fervor of hope, excitement, and activism.