It’s hard to believe that the (L)earn-a-Bike program has already reached its first birthday!
For an introduction to LAB, check out our previous blog post.
In the past year, we have have provided bicycle skills and prosocial education to around 30 Harrisonburg and Rockingham County youth. We just finished working with our sixth cohort of students. We have also commenced a number of community partnerships and have continued to work toward our vision of providing nearby residents with sustainable transportation and empowering skills. The following is a brief update on what we’ve been up to and where we hope to go.
We are refining our program to better meet the needs of our students and our diverse community. Initially, we modeled our concept on “earn-a-bike” programs that have been successful in urban areas throughout the US. Many of these programs differ from ours in that participation is voluntary, but participation in our program is court mandated. Our students are obligated to attend LAB by our area’s department of juvenile justice. We have found that our students overwhelmingly enjoy the class, but their enthusiasm for “earning a bicycle” varies drastically. Therefore, we are beginning to pivot the program away from the conventional “earn-a-bike” model toward a new concept that uses our student’s community service time and newly-acquired skills to the benefit of our city’s refugees. In most recent cohort of three students, one student chose to keep his bike, while the other two chose to donate their newly resurrected bicycles to refugees whose need of sustainable and affordable transportation. We are inspired by the prosocial potential of this alternative model and look forward to incorporating it in our curriculum going forward.
We are using the space, which we affectionately call “the bicycle classroom” for a variety of projects that benefit our community. In January and February, the EMU class, Commuter Cycling: History, Advocacy, Maintenance, used the Gift & Thrift bicycle classroom for the hands-on portion of its curriculum. In April, Harrisonburg bike mechanics met in the space to volunteer and assemble bikes that were donated to Church World Service’s Refugee Resettlement program by the Voluntary Gas Tax. It is exciting to see the “bicycle classroom” begin to fulfill our vision of creating a space to hold non-profit bicycle projects in Harrisonburg.
We are so thankful for generous support from area business. Local internet re-seller, Pro Tested Gear, has contributed both labor and used parts. Even though our used parts inventory is growing, space is not an issue. This time last year, storage of donated bicycles was a big stress. Early in 2016, we solicited the donation of a storage barn from Byler Barns & Backyards. They exceeded our wishes and delivered a 36×16 foot barn to store our inventory of used bicycles and parts.
Financially, we are in good shape! Many small, but valued donations from local families and individuals helped us bridge our budgetary gap during the first six months of our project. A large contribution from Community Mennonite Church, allowed us take a break from fundraising and focus on refining our program. And recently, a $13,000 grant from the Schowalter Foundation has allowed us to “dream big” and begin to imagine what a non-profit bicycle space in Harrisonburg might look like.
We have planned an open house for Friday June 3rd. We encourage anyone who wishes to see our space and learn more about our program and vision to join us between 5:30-6:30. Refreshments will be provided.
We are thankful for everyone who is working to make Harrisonburg a warm, welcoming, and sustainable city. There is a lot of energy around fighting re-incarceration, creating safe routes to schools, providing youth with empowering hands-on education, and greeting refugees with open arms. Keep-up the good work everyone, and keep in touch!
By Ben Bailey on behalf of LAB instructors, Eric Saner and Matt Hassman, and Gift & Thrift’s general manager, Deb King
What: Come out and hear more about the (L)earn-a-bike program
When: Friday June 3 from 5:30 to 6:30pm
Where: Harrisonburg’s Gift and Thrift on Mount Clinton Pike
Visit their “bicycle classroom” and learn about the program and vision. Refreshments will be provided!
For a primer on (L)earn-a-Bike, read this article about the innovative (L)earn-a-bike program.
Just in case you are still wondering what the (L)earn-a-bike program is all about, you should read a post that we had on this website back in November of 2015:
The Harrisonburg bike community and the SVBC is always excited to learn about new programs and initiatives where we find bikes doing awesome things for people or people doing great things with bikes. It is especially exciting to see new programs that incorporate bikes outside of our typical group rides and events. In this case, SVBC member Ben Bailey describes an innovative new program here in town that helps kids who have found themselves in our court system earn a bike that they have restored to working order. The (L)earn-a-Bike program requested volunteers a few weeks back and we also had that up on the SVBC website
The (L)earn-a-Bike program is a new diversion program in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham area. It is built on a long standing partnership between Harrisonburg Gift & Thrift Shops, Inc. and Virginia’s department of juvenile justice. Over the last decade, hundreds of Harrisonburg’s court-involved youth have met their community service requirements by volunteering at our local thrift shop. Through this partnership, Gift & Thrift enhances the multidimensional impact of its work. In addition to offering affordable re-purposed goods to our community, while funding the domestic and international programs of Mennonite Central Committee, the organization also provides a safe space for local youth to complete their community service obligations under the supervision of positive role models.
The (L)earn-a-bike program is an extension of this concept. Gift & Thrift has begun an 8 week program for local court-involved youth. Its objective is to provide local at-risk youth practical hands-on learning mediated by positive, enthusiastic role models. The course provides opportunities for: skill-building, collaborative problem solving, and practical and sustainable transportation: a bicycle. During the 16 hours of classroom time, each student tears down a donated bicycle, services its components, and reassembles it. At the end of the class, students are encouraged to take the bicycles home with them.
Gift & Thrift receives fee-for-service payments from Virginia Juvenile Crime Control Act, but currently this income does not cover the cost of the program. Therefore, the program presently relies on charitable contributions to bridge its budgetary gap. Gift & Thrift aims to create a self-sustaining model that offers other services to the community, which will provide income to sustain the diversion program.
The goal is to create a sustainable alternative diversion program that serves our community by empowering our at-risk youth through hands-on learning, teaching them pro-social skills, and providing them with earth-friendly transportation, while hopefully subverting the “school-to-prison pipeline”.
To learn more about the (L)earn-a-Bike program and how you can be involved, email the coordinator, Ben Bailey (). Or talk to one of the instructors from the Harrisonburg bike community, Matt Hassman () and Eric Saner ().
