Thanks to donors - 2nd Cycle Attends Youth Bike Summit in Queens, NY !
What is the youth bike summit?!
The Youth Bike Summit (YBS) is a 3-day national conference bringing together students, educators, advocates, researchers, policy makers and community leaders in order to: gather and share ideas; give youth a voice, and; encourage civic engagement and advocacy. Through workshops, presentations, keynote speakers, discussion, and visioning, we transform dialogue into action.The YBS is a supportive, encouraging, and inclusive space that welcomes and highlights diversity of perspectives relating to advocacy, activism, social justice, job training, health, policy, transportation and mobility, climate change, community resilience, organizing, design and social innovation – all supporting bicycling as a catalyst for the health of our communities.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We believe in the capacity of youth to lead. We believe in the power of the bicycle as a catalyst for positive social change. We believe in the importance of a diverse, multi-cultural and equitable movement. We believe when youth ride bikes, our communities are healthier and more sustainable. We believe that sharing & learning together will make each of us stronger
Our Experience
Arriving at the JFK airport in New York on Friday evening we were blanketed by the smells, sounds, sights, harsh cold, and livelihood the city provided. The short 12.3 mile drive from the airport to our Hostel took an hour by freeway in the Busy New York Traffic.
The first day of the summit started Saturday Morning with breakfast and introductions. Upon arrival we were excited to see some of our friends from Bike Works and Cascade Bicycle Club waiting to eat! Once everyone finished eating we headed to hear from keynote speaker 19 year old Joelle Gallatan, founder of the organization "learn to ride on the spectrum". She spoke on her experience as a person on the spectrum living in New York, whats its like being a female activist, a young activist, and community organizer.
Joelle Gallatan featured above
The second day of the YBS included workshops with themes of learning to ride, fundraising, starting a non profit for youth as a youth, the history of cycling and advocacy, race/class and infrastructure, health benefits of cycling, organizational road maps, and a ton more!
The third day of the summit mostly included group activities encouraging networking between youth and youth serving organizations, as well as a visioning activity to create "biketopia" or the perfect city for cyclists.
Having this opportunity to participate in the youth bike summit is vital to the impact, authenticity, and energy of our organization. It is essential to connect with other communities that do similar work not only to learn and expand our knowledge/network but to combat activist burnout. All of us here at 2nd Cycle are truly privileged and grateful to be able to do the work we do, however we reserve most of our gratitude for the support of the community around us that fills us with life and directly supports our mission.
Your generous donations made this possible!
Through Fundraising efforts at our 2018 holiday party, community supported gofundme, and financial support from the Puyallup Watershed Initiative we were able to successfully raise enough money to send our youth programs staff Shelbi Virgil and Alvaro Juarez, as well as Youth Programs allstar / Volunteer Kytae McClary to Queens, NY to attend the 2019 YBS!
We look forward to attending the 2020 Youth Bike Summit in Atlanta!
