YOUTH ON W.H.E.E.L.S.
Youth On W.H.E.E.L.S. is an Earn A Bicycle program that teaches the WHEELS (Work-ethics, Health, Economics, Environment, Leadership, and Sustainability) model through four applicable cycling and urban gardening lessons that conclude with participants earning a bicycle and access to the harvest of gardens in SW Atlanta.
The program consists of 10 hours of cycling education and 10 hours of community service at one of Wecycle Atlanta’s partner service sites. This initiative seeks to improve community involvement through all ages, and provide cyclist with adequate knowledge in bicycle safety, advocacy, and maintenance needed to make them confident city cyclist and active community members.
The Program is broken down in the following sequence:
- 10 hours of Co-op Garden Hours
- 10 hours of Bicycle Maintenance
- 10 hours of Bicycle Education (Safe Cycling)
- 10 hours of Advocacy training
Garden Co-op Hours
In aiding the health of participants and the community, WeCycle Atlanta seeks to partner with all Westside Community Gardens as service sites. Their participation aids the community in cultivating fresh produce often scarce within the greater Westside of Atlanta. Through their service work they will be helping sustain a regenerative community asset created directly to improve the health of local constituents.
Bicycle Maintenance
On staff Wecycle Atlanta has an experiences mechanic that will teach the participants the inner workings of their bicycles. Participants will become knowledgeable about basic maintenance procedures such as changing tires, adjusting and replacing breaks and derailleur cables, and how to execute an ABC Quick Check.
Safe City Cycling Class
This compact yet comprehensive class covers everything you need to know to learn to “drive” your bike safely and confidently around metro Atlanta. It includes bike handling skill drills and an instructor-led ride with feedback to reinforce what you learn in class. This class has something for everyone! Whether you are new to urban cycling and want to gain confidence riding in the street, a trail rider who would like to bike around the neighborhood with your kids, a bike commuter looking for tips on crash avoidance, or a bike enthusiastic interested in leading your own rides, you’ll be surprised by what you learn.
Advocacy
In the bicycle advocacy program students get to choose from the better biking project that focuses on promoting cycling, cycling infrastructure, cycling benefits. Students will engage in one of the following advocacy outlets to promote and/or sustain a better biking environment for the communities they reside in. They include:
- § Promoting bicycle rack installations in one or more of the cities localities (schools, grocers, churches, restaurants, etc)
- § Writing a letter and delivering it to the city hall to detail why bike lanes are important, and highlighting the roads that most need them in an everyday city commute.
- § Write a 500 word essay on how cycling can benefit people and communities in health, economics, and environmental conservation.
- § Administer the following bicycling promotional campaign at your school to promote the cycling culture
- o Do The Bike Thing (example forum or brochure idea)
- o Fair Green Movement(example ad campaign)
- § Participate in a mobile bike shop campaign to service a community.
Membership
After program completion participants become members of Wecycle Atlanta and get to use our shop assets for free to repair their bicycles or the bicycles of others. They will receive a membership card that is good for one year. To renew their membership, 40 hours of community services have to be completed within a year of their initiation into Wecycle Atlanta.
WeCycle Atlanta.