final toolkit
TRANSCRIPT
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“Bikes are neat, school is alright. Bikes make school a little more neat.” – Jack E. (student)
Why Have a Bike Club at Your School?
The members of Rocky Mountain High School’s bike club are silver level Bicycle Ambassadors!
There are many positive reasons to have a
bike club at your school. Community engagement, advocacy, less motorized traffic, improved air quality, reduction of parking issues, independence and healthier lifestyles, just to name a few. A bicycle club can help encourage bicycling in various forms at your school, including transportation, recreation and as a competitive sport! This toolkit is designed to lay out the steps needed to start a successful bike club at your school. Happy Cycling!
Step # 1 – Starting the Club
“My passion is riding a bike. Sponsoring a bike club at FCHS is a way to encourage staff and students to ride a bike.” -‐ Cathy H. (instructor)
Sponsorship
In order to start your bike club it is important to gain permission from the school’s principal and/or other supervising staff. You may also need to get approval from the school district before starting the club at an individual school Finding a teacher who is interested in being a
part of a biking club to supervise this endeavor has been shown to be critical to continuing the success of club over time.
Club Requirements
Once you have the necessary approval and staff support of the club you should determine if your school has any additional requirements.
• For example, does your club need to: o Raise a certain amount of
money? o Have a certain number of hours
of community service? o Elect officers? o Any other Requirements?
In addition to individual school requirements it is important to include safety requirements for club members. Encouraging safety in your bike club will lower the risk of injury, and inspire others to be safe and healthy! Requirements can include:
• Members must wear a helmet while bicycling.
• Member must follow all the rules of the road such as; stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, signaling while making turns or changing lanes, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc.
• Reflectors and lights at night or during cloudy weather help with visibility, both with the rider as well as with traffic.
• Members should be prepared for all weather related situations like rain, snow and ice by having the proper gear.
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Step # 2 – Marketing
Building Club Membership
Building membership and involvement with the bike club can be achieved by using various marketing avenues. Beyond posting flyers around school and having an announcement between classes, clubs might consider adding a social media presence to the marketing aspect. Create a Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter handle and use your own unique hashtag to share events and updates with the club and its members. A text and email thread is another good way to communicate with a large group of people.
The creation of an official and catchy club name and club logo can also help with promotion and marketing of your club. A logo can be put on stickers and pins to be given out at club and school events.
Recruitment
There are a number of ways to recruit members to your club. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
• Have a booth or table at your school’s wellness fairs or sporting events
• Offer snacks or a meal at a new member meeting
• Host a special "bring a friend" meeting and. Provide incentives for the member and the friend
• Offer free bike safety checks/tune-‐ups at lunch and tell prospective members about the club while they wait for their bike to get fixed up
• Gather testimonials about bike club membership from active members. Use the testimonials in your marketing materials
Get creative and have fun with the recruitment! When others see you having fun they are more likely to want to join the club.
Step # 3 – Define the Club
Vision & Mission
Your club should have an overarching vision. A vision is an aspirational statement of the purpose of the club and should serve as the guide for all of the clubs goals and activities. Here are some examples of existing and possible vision statements:
• Everyone at the school is a bicyclist. • Empowering students through bicycling • More Bikes. Safe Streets. One Voice
(vision for non-‐profit advocacy group, Bike Fort Collinsi)
Once a vision is established, a mission statement can be formulated. A Mission statement should reflect what the club hopes to accomplish but not necessarily in quantifiable terms. Note: It should be something the
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students/club members relate to, and reflects the purpose and objective that the students want to see for the club.
Establish this early on in the club’s formation to instill a sense of ownership in the students/ club members to keep them coming back.
An example of a mission statement from FC Bikes Bicycle Ambassador Program is “Learn! Educate! Advocate! For a better cycling community.” Another example is the mission of Cascade Bicycle Club based out of Seattle, WA which states, “Improving lives through bicycling.”
Develop By-‐Laws of the Club
Have your bike club members decide on rules and by-‐laws of their bike club. This can range from this as simple as “Accept riders of all skill levels,” to electing bike club positions such as president, treasurer, and secretary. The by-‐laws should also outline the purposes and objectives the club hopes to achieve. Purpose
Define the purpose of your club, what do the students/ club members want to get out of this club?
o Racing – Ciclismoii is a youth racing team in Northern Colorado in which students can compete. Are students joining the high school club because they are a member of Ciclismo? Are they seeking a varsity letter for joining a bike club and racing? Are the club members
part another racing club/team in your area, and wanting to bring that passion to the school?
“Bike club is a great way to get more kids involved in the sport and have a great time riding with your friends.” -‐ Jack K. (student)
o Commuting – Do club members
commute on bikes? Are members looking to get more comfortable riding with traffic? Are members interested in learning about low stress routes to travel by bike?
o Fun & Exercise – Biking is a fun way to exercise your and experience the outdoors. Are club members looking for fun paths and trails around the city? Do club members want to go mountain biking more often? Or maybe just bike around town and explore with friends?
o Social Connections – Bike Club can offer opportunities to meet new people. Both friends and professional connections can be made that may help a student advance in school and/or a career.
o Knowledge – Fort Collins is a large cycling community, but that doesn’t mean your bike club members know as much as they’d like when it comes to bikes. Perhaps they joined the bike club to learn more about bike maintenance, traffic skills, or trails around town.
Note: it is possible that different members of the club have different ideas about what they
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would like to gain from being a member That is OK! Your purpose and objectives can meet the needs of a variety of member desires.
Objectives
After the purpose or multi-‐purposes of the club has been established, develop the objectives of the club. The objectives are measurable and time-‐bound.
Examples of club objectives might include:
o Touring -‐ Our club will go on two touring excursions during the school year
o Racing-‐ 50% of member will compete in one race
o Mountain biking -‐ Weekly mountain bike rides that cater to all riding abilities
o Bicycle safety -‐ Host one bike safety training for members during the school year
o Bicycle maintenance -‐ Offer free monthly bike maintenance check-‐ups to anyone who rides to school
o Advocacy -‐ Work with school administration to make school grounds safer for cyclists
Note: your club may have multiple objectives in order to achieve the purposes that the club established.
Club Rules
Establishing club rules helps to ensure that all club members are respectful and on the same page. A few examples may include:
o Accept riders of all skill levels o Welcome new riders o Follow all traffic laws when
riding in town o Help other riders when needed
These are just a few suggestions to get you started. The club members should come up with the majority of the club rules and should also include anything that is mandated by the school and/or district.
Elected Members
Club members should decide whether or not they want to have elected members. If having elected members will help to drive the club forward then it is recommended.
• President o Calls meetings to order o Sets and follows the meetings’
agenda o Calls votes when necessary o Sets up any out of school time
group rides • Treasurer (if the club has funds)
o Monitors the funds of the club o Budgets and allocates money
accordingly o Sets up fundraisers and oversees
all earnings of the club • Secretary
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o Takes attendance during club meeting and out of school gatherings
o Takes notes and types minutes for the club meetings
If the club is large enough other positions such as Vice President or Event Coordinator can be created and responsibility can be delegated.
Enhancing the Club
Using the community and community members in the area is a great way to further enhance the bike club experience. A few ideas for how to engage a community might include:
• Partnering with a local bike shop to see if they would be willing to come in and give some free pointers on bike maintenance and bike safety or would be willing to offer discounts to members.
• Partnering with a local eatery. In a bike friendly community, you might find that local businesses are happy to accommodate young bikers who are out on a group ride. Some places may even offer discounts for bike clubs on a group ride or to club members in general.
• Partnering with the local municipality. In Fort Collins, CO, FC Bikesiii and the FC Bikes Bicycle Ambassador Program offer educational recourses to help your bike club (see the “Activities for your Bike Club” for examples in Fort Collins).
• Partner with local bike clubs or advocacy groups. In Fort Collins, the non-‐profit advocacy group, Bike Fort Collins has a division called the Bicycle Friendly Business Peer Network that can help your school apply for a Bicycle Friendly Business designation from the League of American Bicyclists.
(Fort Collins High School became the first public school in the country to receive a silver level Bicycle Friendly Business designation!)
“It’s (bike club) great for learning how to keep my bike in Shape.” Connor M. (student)
• Connect with local businesses. Some local businesses already give discounts to Ciclismo riders, and may be willing to extend that offer to a high school bike club. Check out the complete list of Bicycle Friendly Businessesiv . These are examples of places that might be willing to partner with a bike club.
Step # 4 – Moving Forward Activities for Bike Clubs
Your bike club can engage with a variety of activities, learning opportunities and fun events in Northern Colorado. For a complete list of upcoming courses and events, visit FC Bikes.v Your bike club can also create in their own fun events.
• Classes and programs bike clubs can be involved with
o Everyday Cycling
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o Bicycle Friendly Driver o Smart Cycling o Bicycle Ambassador Program o Safe Routes to school/ Adventure
PE Class
• Events bike clubs can attend or be involved with
o Fort Collin Events § Bike to school day/week § Open Streets § Tour De Fat Parade
• Set up a “Bike Scavenger Hunt” with local
business and locations around town. o A Bike Scavenger Hunt could have
a group or groups from the club pedal around town to visit different business and locations and either take pictures or get a memento to prove they completed this task. This can also be played as Bike Bingo where groups or individuals need to complete a bingo on a pre-‐made card to win. Photo evidence could be required to prove riders visited these places on their bike!
o Other Activities § Out of school rides
around town (Bike to a designated point like ice cream or other food)
§ Bike-‐In movie night § School Health/Wellness
Fair • Basic Bike Maintenance • Training, Competitions, and Races
Benefits of Joining a Biking Club
There are a myriad of social and personal benefits that can come with being part of a school bike club
• Health o Personal
§ Increases Cardiovascular Fitness
§ Increases muscle strength and flexibility
§ Improves Joint mobility § Obesity and weight
control § Decreased stress levels § Improves posture and
coordination § Strengthens bones § Decreases body fat levels § Prevention and
management of disease § Reduces anxiety and
depression o Environmental
§ Reduces CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions
§ Virtually NO carbon footprint
§ Most energy efficient form of transportation
§ Reduces the demand for parking lots and paving the earth
§ Less noise pollution • Comradery
o You will be a leader in your community and at your school
o Help make biking cool, hip, rad, or “fleek”
• Meet new like-‐minded people o Bicycling is a great full family and
friends activity • Adventure
o Discovery your city • Confidence/ Skill Building
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• Advocacy/ Awareness • Fun
o Appreciate more of the nuances of the natural and built environment
o Bicycling in your neighborhood is a great way to meet your neighbors and build community
• Independence o Biking can be a great way to get
around without having to rely on the use of a car
• Saves Money o A bike costs less than a car o Bike repairs cost less than car
repairs o No parking fees
• Productivity o Exercise can increase your
productivity at school/work o Reduction of stress o Your commute will be the best
part of your day instead of the worst part of your day!
“It feels nice to know that by starting this Bike Club (FCHS), it sparked other clubs within high schools.” – Sam R. (student)
i Bike Fort Collins -‐ http://bikefortcollins.org/
ii Ciclismo -‐ http://ciclismoyouthfoundation.org/ iii FC Bikes -‐ http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/ iv Bicycle Friendly Businesses -‐ http://www.bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/BFB_Full_List_through_Summer_2015_1.pdf v FC Bikes -‐ http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/