The idea
Access Bike provides a space where young people come together to build, repair and up-cycle old bikes in a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive youth space.
We provide free access to our workshop space, work-stands, tools and mechanic support. Our welcoming space is supportive for all, with a focus on marginalised young people and those with barriers to participation.
We support hundreds of 13-25 year-olds each year, and we talk to them 1:1 and in small groups to hear their ideas for the project and their feedback on activities we have organised.
The project is building a community of young people around cycling, and providing positive role-models – especially for young men and boys. Through our ‘earn-a-bike’ scheme we remove barriers to owning/maintaining bikes, particularly financial barriers. Through informal learning and development opportunities for young people, we build their confidence and empower them to engage positively with the wider community in a variety of ways.
What we'll deliver
- 300 young people supported
- 200 bikes refurbished
- 50 bikes given to young people through our 'earn-a-bike' scheme
- 1 young person receiving a bike mechanics qualification
- 200 hours of staff supervision in our workshop
Why it's a great idea
Workshop sessions, which we run as drop-ins from 3-6pm every Monday-Friday, enable young people to explore their potential, to develop confidence and independence, raise self-esteem and expectations, access peer-to-peer support, explore volunteering and ways of earning a living, develop and maintain friendships, and become active citizens.
We support young people with three key needs – as well as with a variety of distinct needs which each individual young people presents to us. We find all young people need:
1. Space – there are a limited number of spaces where young people can go to engage in productive activity, or just to hang out with friends.
2. Support – young people want to gain particular skills they can put to use themselves, need people with experience to share these skills, and appreciate gaining these skills from their peers.
3. Connection – young people are not only looking to become independent but to be interdependent – to make new friends and form communities.
Steps to get it done
- Engage 200 new young participants to the workshiop
- Refurbish 200 bikes
- Train 1 young people to Cytek Level 1 Bike Mechanic
