Positive Spin goes national

Taking place in a different area of the country each year, this year’s Youth Bike Summit will occur in the Arlington, VA – Washington, DC metro area, hosted by Phoenix Bikes. Positive Spin first attended the Youth Bike Summit (YBS) in 2014, sharing a video from the program highlighting the accomplishments of the youth and sharing some of the stories about their experience riding in Pittsburgh.

This year, Bike Pittsburgh’s Education Manager and Coordinator will present a hands-on workshop, “Train the Trainer with the Positive Spin Youth Cycling Toolkit”. The workshop presentation will share the stories of the Positive Spin program with its accompanying tried and tested curriculum.

The workshop will guide the participants in practicing their co-facilitating skills to demonstrate the Positive Spin tools. This hands-on workshop will not only share the resources available in starting and implementing a Positive Spin-like program but will allow the participants a valuable opportunity to practice leading and working with others.

BikePGH’s Positive Spin Program

Positive Spin students practice their road rules and safety signals and complete bike safety handling drills before heading out onto the roads and trails with their riding groups.

Positive Spin pairs adult mentors with youth to complete bike rides and creative advocacy projects, empowering youth to play active roles in their personal health and the vitality of their communities. This program is designed to teach youth how to operate bikes safely and navigate through city streets, trails, and parks.

Positive Spin was first established as part of MGR Youth Empowerment in 2010, as a premier program for Pittsburgh’s Summer Dreamers Academy, a free summer learning program intended to combat the effects of summer learning loss.

Positive Spin instructors for Summer Dreamers Academy 2017 complete a pre-camp training to get everyone ready to carry out almost 6 weeks of programming!

Positive Spin Toolkit

The curriculum and its accompanying Positive Spin toolkit were developed to share the successes and resources of Positive Spin with any individuals, organizations or schools looking to start their own youth cycling program. With an emphasis on fun, safety, mentorship, civic engagement, leadership, skill-building, and collaboration, this program is both practical and exciting.

Positive Spin aims to engage, motivate, and empower under-resourced youth to create positive community change through exercise, education, and advocacy. Youth make positive choices that will have a lasting effect on the wellness of the individual and the community.