Safe Route to School: Building bike skills + confidence at Los Amigos Tech

For a child, cultivating the skills of building and fixing a bike goes beyond their utility and becomes something much bigger. Eight students from Los Amigos Tech Academy have been building their own bikes and learning basic mechanics while practicing problem-solving skills, gaining self-confidence, and building leadership skills through the Youth Earn-a-Bike program at Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage (BICAS). Los Amigos and BICAS have been partners of Living Streets Alliance for many years and work together to provide amazing opportunities for students.  

The Los Amigos students show up for 2-hour classes after school over the course of eight weeks. The energy they bring to each class surpasses the consistency of their dedication. After their school day ends, the students look forward to their time at BICAS to continue to build their bikes and learn about the mechanics that make their bikes run smoothly. The students are not afraid of getting their hands dirty using specialized tools and learning how bearings work! While they develop mechanical skills that most of us don’t know, they also gain confidence in themselves, and deepen relationships with their peers as they help each other tighten washers and nuts on their bike! After all of their hard work mastering, they take home their newly earned bike and ride it in their neighborhood. 

BICAS is an education center, not a traditional bike shop. They have a great selection of used bike parts for sale and community tools available for you to fix your bike alongside one of their mechanics. If you are a bike enthusiast, you need to check them out. 

BICAS is hosting a Youth Earn-a-Bike program this spring break (March 14-18) for ages 9 to 13 and that is open for enrollment to pre-teens in the community. Register at www.bicas.org/camp or contact youth@BICAS.org for more information.