Future Bike: Inclusive Education

As bicycling grows in popularity and reach, the identity of riders is becoming increasingly more diverse — and bike education has long been at the forefront of engaging new audiences.

For many, a Learn to Ride class or Bicycle Maintenance 101 is an introduction —  a gateway — to the bike movement. Ensuring bicycle education is inviting, inclusive, and a safe space to learn is essential to the growing ridership in diverse communities.

Understanding that effective, culturally-competent education is one path toward achieving equity, we’ll be diving into this discussion at our Future Bike event in Pittsburgh next week.

Three leaders in this area will explore how they’re working to keep bike education relevant and effective for audiences diverse in age, race, class, gender and abilities. Liz Pisarczyk with Neighborhood Bike Works in Philadelphia (pictured right), Maria Sipin a League Cycling Instructor based in Los Angeles, and Anthony Taylor from the Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota will all share insights from their different programs.

What role will bike education play in the future of the bike movement? What are the ways current bike educators are innovating? How will bike educators need to adapt to engage an increasingly diverse audience? How are we as a movement “educating up and out” through Public Awareness campaigns and media trainings?

Join the conversation! Read more about our panelists below and register today!

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Liz Pisarczyk is Program Director at Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) in Philadelphia, an organization that offers educational, recreational, and career-building opportunities to urban youth through bicycle education. She first became involved in the summer of 2008 as an intern while completing her Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. In spring 2011, she returned to NBW and has since helped run programs to engage neighborhood youth. She has been an Instructor for the popular Earn-A-Bike class and Summer Camp where youth learn to safely navigate the city while also gaining hands-on experience to fix a bicycle. In addition, she has managed the NBW’s Work Ready program which provides youth paid positions to serve as Youth Instructors and Shop Apprentices. As Program Director, Liz has developed two new programs:  Ride Club to engage beginner level students to learn more about ride safety and on the road repairs while exploring great local landmarks in West Philadelphia and the Leadership & Advanced Mechanics Course for older youth to deepen their bike mechanics’ skills and develop leadership and teaching skills that they then use as hired Youth Instructors in our programs. She has a strong background in positive youth development having spent most of her career working with youth from all backgrounds in a variety of settings including a therapeutic wilderness program, a girls adventure-based summer program, and a group home for adolescents. Liz serves as a founding member of Youth Bike and serves on the Youth Bike Steering Committee.

Maria Sipin is a Southern California native who advocates for the wellbeing of youth and LGBTQ persons who are affected by homelessness and chronic illness. She is a health communications specialist at the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Her professional experience is grounded in nonprofit community health and clinical research for HIV prevention and care, where transit plays a key role in linking people to essential services. Maria is keen on social media and the role of technology for achieving health objectives and enjoys working on projects with a public health and social equity focus that facilitate wellness, creativity, and structural changes. An advisory board member for Multicultural Communities for Mobility, she promotes the joys and benefits of bicycles through Women on Bikes California, as volunteer for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and as a League Cycling Instructor who champions the importance of increasing the skills and confidence levels for bicyclists of all ages.

Anthony Taylor is a founding member of the Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, a nonprofit social/recreational club that promotes safe and fun cycling geared toward the African-American communities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. He is also the Vice President of the National Brotherhood of Cyclists, a group of grassroots African American cycling clubs from around the country.