National Youth Bike Summit coming to the Lehigh Valley this June

Community Bike Works, regional youth organization, to host a weekend of rides and learning that offers teen leadership lessons

ALLENTOWN, Pa., April 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Community Bike Works, a Lehigh Valley-based youth mentoring organization, is thrilled to announce that it has been chosen to host the 2024 national Youth Bike Summit, scheduled for June 14-16, 2024.

The Youth Bike Summit is committed to helping youth find their voice through the power of the bicycle. Since 2011, the YBS has served as a supportive and inclusive space designed to transform local communities by empowering young bicycle leaders. Community Bike Works expects the event to bring together up to 400 youth and their advocates from youth bike programs across the country.

The 2024 Youth Bike Summit will take place across the Lehigh Valley, including at Muhlenberg College, the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, THE LINK trail network, and Steel Stacks. Events will include workshops, bike rides, and other opportunities for young people to connect, and the event will culminate in a several hundred-person bike ride across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Hosting the national Youth Bike Summit supports Community Bike Works' mission of using bicycles to teach life lessons to young people across the Lehigh Valley. In Community Bike Works' flagship Earn a Bike program, students spend one month learning how to fix and ride a bike of their own, while also learning life skills including teamwork, communication, and perseverance.

"The Youth Bike Summit is truly a magical, life-changing experience for students who attend," Community Bike Works executive director Kim Schaffer said. "As the 2024 hosts, Community Bike Works has the unique opportunity to create a meaningful event that builds on the themes of our Earn a Bike program: building relationships, supporting hands-on learning, and encouraging youth as leaders in their communities."

Community Bike Works' Youth Leaders are taking a lead role in planning YBS2024. These teens, who have completed Earn a Bike and joined CBW's youth leadership program, are taking on three key tasks: weighing in on all major decisions made by the YBS planning committee, planning their own bike workshop for the Summit, and learning how to serve as event hosts.

"We are planning the workshops and the big ride. We are also planning the ice breakers, to get to know people and make new friends from people who are coming from another town," said Hector 15, a student at William Allen High School and a teen leader at CBW. "One challenge we had to overcome was planning our workshop for the Youth Bike Summit. Taking all the ideas and making it one was difficult. Everyone has an idea of how it should be planned. You have an idea, I have an idea, oh that's good, let's put them together and make them work."

"A year ago, I was not interested in something like this," Hector added. "It's a compromise to come here every Monday and be involved in planning a big event. I am comfortable leading now. I have a different point of view; I enjoy myself while doing it."

Avery Daniels is a former teen leader at CBW who is now on staff as Youth Projects Coordinator. His commitment to the Youth Bike Summit was sparked at YBS2019, where he co-presented a workshop on bridging bicycles and poetry. He also attended YBS2022 in Atlanta, where his leadership helped secure YBS2024 for CBW.

"There's no better group to lead YBS2024 than the BIPOC youth of Bike Works," Avery said. "We know better than anyone what young cyclists look forward to at the Youth Bike Summit, and we have the opportunity to make an impact on the lives of our peers from across the country."

ABOUT YBS2024
The theme of YBS2024 is Youth Lead the Way. During YBS, youth and adults will participate in plenary sessions, classroom workshops, bike-based workshops, group rides, and receptions designed to help youth learn, grow, and lead through the power of the bicycle. Environmental sustainability is a secondary theme, and a conference track will be devoted to the intersection of youth, bicycles, and sustainability.

Friday: Pre-conference recreational rides will be held during the day. An evening welcome reception at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center will allow youth and adult attendees to connect during that night's races.

Saturday: An opening plenary session will allow all attendees to hear a common message related to our themes of youth leadership and sustainability. Then, guests will choose from a range of classroom workshops, or riding-focused workshops, including Try the Track at the Velodrome. An evening reception hosted by CBW youth leaders will offer additional opportunities to build connections.

Sunday: YBS2024 will culminate with a large group ride across the Lehigh Valley. A closing visioning session will allow students to reflect on the weekend and discuss the future of the youth cycling movement.

"We are thrilled to host the 2024 Youth Bike Summit here in Lehigh Valley as it is the premier location for bicycling enthusiasts and the many exciting festivities that are part of this event. From the world-class Velodrome to our many scenic trails, young riders can learn, compete, and connect at the Youth Bike Summit"," said Alex Michaels, President & CEO, Discover Lehigh Valley. "Beyond the cycling aspect, we are proud to be a part of this three-day conference that allows us to welcome visitors to our area and provide a space for younger generations to experience bicycling as a catalyst for positive social change."

YBS2024 PARTNERS
As of 2022, the Youth Bike Summit is led by the National Youth Bike Council, and is hosted annually by community organizations such as Community Bike Works.

Community Bike Works teaches life lessons through bicycles to the young people of the Lehigh Valley who could benefit most. Their flagship Earn a Bike program uses bicycles to connect youth with adult and peer mentors who can teach them social-emotional and other life skills that help them succeed. Once engaged in Earn a Bike, youth are invited to participate in their full range of cycling, mentoring, and leadership programs.

The National Youth Bike Council is a youth-led non-profit that creates a space for their peers to feel empowered and have the tools, leadership skills, and youth role models necessary to be leaders in their own community. Their mission is to provide an active learning space for young people to boost youth involvement with the bicycle through peer leadership.

"At previous Youth Bike Summits, my group had the privilege of presenting twice ? once on youth bicycle mechanics and another time on how to start a youth council. These presentations empowered us to make suggestions on the future of the Summit. Our involvement in YBS then led directly to our creating the National Youth Bike Council, and everything came full circle when NYBC took over YBS in 2022," NYBC President Joshua Funches said.

Sponsors and Partners: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape, and THE LINK trail network have combined to be lead sponsor of the event.

National sponsors include Outride, SRAM, The League of American Bicyclists, and Sun Bicycles.

Local and Regional sponsors include PPL, The Dexter F. & Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, the County of Northampton, the City of Allentown, the Nurture Nature Center, Capital Blue Cross, Discover Lehigh Valley^®, the County of Lehigh, Fox & Roach/Trident Charities, Piscitello Bicycle Law, PNC Bank, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission/Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, and Invest in Women Entrepreneurs.

"Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Partnership is thrilled to support the 2024 national Youth Bike Summit. This event advances one of our four main goals, outdoor recreation and trail connections, and exemplifies DCNR's commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging," Brit Simonovich, Conservation Coordinator, Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and Lehigh Valley Greenways Co-lead said.

Local Planning Committee. Community Bike Works is supported in our hosting efforts by a core group of more than a dozen volunteers, including representatives of the Allentown West Rotary Club, retired Air Products and PPL employees, Lehigh Valley Cycling Club members, the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, Valley Preferred Cycling Center, and other supporters who are each taking responsibility for key YBS2024 tasks and events.

National Steering Committee. YBS2024 steering committee members include Bikes Not Bombs, the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, Bike Arlington, Bike Easy, and PNC.

Previous Youth Bike Summits have been held in Manhattan; Queens; Arlington, VA; and Atlanta. YBS2025 is scheduled for Boston.    

This project was completed in partnership with the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape. Funding was provided in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, Environmental Stewardship Fund, administered by Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc.

This project is being funded in whole or in part with funding from the Hotel Tax Grant Program through the County of Northampton Department of Community & Economic Development.

SOURCE Discover Lehigh Valley