Bikes Not Bombs Update
Written by Boston Biker on Feb 24From BNB:
Bikes Not Bombs is looking to send a group of 10 young leaders and two adults to New York City for the 4th Annual Youth Bike Summit, February 14-16th. This three day conference is a time for young people around the country to gather and discuss issues related to bicycles, affordable transportation, cycling education, and activism. We’re excited about the growth and development of our youth organizing work and this conference is critical to expanding and sharing our strategies and tactics.
BNB youth are using their personal networks to fundraise to attend the Summit and they could use your support. We must cover transportation, food, and lodging for all 12 participants over the 3 days. Please consider donating specifically to their campaign. If you have any questions, contact Abdul Hussein, Chain Reaction Coordinator at[email protected] or Jeremy Hanson, Co-Director of Youth Programs at[email protected].
Bikes Not Bombs’ 27th annual Bike-A-Thon is on June 8th and we’re looking for local companies and businesses to support the event by signing on as sponsors. Becoming an event sponsor is a great way for companies to advertise their support of Bikes Not Bombs. We can feature company logos on event signage, our website, and depending on the level of sponsorship, there are opportunities to be included in our Jamaica Plain Gazette ads as well as on our t-shirt. And, this year we’re offering free Bike-A-Thon registration to a limited number of sponsors’ employees as a way to encourage staff to get involved with Bikes Not Bombs.
While we are seeking in-kind gifts for our raffle, we’re most interested in fiscal sponsorship because unrestricted funds provide us with the greatest flexibility and have the deepest impact on our work. Check out the results from last year’s Bike-A-Thon that also lists participating sponsors.
Download the sponsorship details and contact Eric Mearns, Sponsorship Coordinator at[email protected] to become a sponsor.
Bikes Not Bombs’ fourth annual Building Momentum Breakfast will be held in October and we’re looking for a handful of Table Captains to help make the event a success! The Building Momentum Breakfast is designed to raise critical financial support for Bikes Not Bombs and spread the word about our innovative work using donated bicycles as a tool for self-empowerment and community transformation. Read more about last year’s Building Momentum Breakfast.
We’re holding a casual information session for those interested in acting as Table Captains on Tuesday February 18th from 6-7pm at the Hub. Table Captains invite 9 people to the Breakfast – friends, family neighbors – anyone who would connect with the mission and work of Bikes Not Bombs. The information session will guide you through the process and provide you with all the materials you’ll need. There will be a Q&A session with former Table Captains too. Light snacks will be provided. Please email Erica Rotman, Director of Fundraising and Events, at [email protected], if you would like to attend or if you cannot attend but are still interested in being a Table Captain.
Bikes Not Bombs will be releasing a documentary about our international partner, Ability Bikes, at the Ride Studio Cafe in Lexington on Thursday, March 6th from 6-8pm. Derek McIntire, a shop employee, traveled to Ghana last November to teach advanced mechanics lessons to the worker-owners at Ability Bikes. In the process, he filmed local residents and other folks involved with Ability Bikes to capture the project’s strengths and impacts. Please join us to watch the 10-minute film, followed by discussion and Q&A with Derek and our Intentional Programs team. Social hour is from 6-7pm, and the film screening begins at 7pm sharp. Beer and snacks will be served. Ride Studio Cafe is located at 1720 Massachusetts Ave Lexington, MA 02420. Contact[email protected] for more information.
On Thursday, March 13th from 5-7pm Bikes Not Bombs’ youth will join together with International Programs Coordinator, Charlotte Fagan, to give a report back and presentation from their respective travels. BNB youth will share the skills and lessons gained from the Youth Bike Summit in New York City and Charlotte will present the highlights from the World Bicycle Forum she’s attending in Brazil this February. We’ll hold a Q&A session following the presentations. Light refreshments will be served. RSVPs are not required but encouraged. Email [email protected] with any questions.
Free on a weekday during the day? Come to BNB for a relaxing morning or afternoon of helpful office volunteering! This work is mostly data entry, and some envelope stuffing. It’s easy, somewhat boring, but super important! Your help with these simple tasks will support our Youth Programs and International Programs, and you’ll get a glimpse into the inner-workings of our efficient administrative systems! We’re especially looking for volunteers who can commit to a weekly pattern, but one-off times are also helpful. And we can work around your schedule, any weekday between 10 am and 5 pm. Contact Sean Madsen at [email protected] to set up a time.
Although not always the best weather for a test ride, winter is a great time to shop at the BNB Shop. Our supply of refurbished bikes turns over every couple of weeks and we specifically have many of the sizes and price points which are hard to keep in stock “in season”.
Our Winter Overhaul special ends February 28th. Don’t miss this great opportunity to get your bike ready for Spring–or if you’ve been commuting all winter to undo all the damage that the salt and snow has done–and save 20% off the normal $150 labor charge (parts are extra). Our overhaul includes completely rebuilding your bike and the labor to replace any parts that may be needed. Stop by for an estimate and we can go over your bike, and your options with you.
The BNB Shop once again has cycling caps! These are made in the USA by Walz Cycling Caps and feature a 4 panel cotton design with the BNB Parabike Logo on the left side. Come try one on!
We are also excited to announce that we have hoodies back in stock again! Hoodies are a popular item; last time they sold out within two weeks of being on the floor. We have a variety of sizes, head to the shop ASAP to grab one.
Spring 2014 Adult Instructor Training: March 3 – 19 (M-W,6:00 – 9:00p)
Spring 2014 Earn-A-Bike: March 24 – May 1, 2013 (M-Th,3:30 – 6:30p)
Spring 2014 Girls In Action: May 12 – June 12, 2013 (M-Th, 3:30 – 6:30p)
Bikes Not Bombs is currently enrolling applicants for the Spring 2014 sessions of the Earn-A-Bike and Girls in Action programs. Earn-A-Bike is a co-ed program and Girls In Action is for girls only.
Both programs take place Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30pm – 6:30pm. In the program, you’ll choose a bike and learn the skills to not only build it up, but maintain it as well. At the end of the program, once the bike is built, it is yours to take home! Additionally, we go on bike adventures to explore some of the fascinating places Boston has to offer, and look into various environmental and social justice issues.
There are a limited number of spots available. Applicants are chosen based on application date, and the applicant’s availability and willingness to commit. To qualify for enrollment, BOTH the completed application and payment (cash, check or money order) need to be submitted. Applicants not accepted to the program for whatever reason, will be notified and program fees will be returned. Fee waivers are available.
We are also accepting applications for our Spring Adult Instructor Training Program. Participants are taught basic mechanics and mentorship skills by Youth Instructors. In exchange for this free program participants MUST VOLUNTEER AT LEAST ONE DAY PER WEEK IN ONE OF THE ABOVE SPRING YOUTH PROGRAM SESSIONS.
If you have any questions please contact our Co-Directors of Youth Programs Ashley Leary, 617-522-0222 x101, [email protected] and Jeremy Hanson, 617-522-0222 x109,[email protected].
Applications are available online. Mail or deliver the application & fee to: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(We will be profiling a volunteer each month who has made an outstanding volunteer contribution to Bikes Not Bombs. We rely on so many volunteers who are crucial to making this work happen, and we appreciate all of you!)
Our volunteer of the month is Farid Quraishi! Farid has been helping out regularly in multiple areas of BNB’s work, and those came together recently in one marathon week: on a Sunday Farid helped load a shipment of over 500 bikes going to our partner in Ghana … Monday night after work Farid came out to help call supporters and raise money at our Phone-A-Thon …Tuesday night he came back for more calling … Wednesday he came to Mechanics Night to help build bikes … and Thursday night he came back help at our weekly Volunteer Night, getting bikes and parts ready to ship overseas! Of course with his full-time job he can’t do that every week, but Farid is consistently plugging in to BNB’s mission. Farid got started at BNB because he had friends who had volunteered here, and his first BNB activity was to ride 40 miles in the 2012 Bike-A-Thon. We asked Farid why he likes volunteering at BNB and he says, “Everyone should volunteer somewhere, and find purpose in working on something that you don’t feel you need to be compensated for. I like that BNB is a community of very intentional and like-minded people working towards a common goal, and that goal is very clear in BNB’s programs, making a difference through nonviolence at a grassroots level. I learn alot too when I’m here, from mechanics skills to people skills, and it is empowering to me to be part of this work!” Thanks and Congratulations to Farid!
With only one spot in the Brewery parking lot for a BNB truck, we are looking for a place to park our second, smaller truck. This vehicle is a crucial part of our bike collection work, so we need a regular place to park it! It is a former UHaul that is about 23 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 9 feet high. The spot would need to be available to us 24/7 (so being blocked in by other vehicles won’t work) and we generally use the truck a few times a week. The parking spot needs to be within roughly a quarter mile from either the Shop or the Hub. Free is best, and the lower the cost the better for us. If you have extra space at your home or business, or have any ideas for places we should check, please email Arik at[email protected].
Broadway Bicycle School is Hiring
Broadway Bicycle is looking for some mechanically inclined people who are enthusiastic about bicycles to work at their shop as full-time bike mechanics/sales-people from Mid-March through October 2014. Previous bike shop experience is not necessary. Starting pay is $11.50/hour commensurate with experience. Women and people of color strongly encouraged to apply. Please visittheir website or stop by the shop, 351 Broadway in Cambridge, for an application. Seize the wrench!
Boston Youth Fund Hopeline is Open
The Boston Youth Fund Hopeline is now accepting registration for 2014 Summer Employment. Bikes Not Bombs’ will be accepting applications from BYF enrolled youth. Registration closes March 2nd.
New Data on Women & Girls Riding
The League of American Bicyclists released some interesting data on Girls and Women Riding. Check out their findings.
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