Youth Bike Programs
Here at Norte Youth Cycling we work daily to keep people moving and connected to their community. We do this in various ways, and none are more prominent than our five youth bike programs. At year's end, we're spending a lot of time looking back at the memories made during these programs. So here are some highlights and a reminder of the programs you help sustain. And check out our Flickr page for more photos.
1. Balance Bike Club is our learn-to-ride program for preschoolers ages 2–5. It includes programs with partner schools, informal meetups at the Civic Center, and, new in 2022, group lessons in the spring and fall. We had 75 little stars sign up for eight after-school sessions in the first year. This one fills up fast!
2. Adventure Bike Club is Norte's after-school Safe Routes to School program. ABC challenges upper elementary and middle school students to discover new routes and have plenty of adventures. It also boosts confidence while teaching responsible riding skills. We had 85 young riders take off from various schools and communities.
3. Norte's Summer Bike Camp offers something for everyone, including a summer job as a coach for older riders. Summer Bike Camp empowers, develops social skills, and teaches urban bike safety skills. In 2022, we offered camp in four communities in northern Michigan and introduced a full-day option in Traverse City. We had nearly 600 registrations and over 450 individual riders over ten weeks.
4. Mountain Bike Team provides an opportunity for 1st–12th graders to hit the trails of northern Michigan. Our talented coaches make the experience perfect for all levels of riders. We had 473 riders this year and saw many at Iceman Cometh weekend. We also had 16 riders roll in the summer program, Shredventure!
5. Bikes For All provides adaptive bikes, instruction, and community to those with special needs. We offer direct programs to area schools and organizations and host weekly meetups for people of all ages and abilities in the summer. Thanks to generous donations, we expanded our adaptive bike fleet in 2022. In addition to tricycles, we have bucket bikes and geared recumbents. Bikes for All is ready to roll in style in 2023.
You can support these programs by donating today AND signing up to coach. We're always onboarding new coaches and offer paid seasonal positions. We also need volunteer coaches. The best coach is someone who expresses genuine enthusiasm for Norte's mission and a passion for helping youth grow and succeed — we will train everything else. To get started, drop our program team an email with questions and your program interest at programs@norteyouthcycling.org.
🗞 Stay up to date on registration and start dates for all youth bike programming, sign up for the Norte newsletter.
