Maine Recreation & Park Association Presentation

Youth Outcomes Executive Summary

Youth Outcomes Executive Summary from Community Bicycle Center

Oldies but Goodies!

Looking through some older files and found a few documents that might spark some interest around the shop!

http://www.slideshare.net/cbcad2010/trailer-fabrication
http://www.slideshare.net/cbcad2010/tire-drop
http://www.slideshare.net/cbcad2010/blender-fabrication
http://www.slideshare.net/cbcad2010/bicycling-vocabulary-for-kids

All documents are also located in our links tabs!

Enjoy and feel free to send along ideas that you have!

All Feelings will Pass

The July/August 2011 article in The Atlantic by Lori Gottlieb posed the question:” Could it be that by protecting our kids from unhappiness as children, we’re depriving them of happiness as adults? Gottlieb describes a possible scenario of a child falling in a playground: “…if you don’t let her experience [toddler tripping] momentary confusion, give her a chance to figure out what just happened (Oh, I tripped), and then briefly let her grapple with the frustration of having fallen and perhaps even try to pick herself up, she has no idea what discomfort feels like and will have no framework for how to recover when she feels discomfort later in life. …If, on the other hand, the child trips on the rock, and the parents let her try to reorient for a second before going over to comfort her, the child learns: That was scary for a second, but I’m okay now. If something unpleasant happens, I can get through it.”

Gottleib and other researchers she sites believe kids need “exposure to discomfort, failure, and struggle” in order to learn how to experience and deal with painful feelings. We have an expression at the CBC, all feelings will pass. We believe in our role as mentors for young people that we help them learn how to deal with uncomfortable feelings like the frustration that can come with the struggle of fixing a bike when one’s level of bike repair skills don’t yet meet the challenge, the pain in your legs as you bike up a steep hill, and conflictual situations with other people. We believe children are learning valuable life skills through understanding their primary feelings underlying feelings like anger, frustration, and upset. In turn they learn how to problem solve and resolve conflicts on their own as new challenges arise as part of life.

Relationship Building

As you all know, the CBC puts a lot of time into relationship building and getting to know the kids that walk through our doors. Remember when you are volunteering that it isn't necessarily just about the bike that you are building, but the relationship. Here are a few ways that might help you when your working with one of our participants:

1. Ask how their day was
2. What are some of the things they are proud about
3. What do they like to do outside of the CBC
4. What are some of the things they are good at
5. What do they like to do with their friends
6. What are some of their "favorites"

There are certainly hundreds of more questions that would fit, but the meaning behind them is almost always the same-- building a relationship that is meaningful to both the participant and volunteer.

Caring adults are an important part of a young persons life! We all have someone that we look to when we are proud of something, need advice, or need some encouragement. As a CBC volunteer you are one of those people that our participants look to and you should all be proud of that.

Blog in Review

Hi all,
Just wanted to remind you of a few older posts made to the blog over the last two years. That's right, I believe we are nearing the blogs two year anniversary! Thanks Dillon!

Anyway please feel free to revisit some of these older posts:

Riding in that?
Colder Weather Riding
Common Misses
Crash Stats
Ways we learn
Rules of the Road

Most of the links in these posts should be up to date, but if not, here is a very important link to the BCM rules of the road page... BCM

Life Space Interview

As many of you know the Community Bicycle Center is more than just fixing bikes. Its about problem solving, building communication skills and positive relationships, teamwork, and having fun. One of the ways that we incorporate many of these skills is through Life Space Interviews. Every now and then children experience a personal conflict or conflict with other kids that result in physical or emotionally unsafe behaviors. Sometimes that need help learning the skill necessary to resolve their conflicts and need a little adult guidance. Refer to the document below Seven Steps to the Life Space Interview. Ignore the references to restraining children which was an intervention used during Andy's tenure in a residential child treatment center two decades ago. Components of the I E.S.C.A.P.E. model have been helpful in teaching individual kids and groups of children how to listen to each other, express their individual needs, and determine ways to heal friendships and minimize the intensity of future conflicts.

In the Explore phase of the Life Space Interview process we focus on having each child involved in a conflict describe his/her view of the events preceding and during the conflict. Each child shares as if describing what a video would capture. They tend to want to share what they perceive the intention of the other child. Have them describe what actually happened from their perspective not intentions and motivations of others. The other children are tasked with listening to each other without commenting or making faces. Having another point of view is okay. Each child will get their turn to relay his/her view of the events. The facilitator must insure that each child can communicate his/her view without being challenged and does concern him/herself with seeking the truth. Usually the facilitator will restate what each child has said to confirm that the story was heard accurately and sometime this will be asked to be done by another child.

During the Alternatives phase we will use a desirability/probability assessment (also below) to help the kids determine the likelihood of following through with alternative behaviors in the future. First have the kids brainstorm options (alternative) ideas to prevent future conflicts that seem to keep reappearing with the same themes and outcomes. Usually we precede the brainstorming with figuring out what each child wants out of the situation like becoming friends again or having fun. The desirability assessment pertains to how attractive a particular option is to the child. The probability assessment pertains to the likelihood of the child following through with a particular option. We have found that both the desirability and probability must be rated at eight or higher for action to be realized. Sometime we ask what will it take to move a rating up one point. This assessment has been the key to determine what will actually result in follow-through.

Life space interview

View more documents from Community Bicycle Center.

Desirability probability

View more documents from Community Bicycle Center.

Summer Rides Lesson Session

Lesson #1: Riding in the Rain
Thankfully the CBC has been lucky enough in avoiding rain this riding season, but there was one occasion where we were luck was not on our side. Things to remember when riding in the rain:
1. Its still important to stay hydrated!!!
2. The white lines designating the bike lanes can be extremely slippery when wet.
3. Visibility can be reduced- a pair of bright sunglasses or even clear sunglasses will assist in keeping dirt and rain out of your eyes.
4. Braking time is increased so be sure to leave a little extra distance between you and the person in front of you.
5. Your bike (unless made of wood) is a conductor of electricity!!! If you see lightning pull off and find shelter. Always have a plan if there is a chance for rain.

Lesson #2: Shoelaces Tucked
Certainly a tough one to learn if you learn the hard way. Always be sure to tuck your shoe laces in! Do not just tuck them to the side as they will easily fall out and raise the risk of being thrown into the chainring. For a little extra precaution, tape your laces with a little athletic tape/duct tape/electrical tape. If unfortunately this does happen, stop pedaling and pull over to the side of the road to untangle your laces.

Lesson #3: Soft Sand=Slingshot
Keep your eye out for soft sand as this stuff acts as a catapult. Never try to turn out of or into a section of soft sand when riding as your wheels will come to a screeching halt and launch you into next week!

The most important thing to remember, and we cannot stress this enough, is when you are riding always take care of yourself first! If your are taking care of yourself, you are doing that much better at taking care of the group.

Mentoring Best Practices Presentation

Mentoring best practices pp

View more presentations from cbcad2010.

Mentoring Articles and Resourses

Here is a link to a website with a few great articles focusing on mentoring practices and ways to connect with kids.

On the side panel scroll over "Publications" and click on "School Safety and Mentoring Guides".

Articles to take a look at:

1. Foundations for Successful Youth
2. Building Relationships: A Guide For New Mentors
3. Training New Mentors

The Balancing Act

Bear with me as this blog post will come full circle, or at least I hope for that to be the case, by the end.

As many of us know from experience actually showing up is half the battle. Whether it be showing up to work, the gym, the dreaded trainer collecting dust in the cellar during the summer months, cleaning up the kitchen, or picking up the leaves during the fall. Whatever it be, sometimes just getting up and out the door is the part we dread the most. We have all been there and have come up with excuses: "I can get it done tomorrow", "I'm not feeling well", "It's to cold", or "I'm just too tired today". Again, whatever it be, we/I have said it.

Now, is it okay? Of course, sometimes we just need a break from everything. We need to take time to relax. However, when making excuses becomes part of your daily routine its time to analyze a bit. Why are you making excuses? Do you really have zero time to get to the things you want/need to do? It is all about the balance (this is the part where I'll start bringing everything together).

Finding a balance in your daily routine is essential. Finding time to work, play, and relax is tough to do, but once you find a balance things seem to fall into place. All of a sudden, you are sleeping better and just plain feeling better about things. I got to thinking about "the balancing act" recently after feeling a bit worn down after a few long weeks. Nothing was wrong or bothering me, I was just tired. Finally, on Sunday, after a day full of football, cheese-it's, and rest, I feel "back to normal".

So, some of you may be thinking that this sounds more like Caleb's theory on front hubs (follow this link to see what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBQkg9J5szw), but as volunteers, finding a balance between everything going on in your life on top of volunteering at the CBC, can be challenging. Be sure to take some time and enjoy.

Until next time....

Engaging Youth in Our Programming

At yesterday's staff meeting, we continued our discussion within the guidelines of the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) and reflected on how we might better engage the youth we serve. The YPQA divides "engagement" into three categories:

1. Youth have opportunities to set goals and make plans
2. Youth have opportunities to make choices based on their interests
3. Youth have opportunities to reflect

Here are some notes from our discussion:

1. The staff agreed that we do a good job of giving our participants opportunities to make goals in the time they spend at the shop -- fixing a bike, helping someone else, doing homework, or creating Bike Part Art, just to name a few. When a kid picks out a bicycle they'd like to work on, we do an initial inspection to determine whether the project is appropriate for the skills and amount of patience they have. If it's in rough shape, they often decide to pick out an easier bike to fix. We agreed that we could always do a better job to help kids follow through with their plans, and it is important to appreciate their enthusiasm and support it with out own interest and guidance. How else might we help youth set goals and make plans? What other activities might work to incorporate into our programming? (remember, we aren't restricted to bike-related activities...)

2. We give our participants a regular opportunities to make choices based on their interests, whether it be to make music, dance, make videos and art, or repair bicycles (and the list continues...). Although bike repair is our central activity, we work hard to encourage participants to pursue their interests or passions, whatever they may be. On some Fridays, we often have an informal talent show to showcase our participants' unique skills, and often our volunteers become introduced to a participant through a shared interest. How might we better give our participants opportunities to make choices based on their interests?

3. We agreed that kids don't often get the chance to reflect during the time they spend at the CBC, with the exception of during informal conversations with staff or volunteers. Our drop-in program is often a bit hectic (with many people and projects going on at once), so it often isn't an ideal atmosphere for reflection and contemplation. We have experimented with different ways to gather participant input and to prompt reflection, but it has been a continuous challenge. How might we create and maintain opportunities for youth to reflect?

Feel free to leave a comment to join the discussion -- your thoughts will help the CBC to continuously improve, and to provide an even better place for helping youth to grow!

Bike ride season kicks off this week!

After many false starts (and signs of warmer weather), April is finally here and our bike riding season is beginning. If you're looking for some opportunities to mentor, have fun, and get exercise all at the same time, you're in luck! We are planning many regular rides for which we will need volunteer chaperones.

The Bike and Walk to School program kicks off next week (on Wednesday, April 7), and will continue each Wednesday until the end of the school year providing a safe and healthy way for students at Biddeford Intermediate and Middle Schools to commute to and from school.

Here's the schedule:
For Biddeford Middle School students,

Wednesday Mornings
6:45-6:55 Gather at Emery
6:55-7:00 Briefing
7:00-7:15 Ride
7:15 Arrive at BMS

Wednesday Afternoons
2:40-2:50 Gather at the BIS bike racks
2:50-2:55 Briefing
2:55-3:10 Ride/walk
3:10 Arrive at Emery/CBC

The Biddeford Intermediate School program will have a walking component this year. Here's their schedule:

Wednesday Mornings
7:25-7:35 Gather at Emery (bikers) or CBC (walkers)
7:35-7:40 Briefing
7:40-7:55 Ride/walk
7:55 Arrive at BIS

Wednesday Afternoons
2:40-2:50 Gather at the BIS bike racks
2:50-2:55 Briefing
2:55-3:10 Ride/walk
3:10 Arrive at Emery/CBC

Dillon is coordinating this program, so if you are interested in volunteering or have any questions you can contact him at cbcamcorps@gwi.net.

Also starting this week, the CBC Girls' Group will begin their season of bike rides to fun destinations -- this week's ride will be an introduction to the tandems at the parking lot across the street, and it's a great opportunity for volunteers especially to learn how ride a bicycle built for two. Bronwyn is coordinating this program, so if you're interested in volunteering or have any questions you can contact her at cbcvista@gwi.net.

We hope you'll join us as a volunteer this spring!

Spring Bike Riding!

With the temperature rising and longer days, spring is definitely on the horizon -- at the Community Bicycle Center, that means ride season!

We'd love to have your help as a chaperone on our rides -- the Bike to School program (which provides a safe way to bike to and from Biddeford Intermediate and Middle Schools) will operate on Wednesdays this spring beginning April 7.

Our Girls Group on a ride last Fall!

On Fridays this spring, 3-5pm, our Girls Group will go on road rides to fun places in the area, and a group will also go on mountain bike rides in Clifford Park.

If you are interested in helping as a volunteer on rides this spring (and please do, it's a lot of fun!), stop by the shop or contact Dillon for more information (207-282-9700, cbcamcorps@gwi.net).

Learning Styles: Ways We Learn

Here at the CBC, we constantly strive for children to be proud and recognize that they are capable of problem solving and self reliance. As they work to fix bikes and participate in shop programs, it’s important to remember your role as a volunteer. Don’t do the work for them – instead, encourage them to get their hands dirty and try something new.

We have noticed that caring adults will often problem solve and perform repairs for kids for several reasons: 1) they are learning the skills themselves, 2) sometimes we don’t have the words or teaching skills to explain a task, 3) the task can be physically too challenging for a child, or 4) the task is too challenging for the child at his/her current skill level.

The aforementioned fourth reason will be discussed in a future blog post through the concepts described in the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1991). Csikszentmihalyi describes that optimum learning occurs when we have the right balance between the level of challenge for a task and our level of skill at performing the task. Basically this means that sometimes we give kids a task that is too challenging given their individual skill level so we need to figure out a way to lower the level of challenge. Sometimes need to perform part of the task for them until they develop the necessary cognitive, developmental, and physical skills to complete the defined repair challenge.

So getting back to learning styles, we must match teaching style with each child’s preferred learning style. There are several learning styles models that can be found in the literature. One of the most basic describes the differences between auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners (http://www.time4learning.com/learning-styles.shtml).

1. Auditory learners remember by talking out loud, like to have things explained orally and may have trouble with written instructions. Auditory learners may talk to themselves when learning something new.
2. Visual learners easily remember visual details and prefer to see what they are learning. They prefer to write down instructions and may have trouble following lectures.
3. Kinesthetic or tactile learners prefer activities that allow them to do what they are learning about. Tactile learners like to touch things in order to learn about them and like to move around when talking or listening.
   

Here at the CBC, we want kids to learn how they learn best. Don’t let their displays of frustration or desire to “get the bike finished” before the end of the day pull you into completing the task for them. Let your own anxiety of dealing with their disappointment pass – it’s always ok to take a break!

Here are some more specific ways people learn, and some ideas and questions you may ask kids to help them get to know their personal learning styles better:

1. Watching a demonstration (a.k.a show-n-tell)
2. Experimenting without instruction (a.k.a. trial-n-error)
3. Hearing the instructions verbally: step-by-step
4. Seeing the instructions written: step-by-step
5. Viewing the instructions through drawings or pictures
6. Viewing and hearing the instructions through video clips
7. Some people want to know “why” these steps
8. Some people don’t care to learn the “why” for these steps
9. Does the learner need to see how all the parts inter-connect?
10. Is process and outcome feedback needed along the way: encouragement and what’s wrong?
11. Does playing learning games help?
12. Does learning alongside a partner help or does one person take over?
13. Does changing the learning environment help – quiet space, music?

The Community Bicycle Center's Rights and Obligations, and the 5 Absolute "no's"

As a volunteer and member of the CBC community, you serve an important role to help support safe and supportive programming. Six rights and obligations should always be kept in mind --

1. Right to be Respected
2. Right to be Safe
3. Right to Learn
4. Obligation to be Caring
5. Obligation to be Honest
6. Obligation to be Responsible

When working in the shop or going for a ride, it is important to focus on the behaviors we want to live by rather than the behaviors we do not want to see, hear, or experience. Try to always recognize and praise positive behavior, and treat each participant as the person they are capable of being.

That said, there are five 100% "no's" that receive zero tolerance at the CBC.

1. Smoking
2. Drugs, alcohol
3. Hitting, violence, abusive anger, threats
4. Knives, weapons
5. Stealing

Any occurrence of these behaviors must be reported to a CBC staff member, who will deal with the issue according to our behavior management plan. Although volunteers can verbally discourage destructive behaviors, only staff members may have a participant take time away or tell a participant to leave. More about our Progressive Behavior Management Plan in a later post...

Keep warm out there, this weekend is going to be a cold one!

Maine DHHS Mandated Reporter Training

While we always try to keep the shop as positive an environment as possible, we must always be mindful of the experiences participants are having outside the shop. If you ever suspect that a child has been the victim of abuse or neglect, as employees and volunteers ("Mandated Reporters" under Maine law) we have a moral and legal obligation to file a report with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

It's certainly not a pleasant thing to think about, but education is probably the best way to recognize and deal with these harsh realities. The Maine DHHS encourages to look out for physical and behavioral indicators, available here.

All CBC staff complete mandated reporter training and it's suggested that you do too -- it doesn't take long and is available here.

Volunteering for Bike Part Art

Here's a special message from Ann, our Bike Art Coordinator --

Bike Part Art is the drop-in studio offering of the Community Bicycle Center, held on Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The mission is to provide children an opportunity for self expression while confirming the value of recycling through the use of spare bicycle parts. Children also have the opportunity to create bicycle-themed artwork through a painting or drawing; helping them to document and reflect on their other experiences at the CBC such as bike trips, working with mentors or participating in the Trek Across Maine.

Projects so far have included jewelry, mosaics, sculpture and mobiles. Children can select a project based on samples created for the program by the art coordinator or explore their individual interests with the materials on hand. New techniques or projects are introduced monthly. The goal of the class is to promote self-expression and reinforce problem solving and fine motor skills while supporting the values of the CBC in terms of respect, collaboration and appropriate interactions with staff and peers.

Bike Part Art projects are often carried over from week to week so that a child can thoroughly explore them without the pressure to move on to the next project as is usually the case in most school art classes. The room is set up in work stations so that each child can choose the activity that most interests them and have the materials and tools they need at hand . Visual aids in terms of photographs of sculpture & folk art, sample projects, and art books are posted or available in the room and these can often provoke conversations and ideas to stimulate imaginations.

Volunteers may actively assist by holding parts, participating in problem solving or giving feedback. Volunteers to the program enrich the student's experience by arriving with their own unique skills and interests that can inspire more creativity for our young artists. It is not necessary for volunteers to have an art background—just enthusiasm, curiosity and a love of working with kids!

Tips for Mentoring with Bike Repair (Part One of Many)

From time to time, everyone has a difficult or frustrating afternoon in the shop -- at our staff meeting last Monday, we added to an ongoing list of tips to keep in mind when you're fixing up a bike during our daily drop-ins:

-No two people learn the same way, and it never hurts to ask a student what works best for them.
-Quite often a step backwards precedes a big step forward.
-Mentors and students have equal footing in the shop, but it is most often up to the mentor to lead.
-Teach by example, even when clueless -- learning together teaches how to learn.
-Expect to be tested by students (and when it happens, don't take it personally).
-Consistency goes a long way.
-Set boundaries, and respect them. Ask for student input regularly.
-When frustrated, it's ok to walk away and return with a fresh perspective.
-Disrespectful language and behavior are not acceptable -- the shop must be a safe place for everyone.

More to come, so stay posted!