After school bike clubs

The Presidio Community YMCA Bicycle Program (YBike) began with after school bike programs, or Bike Clubs, at 3 middle schools, in 2004.  After-school Bike Clubs remain our most intensive program, offering youth a complete, 16-session class in bicycling and city riding.  There is no other program in San Francisco capable of taking a student who has never ridden a bike before and, with targeted lessons and extensive hands-on practice, give the student the tools and skills needed to ride a bike safely on city streets.  We have worked at 11 middle schools, 1 alternative-grade school, and 1 elementary school in the San Francisco Unified School District.  Please click on one of the schools in the menu on the left to learn more about the specific programs at each school.

From 2007-2009, we reached 650 middle school students through our after-school programs, of which roughly 60% are low-income youth, 80% are youth of color, and 50% are girls.  All our after-school bike clubs follow our after school bicycle safety education program curriculum, a comprehensive guide to leading after-school and other bicycle safety programs for upper elementary, middle, or high school students.   The program focuses on teaching youth to ride bicycles lawfully and safely, educating them about traffic laws in order to help them become safe and predictable cyclists.  Students also learn the benefits of exercise, teamwork, leadership skills, basic mechanics, and proper nutrition habits.  An original draft was created in 2004, and many of the activities have been refined through careful practice over the years since.  The latest version, developed with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, was adapted and written by Jason Agar, a leading youth bicycle educator.  A version of our after school program curriculum was adapted this spring and used for our middle school Physical Education programs.  Examples of both can be found on our Curriculum page.