Established in 1999, Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW) is a nonprofit educational organization in

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

. The mission of NBW is to inspire youth and strengthen Philadelphia communities by providing equitable access to

bicycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bike ...

and bike repair through education, recreation, leadership and career-building opportunities.

History and Locations

Formerly located at Saint Mary's Church (40th and Locust Walk), on the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

campus, NBW started in 1996 as Youth Cycle & Recycle, a program of The

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) is a nonprofit advocacy group that has been working to improve conditions for bicyclists in the Greater Philadelphia region through advocacy and education since its founding in 1972. History The ...

. It became a separate nonprofit in July 1999. NBW operated a shop in the Haddington neighborhood at 60th and Vine from 2003 to 2012, and a shop in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of either ...

at 1426 W. Susquehanna Ave., near

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

, from 2009 to 2015. NBW's South Philadelphia shop, called The Bikery, at 508 S. 5th St. was open from 2010 to 2013. In 2015, Neighborhood Bike Works moved all of its operations to its current and only location on Lancaster Avenue.

Activities

NBW runs Earn-A-Bike classes for youth on bike repair and bike safety after school, on weekends, and in the summer. Students complete an eight-week basic bicycle repair class, fixing up used bikes donated by the community. Upon completion, they earn this bike for themselves, together with a helmet and lock. The program features

mentoring Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and positive role models. Many past youth participants have remained involved in the program, improving their skills while earning credits used to buy parts and accessories. Other programs for youth include summer camps, a youth cycling team that participates in cycling races, leadership development, academic support and tutoring, mountain biking training, and a yearly charity bike build. NBW also operates a community Open Shop called "Bike Church" that offers local residents the opportunity to repair their own bikes without charge, as well as adult bicycle repair classes. Every year since 2003, NBW has held an annual Bike Part Art Show, which allows local artists to make artwork from old bike parts or celebrating bike culture. Art is also sold in a silent auction as a fundraiser for NBW youth programs.

Achievements

*Since 1999, over 4,000 students have earned at least 5000 bicycles. *In 2002, Neighborhood Bike Works received a Waste Watchers Award for its environmental stewardship from the Pennsylvanian Department of Environmental Protection. *In 2008, Neighborhood Bike Works won a Sustainability Award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. *In 2010, Neighborhood Bike Works received a Sustainability Award from Spiral Q Puppet Theater *In 2010, Neighborhood Bike Works was named an Exemplary Social Service by the Exemplars Project of Partners for Sacred Places. *In 2011, Neighborhood Bike Works was nominated for a Human Values Award.

Media coverage

For its unique approach to community development, Neighborhood Bike Works has garnered press coverage in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', '' Metro Philadelphia'', ''

Philadelphia City Paper ''Philadelphia City Paper'' was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The independently owned paper was free and published every Thursday in print and daily online at citypaper.net. Staff reporters focused on labor issues, ...

'', ''

The Daily Pennsylvanian ''The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.'' is the independent student media organization of the University of Pennsylvania. The DP, Inc. publishes The Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper, 34th Street Magazine, and Under the Button, as well as five newslette ...

'',

Comcast Network The Comcast Network (TCN) was an American cable television network owned by the Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was C ...

, and a number of smaller local news sources.Switching Gears: West Philly's Earn a Bike program brings kids wheels, skills and life lessons.
''Fourteenth Street Magazine''. May 2009.

References

External links