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Thanks to a recent grant from the Michael Lee Environmental Foundation, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is about to rev up its educational efforts with a new program set to roll out this October. In alignment with International Walk to School Day on October 5th, SVBC is planning a brand new effort aimed to get children active.

While the new program is still in the initial planning stages, the Alliance was lucky to get a sneak peak of what’s in store for children at one lucky elementary school. Kicking off with an initial bicycle education day, the month-long program will continue with once-a-week group commutes, via walking bus or bikepool. I’m new to the concept of group commutes, so I asked Colin Heyne, Deputy Director of the SVBC, what they’re all about.

“The group passes by houses and other designated pickup spots along the [route], and a student joins the group,” Heyne explained. “It’s like a musical where one person starts marching down the street, singing, and is eventually joined by the whole scrappy Brooklyn neighborhood, except less spontaneous.”

SVBC also plans to prepare environmental lessons to go along with each week’s commute, to be taught either by a SVBC employee or a regular classroom teacher.

SVBC is not new to youth bicycle education efforts. The organization has previously organized bike rodeos and, most recently, teamed with Specialized Bicycles to host a bicycle education day and rodeo at a local elementary school. For the new program, the candidate elementary school has yet to be selected. Past experience has shown that this process could prove difficult without the support of the principal and parents. SVBC is currently reaching out to the elementary school where the organization has previously worked.

“We feel if we can establish a replicable model there, it will be easier to spread the project to other schools,” Heyne said.

In addition to promoting activity amongst children, SVBC believes the program will achieve several objectives, including supporting Safe Routes to School, increasing parent participation in children’s health, encouraging good behaviors that can continue into adulthood, and connected the dots between active transportation and environmental stewardship.

Heyne promises updates about the program in SVBC’s weekly e-bulletin, so be sure to check out SVBC’s website and subscribe to the organization e-bulletin here.

Congressman Gerlach, Senator O’Pake, Representative Santoni, Mayor Nowotarski, Chief of Police Anthony Garipoli, Sr., Redner’s Spokesperson Eric White, Principal Kerry Hoffman, Executive Board Members of WalkBikeBerks, and the Excellent Teaching Staff of the Elementary Center have committed to walking with us.  The event will begin at 7:45 a.m. with kids, parents and community leaders walking from Redner’s Warehouse Markets.  Walkers will arrive at the school by 8:30.

http://walkbikeberks.blogspot.com/