Provided by Trips for Kids Marin
 

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to provide transformative cycling experiences for underserved youth. We focus on kids eight to seventeen years old. We aim to address those needs through our signature programs: Trail Rides, Earn-A-Bike, Mobile Bike Workshops, through our Re-Cyclery Bike Shop and NOW Internship Program. Vision: Trips for Kids envisions a world where all children reach their highest potential. We believe that all kids, regardless of their gender, race or socio-economic status deserve a life where they can self-actualize and be the best they can be - physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

TRAIL RIDE PROGRAM

Our Trail Ride programs encompass a variety of rides including weekly after school bike clubs, family bike festivals, and scenic day-long ‘Discovery’ trail ride adventures. Kids ride trails throughout the Bay Area in gorgeous local, state and national parks while learning bike skills, self-confidence, environmental awareness and how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
 

EARN-A-BIKE PROGRAM

Through our unique Earn-A-Bike program, youth in Marin County complete a six week class with hands-on lessons in bike mechanics and bike safety. After completing the course and participating in one Saturday ride, each participant earns their own bike, helmet, and lock. Workshops are held in our own facility located in San Rafael’s Canal District, a unique multi-cultural neighborhood. Many participating youth earn their bike and return to our intermediate and advanced mechanics classes.
 

MOBILE BIKE WORKSHOPS

In our Mobile Bike Workshop program, we bring the joy of biking to kids at their school or community after-school sites. Trips for Kids brings the bikes, helmets, tools, and an instructor to teach lessons on safe bike riding skills and mechanics. The 10-30 week curriculum teaches a new skill each week including fixing a flat tire, adjusting brakes, and making basic safety repairs.
 

OUR BYCLE THRIFT SHOP: THE RE-CYCLERY

The Re-Cyclery, as a bicycle thrift store, serves our community by upcycling donated bikes and cycling equipment, keeping used gear out of the landfill. Donations are either refurbished and sold at a deep discount by our bike shop mechanics or salvaged for parts. Profits from the Re-Cyclery help to run our Bay Area youth programs. Learn more about The Rec-Cyclery, come visit us at 610 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901 or give us a call at (415) 458-2986 ext. 1.
 

HOW CAN YOU HELP

Your support will help Trips for Kids Marin get #morekidsonbikes! Make Trips for Kids Marin your Basementeer Beneficiary and check out our website on how to donate goods (like giving your old bike a new home) or financially.

 
PROGRAM UPDATES

We have developed new partnerships with schools and community organizations that extend across the Bay Area, such as Arise High School in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, Marin County Cooperation Team serving the historically Black community of Marin City, and YES- Nature to Neighborhoods in Richmond.

We have worked with educational consultants to put together an interactive curriculum for the Trail Rides and Mobile Bike Workshops programs that reflect the California Department of Education’s standards around Social Emotional Learning Standards (SEL), Next Generation Science (NGSS), and Physical Education (PE).

We recently launched our first ever Youth Advisory (YA) Board composed of members who have participated in Trips for Kids Mprograms. The YA Board channels its firsthand experience to help with program development and feedback, ensuring that we are staying true to the changing needs of the population we serve.

TFKBA also operates a social enterprise, the Re-Cyclery Bike Shop, which refurbishes donated bikes that are re-sold to the community and used to fund a portion of our youth programs, also keeping used bikes and gear out of the landfills. We recently designed and are ready to launch a pilot of our new Re-Cyclery Bike Shop Workforce Development Internship Program, so that we can test the curriculum and make improvements before scaling the program to reach more youth.