project leader
Meredith K
location
712 University Ave W
Multi-borough
latest update rss
We're here!

the project

We are urban immigrant youth.

We come from 15 countries and speak 9 languages.

New York City is our new home.

Bike Speak is our new language.

Each day we shift between our native languages and English as we learn to speak bike.

Can you help us to share our new language with others?

the steps

  • Students from 3 International high schools meet for 6 weeks to produce videos (planning, rehearsals, shooting, editing). Videos will demonstrate basic bike maintenance in multiple languages.

  • Students practice and rehearse the workshop

  • Students and community organize and run fundraising events

  • Secure permission forms

  • Purchase airline tickets

  • Reserve lodging in St. Paul/Minneapolis

  • Fly to Minnesota on May 27

  • Students lead a workshop at the Youth Bike Summit

  • Return to NYC on May 29 or 30

why we're doing it

The International Network for Public Schools is a network of public schools, mainly based in New York City, that serves new immigrants to the United States.  Three INPS school (International H.S. Union Square, International H.S. Laguardia, and Bronx International) have bike programs through Recycle a Bicycle, an organization that donates old bicycles to schools for repair.  Students learn how to fix the  bicycles, in the process acquiring mechanic skills, and “earning” their own bikes to keep. Our schools are comprised of immigrant students from over 50 countries.  All of our schools are Title 1 schools with a high poverty population.  Our students live in high density urban neighborhoods with limited access to green space and recreation.  In New York City, bicycle riding is booming. We have a recently installed city-wide bike sharing system, and a proliferation of user-friendly bike lanes around the city.  Bike shops are springing up everywhere except in high poverty neighborhoods.   Many students in our school have extensive experience with nonurban casual biking in their home countries; others have never ridden a bike before.  None have experience with urban biking as an inexpensive, non-polluting transportation alternative in the urban setting.   

 

Throughout the NYC school system vocational education is dwindling.  Many of our students have strong mechanical aptitude, and nowhere to develop it.  One aspect of the bicycle program is to provide students with vocational mechanical experience in the bicycle sector.  Finally, many of our students come to the U.S with low literacy skills both in English and native language, due to interrupted formal education. All of them are in the process of learning English.  The bicycle program provides them with experiential learning, which can be linked to developing literacy skills.  It also allows low literacy students with high nonacademic skills to shine and to develop confidence and leadership skills.  Attending the Youth Bike Summit in Minneapolis would allow students to showcase their work to others, to meet students from around the country. And to expand their horizons beyond their local school, neighborhood and family.

 

budget

DISBURSEMENT BUDGET (as of 5/18/16):



RAISED = $1,478.00
ioby Platform Fee  $35.00
 Payment Processing Fee (3%) $42.03
TOTAL TO DISBURSE = $1,400.97

Airfare: $1,400.97

 

REVISED BUDGET (as of 5/9/16):



SUBTOTAL = $5,000
ioby Platform Fee $35
Donation Processing Fee of 3%  $150
TOTAL TO RAISE = $5,185

 

ORIGINAL BUDGET:



Budget Item

Amount

Airfare

$400-$600/per person for 15 people

Accommodations

$50/night for 2 nights for 15 people

Food

$2000 for 3 days for 15 people

Local Transportation

$310 ($1.75 per bus trip or light rail in MPLS)

  • $225 (to and from airport)

Conference Fee

$25/person

 



SUBTOTAL = $10,000
ioby Platform Fee $35
Payment Processing Fee of 3%  $300
TOTAL TO RAISE = $10,335

 

updates

We're here!

Thank you everyone for your support, promotion of our project, and donations!

 

Thanks to your generosity, we're here at Macalester College and just presented our panel!  

We have video and photo updates on Jenny's public Twitter and teacher facebook  (@jennydrades; jenny@ihs-us.org)  and also a bounty live facebook videos archived on Jamal's facebook (Jamal AlJamal). https://www.facebook.com/jamal.aljamali.77/videos/226969784354063/

We're on our way!!

Thank you to our supporters! We have just purchased our plane tickets and are on our way!

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • JC
  • Lisa
  • Julian V
  • Lillian W.
  • run red
  • Plee
  • Courtney
  • Anonymous
  • Karla M.
  • Theresa Solomon
  • Illpo
  • JENNIFER S.
  • Bike Rider
  • Emily
  • Kristin N.
  • Rebecca M.
  • Dan
  • Maia A.
  • Anonymous
  • Kate
  • Stephanie
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous