Community Bike Programs
Youth- & Vocational Training
Bike Mechanics
Pit Stop: training as a two-wheel mechanic provides opportunities for youth at risk and the unemployed (Photo: travelpod.com)
In an increasing number of cities around the globe, government-funded and private-sector vocational training programs are being offered to enable youth at risk, the unemployed and others to learn how to repair and refurbish bicycles as well as the skills required to own and operate a bike shop.
Bicycles are either brought in or donated by the public or forwarded en masse as collected by the city's public works department via recycling depots or from the police.
Even if the bicycle cannot be made roadworthy again, such programs will often remove usable parts, recycle plastic components, rubber tires and tubes and sell the metal as scrap.
There are also an increasing number of programs that ship hundreds of bicycles together in containers to Africa and other parts of the world where affordable transport is essential.
Contact your city recycling depot or public works department about the best way to recycle your old bike to keep it on the road and to avoid it being scrapped -or worse- ending in a landfill site.
Keywords
human power, bicycle mechanics, bike mechanic, youth, vocational training programs, youth at risk, certification, maintenance, fix, service, tools, parts, reconditioned, remanufactured, workshops,
