If you would like to have a really awesome T-shirt while at the same time help us get over 1000 kids a year on bikes, check out our online store or pick one up at Global Bikes. Get all of this goodness for only $23!
Visit our store here, or visit Global Bikes In Gilbert, Chandler and Ahwatukee.
Thank you to Desert Foothills Mountain Bike Association for the $500 donation to our program. We appreciate all of your efforts to support our effort to get more kids outside and riding bikes.
DFMBA’s mission is to enhance the mountain bike experiences in the greater north Phoenix valley. DFMBA does this through trail advocacy, development, education, and maintenance, to the benefit of all trail users.
This gallery contains 16 photos.
Big THANKS to Scott Steele for securing a $250 donation from Maracay Homes! They actually made the first donation to Trips for Kids Phoenix and have supported us for three years! Thank you!
As all of you probably know, New Belgium Brewing is INCREDIBLY supportive of cycling communities across the United States and their support continues with their $2000 donation to Trips for Kids Phoenix! Thank you for believing in what we do! Cheers!
Trips for Kids Phoenix
Mission
Trips for Kids Phoenix is a non-profit organization that values healthy lifestyles, the need to protect and appreciate our environment, and empowering youth to take personal responsibility for their lives and the communities in which they live. Our goal is to team up with local agencies to provide positive, fun outdoor experiences utilizing the challenge and joy of mountain biking along with community service and educational opportunities to reach disadvantaged youth (ages 10-17) who might not otherwise have these opportunities.
Participants
Trips for Kids Phoenix partners with other organizations such as the Phoenix Police Department (Gang Resistance and Education and Training Program) and Youth Groups form the Gila River Indian Reservation to take kids ages 10-17 mountain biking.)
Trips for Kids Phoenix works with the kids to help them gain confidence and progress with their abilities. This program is a bully-free zone and the kids organically begin to cheer one another on as the day goes on. The day mountain bike trips give the kids the opportunity to be kids and to just enjoy life. Most of them come from horrible home environments with little support or encouragement. The rides give the kids the opportunity to be cheered on by their peers and to teach the other new riders skills they have learned.
Trips for Kids Mountain Bike Ride Program
Across the nation, kids who live in an inner city or who come from low-income families are faced with more challenges than ever before. Lacking a positive physical outlet, drugs often become the answer to stress and frustration. Conflict resolution is approached through gang membership and a chance to accomplish goals is, more often than not, completely ignored.
A mountain bike is the tool we will use to address these issues because kids and bikes are a natural combination. Many of us remember riding around the neighborhood as a kid, getting a flat and putting away our bikes until our parents could bring it to a shop. Our sense of freedom that those two wheels instilled was now gone. As a result of this affinity, the bicycle allows us to share the great outdoors while teaching skills and a number of valuable life lessons to youth from inner cities. Our rides will provide challenges and the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and become involved in a lifelong career and sport. After the ride, we reflect on the personal lessons learned and encourage all of the kids to apply these lessons to other aspects.
“I had one of the best times I have ever had in a long time.” Dakota age 14 (TFK PHX)
The kids who will come on our Trips for Kids Phoenix rides will come from areas where riding around the neighborhood” is not an option and most so not have access to bikes. Getting out of the confines of the city and having a good old-fashioned fun time is valuable for youth who are constantly surrounded by pavement, drugs and violence. In this environment, kids will be given the chance to just be kids again. And a one-to-three ratio of volunteers to youth means that each child will receive special attention and support from a caring adult.
Environmental Component
“The value of educating children through outdoor experiences cannot be overstated.
Recent studies reveal that not only does outdoor, hands-on environmental education
enhance performance all academic subjects, it provides students with vital life tools. Improvement can be seen in persistence in tasks, communication skills, working in groups and even thinking about the environment is as important as teaching them to read and write.” This is what the Sierra Club has to say about environmental education.
Of course, kids have fun on a mountain bike, but we also use this opportunity to teach concepts that will be of lasting value. Environmental Education is an important part of Trips for Kids Phoenix, in addition to lessons in personal challenge and self-esteem. Bikes are a great opportunity to teach kids about a number of pertinent issues. Our goals are to teach: 1. Appreciation of the outdoors so that children will care for it. 2. An understanding that each person CAN make a difference within his/her environment.
We are taking used bike donations May 2-20th. You can drop your used bikes off at any Global Bikes location. All bikes will be fixed up and sold to raise money for Trips for Kids Phoenix. We will also provide a tax deductible receipt for your taxes.
Trips for Kids Phoenix will be hosting a big used bike sale on May 24th at the Gilbert and Guadalupe location. All of the proceeds from the sale will benefit the Trips for Kids Phoenix ride program.
Mountain Biking for Healthy, Confident Kids!
Mission Statement: Trips for Kids Phoenix provides mountain bike outings and environmental education to disadvantaged, urban youth who would not otherwise be exposed to such activities. Our outings create a positive, fun outdoor experience for children, while teaching valuable lessons about living a healthy lifestyle, promoting environmental awareness, and fostering self-esteem.
Youth Mountain Biking Program
Trips for Kids Phoenix (TFK PHX) is dedicated to giving disadvantaged, urban youth the opportunity to experience and learn about the natural beauty of Arizona from the seat of a mountain bike. We strive to give children the chance to see a different side of Arizona, to expand their understanding of what they can achieve, and to make personal connections with the natural world. We are an organization of cyclists, educators, and community leaders who believe we can make an unquestionable difference in the lives of children by opening their minds to new possibilities, and arming them with greater self-esteem.
TFK PHX partners with numerous youth agencies in the Phoenix Metro area (Boys & Girls Clubs, Four Directions, The Phoenix Police Department, and Gang Resistance and Education Training) to provide fun-filled, mountain bike outings for small groups of children aged 10 and up. The trips are lead by our experienced Ride Leaders who, along with several adult volunteers, teach the children basic mountain biking skills and provide positive encouragement throughout the challenging day on the trial. The beautiful foothills and mountain parks we explore provide the perfect setting for the youngsters to experience first- hand and learn about the natural areas of Arizona.
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Trips for Kids Phoenix 