NYBC Lead Youth Bike Summit in US

14th - 16th June 20204, Allentown, Pennsylvania U.S.A - Leaders from the National Youth Bike Council (NYBC) led a Youth Bike Summit that looked to further connect young people into the world of bicycling or bicycling advocacy by bringing like minded young people and their staff members together.

The Youth Bike Summit has been going for nine years and is deeply rooted in community engagement. According to the president of the NYBC, Joshua F., the Summit “thrives because local organisations that get young people on bicycles bring their young people to the summit each year”

Some priority Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that guide the event are SDGs 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 4: Quality Education and, 13: Climate Action. 

The organisers worked with different local stakeholders and they started creating programs that encourage youth to use their bicycles, especially directed to those who may want to start the journey but are unsure how.

Through the workshops, the NYBC calls for additional youth groups to join the resource-sharing partnership for cyclists in and around Pennsylvania. “The Resource Sharing Partnership is an opportunity for youth groups to sustain, improve, and transform approaches to getting more young people educated, riding bicycles, and closer to leading local action.”

The Summit was joined by 206 youth, staff, and volunteers from 26 different youth-focused organisations.

The attendees were presented with testaments from leaders in the international cycling community and were invited to attend peer-led workshops. They also joined several different themed bike rides, engaging and interacting with their fellow cyclists.

The Summit was made possible through local partnerships with Community Bike Works, passionate contributors, and crucial sponsorships.

“We are pleased to have had the contributions of 32 workshops over 3 days, 1 big bicycle ride joined by the Mayor of Allentown, and majority youth participation (72%). The Youth Bike Summit is on the move, traveling from city to city, next year it will be in Boston, Massachusetts from May, 30th 2025 to June, 1st 2025. It's our goal to establish a pathway, through nationwide collaboration of bicycle organizations to enable young people to be able to advocate on their behalf.” - Joshua F., NYBC President